The Mississippi County Election Commission met Friday afternoon to certify the special election held in the city of Blytheville March 13. The vote, which passed a short-term one cent sales tax to pay off Blytheville's IRS debt, was certified with no changes to the numbers.
The commission addressed a complaint which they had received from a voter, who wrote that they witnessed an elderly voter being assisted by the person who brought them in casting their vote at a polling site, and didn't believe that the voter had asked for assistance. Commissioner George Hale commented that research did not show any wrong doing by poll workers or other election officials, but that the commission did plan to emphasize this issue in upcoming poll worker training.
Present at the meeting was Alvin Clay, who missed the filing date for the Quorum Court position he wished to run for, and said this happened due to his being given the wrong paperwork to file. The commission informed Clay that they had no recourse to offer him on the issue since the filing deadline was past, and they do not govern the filing process, only the elections themselves. It was suggested that he discuss the issue with the county's Democratic Central Committee.
sharris@blythevillecourier.com