By Rupert Howell
Panola County Democrats led by Chairman Lourine Robinson got what they asked for  when Panola Supervisors voted in December to purchase 17 additional ‘Poll Book’ tablets to assist poll workers in with verifying registered voters during elections.
Pollworkers were highly complimentary of the additional technology and ease of use following the November General Election when they were first used.
Panola County Election Commissioner Kaye Smythe on behalf of her commission made the recommendation to supervisors during the December meeting in Batesville to purchase 17 more of the poll books for use in the next election.
That will put at least two in every precinct and allows for a couple of spares, Smythe explained. Robinson was also present during the December meeting.
While recommended for use in the primary election last August, commissioners were unable to use them following complaints by Democrats that there were not enough available for each party to use an individual poll book and there was too little time for pollworkers to learn to use them.
That prediction may have come true and the pollbooks were not used in the summer primaries but were used in the November general election.
Robinson maintained party primary elections were to be separate elections and not having one pollbook per party went against the law’s intention.
Smythe also noted that two pollbooks were used in eight of the larger precincts during the general election.
Supervisors voted unanimously to purchase the additional computer tablets after Smythe agreed funds were available.