Qualifying begins in Lincoln County Aug. 7 for two special elections that will be on the ballot on Election Day Nov. 5.

Seats are open for the Lincoln County School Board trustee for Educational District 3 and for Lincoln County Election Commissioner District 1, said Lincoln County Circuit Clerk Dustin Bairfield.

Candidates can pick up packets at the Lincoln County Circuit Clerk’s office upstairs in the Lincoln County-Brookhaven Government Complex now, but Bairfield can’t accept them back until Aug. 7. The forms are also available for printing from the county’s website, www.golincolnms.com. They are listed under “forms” on the circuit clerk’s election page as “Independent Statement” and “Independent Sign Sheet.” All candidates must file a statement of intent and a petition containing the signatures of at least 50 qualified electors of the district, Bairfield said.

School district maps are available through the “elections” page. A district map is also available for viewing at the Lincoln County School District website, www.lcsd.k12.ms.us. It’s listed as “School Attendance Zone Map.”

The Lincoln County School District Board of Trustees in October appointed Navy veteran and technology specialist Brian Magee to serve as the Educational District 3 representative. Magee is serving the remaining year of the unexpired term of former board member Ricky Welch, who resigned Sept. 10. Welch’s term ends Jan. 7, 2020, following the 2019 general election.

Educational District 3 covers mostly the Bogue Chitto area.

Magee was chosen from a group of six applicants that included business owner Perry Brown, educator Barbara Buie, artist Stephanie Davis Holmes, retired worker Debbie Thompson and legal assistant Dallas Wallace.

The school board trustee spot will be on the ballot for the general election Nov. 5. It is a six-year term.

Members of the Lincoln County School Board receive $2,400 annually for their services and attend at least one called meeting each month.

Election commissioner

seat open

Voters will choose someone in November to fill the unexpired term of District 1 Election Commissioner James Tillman, who retired. The person elected will serve for one year until the general election of 2020.

The state has chosen to stagger election commissioner seats, Bairfield said. In the 2020 general election, commissioners for districts 1, 3 and 4 will be elected to serve a four-year term and districts 2 and 4 will be elected to serve a three-year term.

According to the county’s website, 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 election commission is responsible for ensuring that all elections are conducted fairly, honestly and legally in all areas of the laws of Mississippi. They work as a team to ensure the voter rolls for Lincoln County are as clean as possible by removing those voters who have moved or passed away. Commissioners must be qualified electors in Lincoln County and a resident of the Supervisor District in which they are a candidate. Commissioners are mandatorily required to attend annual certification training conducted by the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office, to be certified to conduct elections.