RIPLEY -- Qualifying for one seat each on the North Tippah and South Tippah school boards, and one Election Commissioner seat, is now under way, according to information provided by Tippah County Deputy Circuit Clerk Crystal Graves.

As of mid-morning Friday, there were no qualifiers for any of the races.

The qualifying period for all three offices began Wednesday, Aug. 4, and ends Friday, Sept. 3, at 5 p.m.

Absentee balloting for the elections begins Monday, Sept. 20, and runs until Saturday, Oct. 30.

The elections for North Tippah and South Tippah school board Dist. 1 and Election Commissioner Dist. 3 will be held on the General Election Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Tim Weatherly is the North Tippah Dist. 1 trustee, while Ron Sanderson is the South Tippah Dist. 1 trustee. Each term is for five years.

Dist. 3 Election Commissioner Mary Gates was appointed to replace Boone Shelton, who died earlier this year. Whoever is elected to that position will serve the unexpired two-year portion of Shelton’s term, Mrs. Graves said.

School Board districts do not follow county supervisor district lines, but Election Commission districts do.

Dist. 1 South Half includes the following precincts: Southwest Ripley, North Ripley, Ripley and Palmer.

Dist. 1 North Half includes the following precincts: Three Forks, Brownfield, Chalybeate, Walnut, Tiplersville, North Falkner, and Falkner,

Some voters in all those precincts in both districts will vote, but not every voter in every precinct will vote.

Dist. 3 Election Commissioner includes the following precincts: Blue Mountain, Cotton Plant, New Hope, Clarysville, Palmer and Shady Grove.

Trustees earn $2,400 annually and mileage.

By state law, election commissioners earn $84 per day. The number of days commissioners are authorized to be paid varies, depending on the number of elections that calendar year. The more elections, the more authorized work days, Election Commission Chairman Eddie Stroupe said this week.

He said election commissioners are authorized up to 75 paid days per year to maintain records. They usually average about 60 days annually, he said.

The 75 paid days include time spent working elections and maintaining records. Additional paid days may be given for training purposes and special elections, however, Stroupe said.

Commissioners receive no mileage for traveling to and from work, but may receive it for job-related travel to conferences or training sessions, Stroupe said.