Lincoln County voters will elect an election commissioner this November, as well as one member each for the Brookhaven School District Board and Lincoln County School Board.

Qualifying for District 2 election commissioner and county school board opened in April. The one-month qualifying period for the city schools’ board opened today, Wednesday, Aug. 10.

The qualifying period for all three positions ends at 5 p.m. Sept. 9.

Election Commission

One person has qualified for election commissioner D2 — Janice Hart Haley. Haley is currently serving there, following the April resignation of commissioner Tiffany Furr. Haley was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to fill the position until a special election could take place. Haley hopes to keep the spot in her district.

Though commissioners serve a four-year term, this election will be for the final year of the current term. Regular elections for commissioners will take place in November 2023.

District 2 covers a large portion of the northeastern corner of the county. The southernmost border is Hwy. 84 East. The district ends at the Lawrence and Copiah County lines, east and north. The west border of the district begins at Nalco Lane on Hwy. 84, but also includes portions of the City of Brookhaven, and extends as far west as Lott Smith Road at its northwestern-most point. A map of the district can be found at statisticalatlas.com [https://statisticalatlas.com/county-subdivision/Mississippi/Lincoln-County/Lincoln-District-2/Overview] or in the County Circuit Clerk’s Office.

All commissioner candidates run as independents, and must submit a Qualifying Statement of Intent, as well as collect 50 signatures of qualified electors in the district. Both forms can be downloaded from www.DustinBairfield.com.

The members of the Election Commission are responsible for conducting all general and special elections in Lincoln County. When contracted, the Election Commission assists the Republican and Democratic parties with the primary elections. The commission is responsible for ensuring that all elections are conducted fairly, honestly and legally in all areas of the laws of Mississippi. The commission removes voters who have died or moved out of the county.

School boards

Current Brookhaven School District Trustee Erin W. Smith has qualified to run for re-election to the board. The board is made up of five members, three appointed by the mayor and Board of Aldermen, and two at-large members elected by the county’s voters. Trustees serve five-year terms, with one person’s term expiring each year.

Smith was first elected in 2012, and was reelected in 2017 — the only person to run for the seat. Smith also serves on the Mississippi School Board Association of Directors, representing District 3 for the 2021-2023 term.

Jason Childress is the other current at-large member, elected in 2021.

Trustees Robb Massengill and Patrick Brown were appointed in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Vernell Hooker was appointed in 2020 to fill the seat of Willie “Doc” Harrison, following Harrison’s retirement.

No one has qualified yet for the Lincoln County School Board Educational District 5 position, though the period has only been open since 8 a.m. The elected member will serve a six-year term.

More information and paperwork can be downloaded from www.DustinBairfield.com, requested from Bairfield at dbairfield@co.lincoln.ms.us, or picked up in person in the Circuit Clerk’s Office on the second floor of the Lincoln County/Brookhaven Government Complex.