By Billy Davis

The planned meeting Thursday of Panola County’s election commission is expected to be much calmer than a year ago, predicted Ronald McMinn, who chairs the commission.

An organized group of Panola Countians descended upon the 2011 meeting, which is public, in which the five commissioners recommended poll workers for the General Election, then voted to approve the list.
The commissioners and members of the public debated election matters last year and by the end of the meeting, some names had been dropped and others added to the list of poll workers.

McMinn said Monday he has advised fellow commissioners to use the same poll workers from last year, hoping that will dissuade any complaints.    

The election commission meeting to pick poll workers is set for 10 a.m. Thursday at the county courthouse in Batesville.

McMinn also predicted commissioners will continue to exclude family members from working at the voting precincts, a practice that became a heated topic last year.

Employing family members at the polls is legal but some complained last year it was unethical, and two names were dropped from the list at the insistence of the public crowd.

Onlookers last year also pointed out election problems that were alleged in a 2010 post-election report compiled by an observer for the Mississippi Secretary of State. Some of the onlookers appeared visibly frustrated when McMinn and other commissioners admitted they hadn’t read the report.

In addition to McMinn, Panola County’s election commission includes Dorothy Kerney Wilbourne, District 1; Julius Harris, District 2; Jimmy Herron, District 3, and Jerry Perkins, District 4.

Como resident Dee Ruhl, who attended the meeting last year, said Monday she is unsure if people plan to attend Thursday. But Ruhl said she has heard concerns from others about the integrity of the election process.

“They’re concerned in general because there’s a Presidential election, which is about the future of our country,” Ruhl said.

Ruhl is the spouse of Como Alderman Forster Ruhl.

The meeting of the election commission will come two weeks before the General Election, which will have races for election commissioner in District 4 and District 5.

Perkins is seeking re-election against Wanda Lawrence-Carmichael, who was among members of the public at the election commission meeting last year.

“I wanted to convey to my neighbors that we wanted everything to be fair and honest, and above board,” Carmichael said of her attendance last year.

McMinn is not seeking re-election this year and a second contest is under way for the District 5 seat. Deliley Gatson and Bonnie Land are seeking election to the seat November 6.

Election commissioners are non-partisan posts, meaning there is no political party affiliation.