Leflore County District 4 Supervisor Wayne Self, who lost a Nov. 5 reelection bid by 16 votes, and his attorney are scheduled to examine ballots cast in the race at the courthouse Friday.
An inspection of Leflore County District 4 ballot boxes following the Nov. 5 general election was scheduled for Tuesday but has been postponed until 8:30 a.m. Friday at the courthouse.
Self’s notification to Eric Mitchell, the winner, was filed in the circuit clerk's office Friday. It says Jackson lawyer Margarette Meeks, who lists ballot-box examination and election challenges as part of her practice, will conduct the examination.
Self said his concerns center on absentee ballots and also what he believes is an irregularity from a precinct at the fire station in Itta Bena.
“You had three machines that came in with the same number,” he claimed, saying that he didn’t see how that could happen unless something had been wrong.
Circuit Clerk Elmus Stockstill speculated that the examination would take no more than a day. The session was set to start at 8:30 a.m.
The race received 1,545 votes. Mitchell received 780, or 50.5%, to Self’s 764, or 49.5%. The election was certified late last week.
Self, 51, of Itta Bena, the owner of a small trucking company, ran as an independent. He has served as the supervisor from District 4 for nearly 20 years and currently serves as the board’s president. He was the only incumbent on the five-member board to be defeated.
Mitchell, 42, an Itta Bena businessman who ran as a Democrat, also is employed as a computer technician for the Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District.
•Contact Susan Montgomery at 581-7233 or smontgomery@gwcommonwealth.com.
• This article has been updated from a previous version after the inspection of the Leflore County District 4 ballot boxes scheduled for Tuesday was postponed until 8:30 a.m. Friday at the courthouse.
