Reported by: Jamie Burke

SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV - The West Virginia Secretary of State's Office has been notified of several concerns raised during Saturday's special election on a new zoning ordinance in Jefferson County.

Commissioner Jim Surkamp is among those with questions.

He wants officials to weigh-in or whether it was appropriate for Ronda Lehman to be a poll worker at Saturday's special election.

Lehman helped organized the original petition drive which led to the zoning referendum.

Secretary of State Natalie Tennant says Lehman's involvement with organizing the petition had no direct effect on her ability to work as a poll worker.

Tennant said, "If a person works on a petition drive, that does not preclude that person from being a poll worker because we've seen that in other elections where folks may have campaigned for a candidate, and they've still been a poll worker.  She just can not be a candidate or a relative of a candidate."

Lehman was originally an alternate on a list of potential poll workers.

In the past, polling places have seen a high amount of absenteeism among poll workers for special elections.

Jefferson County Clerk Jennifer Maghan approved Ronda Lehman's name for the list.

The question about Lehman's eligibility was first raised publicly when an article and a picture of Lehman inside the polling station was published by Shepherdstown newspaper The Observer.

West Virginia Code specifies that the media is prohibited from taking pictures within a polling place.

Observer publisher Thomas Harding declined to comment on the situation.

Tennant adds, "They cannot be inside the polling place or inside the building, but the law does preclude, does not allow photographing of the machines or ballots."

Some are also questioning Commissioner Surkamp's presence at the polls on Sunday.

Reva Mickey, leader of the Jefferson County Democratic Party believes that, "I do not feel that it was acceptable for Commissioner Surkamp to present himself at his polling place, 35B, at 6:30 a.m. in the morning to vote, knowing that journalists have put in the newspaper that he voted early in the election. "

Surkamp says he was at the polling station not to vote again, but  to make sure everything was operating smoothly and to notify the public that Lehman was working at the polls.

Tennant  says she's aware of the allegations being made about the election but adds that she cannot comment as to whether the matter is being investigated.