SELMA - Mayoral candidate Harris Jenkins said a biased polling location cost him a chance at victory. He said many poor, black, Latino and elderly citizens likely didn't vote because the West Selma polling place was too far from their neighborhoods.

"Look at where all the black people live, look at where all the multicultural diverse population lives, look at where primarily the poor live," said Jenkins, who could have been Selma's first black mayor. "They had no way to get that distance."

The West Selma polling place is about a mile from some historically poor neighborhoods on the south side of the railroad tracks. In 2006, the Board of Elections moved the polling place from the more-central fire station to Selma Elementary School.

Jenkins lost to incumbent Charles Hester, who is white, by 23 votes, or less than four percent of the vote. Jenkins won West Selma by seven percent, but turnout wasn't high enough there to carry him to victory. Voter turnout was 17 percent in West Selma, while 26 percent turned out in East Selma, which has almost twice as many registered voters.

"They should have left it downtown ... or at least put something on the south side where people can get to," Jenkins said. "This kind of thing is very disheartening because justice has not been served."

Leigh Anne Price, supervisor of Johnston of elections, said the new polling place was chosen in 2006 based on a number of factors, including handicap accessibility.

"It's a long process, believe you me," Price said.

Jenkins ran on promises to lower electricity rates, attract business and open the mayor's door to citizens. On Thursday, he said Hester's victory was less than legitimate.

"What he really needs to do is look at how unfair everything has been set up and take a real assessment: Did he win this race fair? Because he didn't win it fair," Jenkins said.

In the race for two council seats, incumbents Jackie Lacy and Debbie Edwards-Johnson were easy winners over challengers "Boone" King, Tommy Holmes and Eric Jackson. Lacy, like Jenkins, is black. She led the balloting with 409 votes.