A misplaced box of voter applications is causing a controversy in the Adams County Courthouse.

The box of some 200-plus voter applications, filled out just prior to the November 1999 election, was located recently and added to the Adams County voter rolls.

Just where and when the box was found are at the center of the controversy.

Adams County Circuit Clerk, M.L. &uot;Binkey&uot; Vines said employees found the box in the circuit clerk’s personal office about a month ago. They then sent it to the Adams County election commissioner’s office for entry into the voter rolls, he said.

&uot;It disturbs me that this box would be placed under a table and be left in (the circuit clerk’s office) and these applications were not processed timely,&uot; he said, adding that he plans to investigate what happened.

However, former clerk Fred Ferguson and several members of the election commission say the box was found in the election commission office.

&uot;I didn’t do anything wrong,&uot; Ferguson said. &uot;None of my deputies did anything wrong…

&uot;We passed (the applications) along to the election commission’s office like we were supposed to do,&uot; Ferguson said.

Bob Barrett and several other members of the election commission confirmed they found the box in their office this year.

However, Katye Dukes, another member of the election commission walked out of the office Tuesday at a meeting on the issue. While leaving she made reference to all the lies that were being told.

Dukes said she does not understand why the applications were not entered in 1999.

&uot;I don’t know what the reason was but I would really like to know,&uot;&160;she said. &uot;Something is going to be done about it.&uot;

The voters were not eligible to vote in the November 1999 county election, Ferguson said.

&uot;They were not eligible to vote in the November election because they registered after the deadline,&uot;&160;Ferguson said.

Election commission members said all the applications have been processed now and voters were eligible to vote in the May city primaries.

However, the processing delay could have affected the voting process in March’s presidential primary, where these voters would have been forced to vote by affidavit at the polls.

&uot;But to (our) knowledge none of them came to vote on March Super Tuesday anyway because we didn’t have any affidavits,&uot;&160;said Catherine Meng, of the election commission.