W. Va. county clerk withholds names of petition signers

The Shepherdstown Observer is suing the Jefferson County Clerk after it refused to release the names of signatures on a petition related to a zoning change referendum, the West Virginia Record reported. The newspaper requested the documents after learning that about 18 percent of the signatures were deemed invalid.

The Shepherdstown Observer newspaper has filed a lawsuit against the Jefferson County Clerk over her refusal to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request.

The Observer says it wanted to see documents related to a petition gathered to spur a referendum on a zoning change passed by the county commission. The change was passed in Oct. 2008, according to the newspaper's complaint filed Feb. 11.

The petition is allowed by law to challenge the zoning change. Ten-percent of registered voters in the affected area have to sign the petition to prompt the referendum vote.

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