The controversy surrounding the Democratic nominee for the state House of Representatives District 67 seat means a little more to Mark Story than most Selma residents.

Story is the Republican nominee for the same seat and will face either LaTosha Brown or Yusuf Salaam in the Nov. 5 general election.

Now, Story is a little closer to the controversy. Along with a growing number of other Selma residents, he has been subpoenaed to testify before the five-member panel hearing Brown’s challenge to the results of the June 25 runoff.

Brown lost that runoff to Salaam by 138 votes.

The panel hearing the challenge is composed of five members of the State Democratic Executive Committee. By state law, the panel is empowered to operate as a quasi-judicial body, with the power to subpoena witnesses and to compel them to testify.

After hearing two days of testimony, the panel has adjourned until Aug. 12. Attorneys for Brown have indicated they may subpoena as many as 600 people before it is over.

Said Story, “This is upsetting to a lot of people when all they’ve done is exercise their right to vote. Now they’re being accused of criminal activity and threatened with jail if they don’t testify.”

Story said the city that boasts of being the cradle of the voting rights movement appears to be well on its way toward making voting rights history again.

“What’s ironic to me,” Story said, “is that some of the same people who worked so hard to ensure that all people have the right to vote are now harassing people and threatening them because they have voted.”

Story said the subpoenas have called into question certain fundamental beliefs that many people held about the election process in this country.

“To me, your secret ballot is one of the most sacred rights we have in this country,” he said. “In this country, it’s just common courtesy that you don’t even ask your neighbor how he voted and he doesn’t ask you how you voted — just like you don’t ask how much money he makes.

“Now, people are being told they’re at risk of going to jail if they don’t get up and testify how they voted in court. That’s Third World politics to me.”

Story dismissed accusations that he has tried to avoid being served with a subpoena as “a bunch of misinformation.”

“What’s sad is that our community is being torn apart by these divisive accusations,” he said. “It’s obvious that certain of these candidates are interested in putting themselves first over the welfare of the community.”