Some may ask a simple question,,what is wrong with Usher Raymond skipping a line to cast his vote? The answer is simple, his vote held no more weight than that of the person behind him or in front of him thus his recent behavior ignited more controversy around him and his brand.
Usher upset more than a few Georgia voters when he bypassed long waits at the polls this past Tuesday. The R&B superstar and Georgia native arrived at the polls and of course set off a frenzy of fans trying to get a glimpse of him. That’s when election officials escorted him to the front. They are defending their decision to let the R&B singer cut the line.
Fulton County election officials told ABC News affiliate WSB-TV that Usher, whose real name is Usher Raymond IV, was escorted to the front of the line at his Roswell, Ga. polling place to minimize distractions. They said that after Usher’s team notified them of the singer’s intent to vote in person, they dispatched a poll manager to move him “through the process as expeditiously as possible.”
They added, “At no point was this decision made for preferential treatment, but to minimize and avoid a distraction at the poll.”
But they left Usher with enough wiggle room to snap and tweet a few photos of himself voting, further infuriating people behind him.
“I take the voting process very seriously, and I was just taken aback that this was allowed to happen,” voter Alan Christian told WSB-TV.
Usher has had a bad time in the media lately. In Late October, CBS News Atlanta began an investigation as to whether or not the judge who presided over his custody case was influenced by campaign contributions that his attorney facilitated for the judge.
The judge in the couple’s child custody case, Judge Tipton-Lane, along with another judge is the focus of an investigation launched by CBS after reports of favorable judgments for campaign contributors was uncovered.
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Hip Hop Enquirer was the first to report that Tameka’s attorney, Lisa West, filed a Motion for Recusal, after learning that Judge Bensonetta Tipton-Lane had a “special relationship” with Usher’s attorney, John Mayoue. In 2008, Mayoue helped Judge Lane to get reelected. Not only was he on the board of her reelection committee, but his law firm also donated to Lane’s campaign and hosted a fundraising reception that raised thousands of dollars.
If this is true, then everybody involved could be in hot water. This was all legal. Currently, Georgia law allows for attorneys to give to judicial campaigns. However, West believes that Judge Lane should have disclosed her relationship with Mayoue in open court. Because she didn’t, West is asking for a new trial and for Lane to recuse herself.
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Not surprisingly, Judge Lane denied West’s motion. However, the motion still prompted a FBI investigation according a Marietta Daily Journal news report whether or not there was any possible judicial corruption in Raymond vs. Raymond.
Representatives for Usher Raymond did not respond to CBSNews.com’s requests for comment.
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