November Ballot Includes Local Election
November Ballot Includes Local Election
By David Howell
Editor
WATER VALLEY – The November race for District 4 Election Commissioner will be contested after two candidates qualified for the position in the waning hours of the qualification period that ended June 4. Supervisors unanimously approved the petitions of Eddie Harris and Patsy K. Stewart during the “first Monday” supervisor meeting held in Water Valley on June 6.
The winner of the race will replace incumbent Ora Faye Polk, who did not seek another term. The incumbent in District 5, June Byford, also did not seek another term.
Other candidates who have qualified for the positions and are unopposed include: District 1 – Steve Cummings, incumbent; District 2 – Missy Kimzey, incumbent; District 3, Carla Peacock, incumbent; and District 5, Vivian Sanders, a retired educator and political newcomers.
To qualify for the non-partisan position, each candidate had to obtain a minimum of 50 signatures from their perspective county beat and submit the paperwork to the chancery clerk’s office. After the signatures are certified, the petition is presented to the Board of Supervisors for approval.
Election commissioners are charged with the duty of conducting, including all facets of activities associated with general and special elections for the county. Election commis-sioners are responsible for keeping the poll books of the county. They also keep the registration books which contain the names of all voters in the county. They are responsible for revising them periodically and keeping them up to date.
With redistricting, commissioners assign voters to the appropriate district and precinct and revise poll books to conform to changes in boundaries. Election commissioners are also required by state statute to attend certification training each year, held by the Secretary of State, to be eligible to conduct elections held in the county. Other duties include hiring poll workers for an election and training poll workers on their specific duties on election day.
In the event of a challenged election, election commissioners are required to be among members of a special tribunal formed to hear the challenge. The commissioners sit in the trial as the jury in the case and as advisors to the judge appointed to hear the case.
