While tabulating results in Tuesday night's Florala mayoral run-off election, the media was banned from observing the vote tabulation taking place.

Florala News Editor Jan Allred attempted to look through the curtains at the city's old National Guard Armory which serves as a voting precinct. He along with several other media representatives were denied access into the building.

Dozens of citizens waited for more than an hour-and-a-half to find the results of the mayoral contest between Robert Williamson and Newton Peters.

Williamson won the race.

The final tally was eventually taped to the window of the armory building, but folks wondered why they were kept out.

"I'm still upset with the election in August when they took the ballots to city hall to count. I don't know why they do this, there's no one to stop them from doing it," Buddy Holley said.

Dothan attorney Ben Irwin says Alabama code is clear, and that the media can not be barred from the site where the vote results are being tabulated at.

Sunshine laws are designed to open doors and give greater media scrutiny of state and local government.

Over recent months, news four has also been informed of several other Wiregrass cities that bar the media from the vote tabulation process.

That is a clear violation of state statute.