King County elections officials yesterday canceled the voter registration of James C. Garrett, who filed to run for Seattle mayor despite a felony conviction for assaulting then-Mayor Paul Schell in 2001.

The officials said they will seek a court order to remove Garrett's name from the ballot.

Garrett, 59, never had his voting rights legally restored after serving a 21-month prison sentence. Yet he registered to vote again last year and filed to run for mayor July 29.

At a hearing this week, Garrett argued the U.S. government had no authority over him as an African American.

Dean Logan, director of the county elections department, ruled Garrett was not legally registered to vote because he had never petitioned a court to have his rights restored after being released from prison.

In a news release, Logan said the county has made purging illegal voters from the voter rolls a top priority this year and has removed 854 felons and 6,671 dead people.

Garrett could not be reached for comment yesterday afternoon.

Jim Brunner: 206-515-5628 or jbrunner@seattletimes.com