BOC to hold public hearing on election board proposal

Should Madison County establish a three-person election board instead of having the probate judge serve as election superintendent?

County commissioners will entertain opinions from the public Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the county government complex.

Probate judge Cody Cross recently asked the BOC to strip him of his election superintendent duties. He will also lose his $323 monthly supplement for the election responsibilities.

The probate judge’s post is an elected office and the judge could be forced to oversee his own election when faced with opposition, a potential conflict of interest.

County commissioners agreed to move forward with the creation of a three-person election board. The plan includes having the county’s chief registrar — now Tracy Dean — serve as the chairman of that board. Under the current proposal, the other two board members will be nominated by the Republican and Democratic parties in the county, with the BOC giving official approval.

The BOC has not agreed on exactly how much board members will be paid or how often they will meet.