By Billy Davis

Campaign volunteers for sheriff’s candidate Dennis Darby concluded their canvass of ballots last Friday at the Panola County Courthouse in Batesville.

Bobby Reed, a spokesman for Darby, would not say which boxes were reviewed on the second day of the canvassing.

“I really can’t tell you. I have no comment about that,” Reed told a reporter late Monday.

A reporter was present Thursday morning when Reed and five others reviewed absentee ballots from voting precinct North Batesville B, the Patton Lane Community Center.

Circuit Clerk Joe Reid said the Darby campaign also canvassed boxes from precincts South Sardis, West Sardis, Crenshaw, Curtis, Courtland, Cold Springs and Como.

“They sped up after you left,” the circuit clerk told The Panolian.

Reed also would not comment about what steps, if any, the campaign was prepared to take after it canvassed the ballots.

Mississippi election law allows a losing candidate to examine, or “canvas,” the ballot boxes under the supervision of the county circuit clerk.

Canvassing typically means a candidate scrutinizes absentee ballots and affidavit ballots, hoping to find irregularities.

Darby lost to Otis Griffin in the Nov. 23 runoff with 435 votes of more than 13,000 votes cast separating the winner and loser. The runoff recorded 1,222 absentee ballots and 118 affidavit ballots.

Griffin, who had served 14 months as interim sheriff, was sworn in Thursday to complete the term of late Sheriff Hugh “Shot” Bright.

Darby was not present during the two days of canvassing and told The Panolian Monday he is not directly involved in the canvassing.