On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in each November — and all other primary, runoff and special election days — Joe Baker, Sissy Smitherman and their fellow Oktibbeha County election commissioners can be found at the circuit court annex, surrounded by the hustle of election workers bringing in the county precinct boxes.
The methodically examine absentee ballots by hand and crosscheck machine printouts and voter tabulations.
Each blue box entering the annex causes a number of workers to spring into action. Those flurries are interrupted by numerous stretches of downtime, however, as the erratic flow of arriving precinct ballots creates a hurry-up-and-wait atmosphere that drags election days closer to morning hours.
An election’s almost day-long work requirement isn’t the only downside to serving as an election commissioner. The job is also on the lower end of the payscale for elected officials, and commissioners do not receive state retirement and county health insurance.
But Baker and Smitherman said the sense of fulfilling their civic duty is what brings them back to qualify for their jobs each election cycle.
“I consider this a community service project, and I look at it like this: Somebody’s got to do the job, and we need people to do this kind of work — to hold honest elections,” Baker said. “Not a lot of people want to run for this job because it’s a thankless position.
“We’re like referees and umpires in sports,” he added. “If we’re doing a good job, you don’t notice us. If something blows up, then we’re in the headlines. There’s a lot of pressure, because elections have to run smoothly.”
Baker and Smitherman, with almost three decades of combined experience, are both running unopposed in November as election commissioners for district’s 2 and 4, respectively. Ernest Rogers Jr. is running unopposed in District 5, after longtime commissioner Bettye Ford decided to step down at the end of this term.
Incumbent Greg Fulgham will face challenger Judy Goodman for the District 1 seat, while incumbent Myles Carpenter is running against challenger Paul Short in District 3.
The job
Assisting with pre-election testing on voting devices, maintaining voter rolls, training poll workers and monitoring Oktibbeha County’s 21 voting precincts are just some of the responsibilities of county election commissioners.
Additionally, commissioners have to understand and follow all laws governing the election process; handle any breaches of state statute by voters, candidates, poll managers and poll watchers; and count ballots, canvass election results and certify elections.
Commissioners earn $84 each non-election day of work and $150 on the days of general and special elections. For regular elections, state statute allows commissioners of counties with populations between 30,000-69,999 up to 12 days of training, 100 days for voter list maintenance and conducting elections, and 10 days for conducting training for managers.
State law expands the cap on working limits slightly in years with additional elections.
Factoring in 2015’s elections and additional work allotments, Smitherman estimated commissioners could have worked up to 152 days last year.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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