Candidates cautioned about absentee voting

Circuit clerk Monet Autry reviewed the regulations regarding assisting a person voting in the circuit clerk’s office or voting absentee by mail with the Marshall County Board of Supervisors.

She reminded candidates they cannot be involved in helping a person vote by the absentee process.

The rule applies to all candidates running for office.

“You can be accused of ballot harvesting unless you are a caregiver of the person,” she said.

District 3 supervisor Keith Taylor asked about people bringing in people to vote.

“Johnny off the street brings in 77 people absentee, is it legal?” he asked.

“Yes, it’s legal,” Autry said. “Over 65 can automatically absentee vote. It’s legal for them to get help but not from any candidate.”

Taylor said the same people bringing in absentee voters “breaks down to not a fair election.” “As long as the laws are the way they are, it’s legal,” Autry said, Taylor said the secretary of state Michael Watson said people voting absentee must have a reason that they cannot be at the polls on election day.

District 1 supervisor Charles Terry said a person who gets help at the poll must ask for it.

“The voter has to state they will need assistance in voting,” Autry said. “Anybody can bring you to vote. A person who is voting at the office or in person at the precinct has to request assistance if they need help. The (helper) assistant can’t touch the ballot but the person assisting can read the ballot for them.”

Autry said when a person votes absentee by mail or in the circuit clerk’s office, they are not allowed to vote by machine on election day. The voter will have to vote by affidavit ballot, however, only one vote will be counted.

Autry said it is very difficult for a person to vote in someone else’s name.

“It’s almost impossible at this point for someone to vote in another person’s name because of voter ID requirements,” she said.

Taylor said election commissioners do a great job of making sure no one votes more than once.

“I’m convinced every election night is on the up and up,” he said.

District 4 supervisor George Zinn III was concerned a mail-in ballot may arrive late and not be counted.

Autry said the ballot must be postmarked before the deadline and has to be received within 10 days after the election to be counted. It is the postmark that is critical.

“Apparently, the mail is moving faster now,” she said. “If people will request (a mailin ballot) early, we will get it back (in time).”

In other business, Terry reported he learned a new Department of Child Protective Services is being created. The services will no longer be operated under the Mississippi Department of Human Services as these are now separate state agencies.

Terry asked the board to authorize a letter to the City of Holly Springs asking limbs left on the roadsides by tree trimming crews working under power lines for the Holly Springs Utility Department to be moved off the county rights-of-way.

“It’s been there for a while,” he said.

Terry also reminded supervisors a new mental health hotline, 988, has been established for crisis calls for help in Mississippi.

County engineer Larry Britt discussed paving bid openings and the design of the fire station in Chickasaw Trail Industrial Park.

An option to add a conference room to the station has been added and the exterior of the station will resemble that of the Workforce Training Center on the adjacent lot.

Terry suggested a marquee could be placed between the two facilities to promote activities and events.

Taylor asked for clearing out material stopping up a creek at Dogwood Road and Barringer Road.

The board approved the measure and also cleaning sediment out of two ponds on private properties.

He thanked Sheriff Kenny Dickerson for the work of trash pickup on rights-of-way on State Aid Roads using state inmate crews.

Zinn said constituents are concerned that the board of supervisors does not recognize Juneteenth, a federal holiday.

He said 18 states have designated Juneteenth as a state holiday.

“We are allotted certain numbers of state holidays,” he said. “We only have a certain number. I would like to see if we could substitute some state holidays out.”

Board attorney Amanda Whaley Smith said an already designated holiday would have to be switched out in order to add Juneteenth.

County administrator Tim Powell said the county has already swapped Memorial Day with Good Friday and only one swap can be made by law.

“The state law says you can swap one, it does not say multiple,” Terry said. “There was no proclamation by the governor (to designate Juneteenth as a state holiday.)”

“If the law is set, I withdraw my motion,” Zinn said.

“The law clearly states only one holiday can be swapped,” Terry said.

“Supervisors are handicapped because there is no proclamation by the governor of Mississippi,” Zinn said.

Chancery clerk Nicole Phelps reported claims of $343,695 for the week. Inmate meals and comp time for sheriff department employees were spread on the minutes. A deputy will attend SWAT training, she said.

Powell said he received a notice that the Mississippi Department of Archives and History is considering applying for the Adams family farm house on Callicutt Road be placed on the Federal Register of Historic Places.

Justice court clerks were approved to have $100 in their petty cash drawers.

Powell said a Hazard Mitigation grant for a storm shelter to hold 100 people is now available through the Northeast Mississippi Planning and Development District. The application for the grant, which has a 75:25 match and will cost about $250,000, was approved.

Road manager Mario Jeffries reported that a red light at Cayce Road and Wingo Road was repaired by DeSoto Electric.

Pilings for the Battle Road bridge were approved at $26,950, quoted by Tiger Steel. Metal Supermarket quoted $29,431.