It’s been more than a year since Lynn Spruill was sworn in as the mayor of Starkville, but today could see the final decision in a protracted election contest by Democratic challenger Johnny Moore.
Judge Ford is still set to rule on the election contest today at 10 a.m.
Two hearings were initially scheduled earlier this month, with the meeting for Thursday canceled for undisclosed reasons.
Thursday’s hearing was supposed to be a meeting of Judge Ford, the election commissioners and the legal counsels for both Spruill and Moore.
Oktibbeha County Circuit Clerk Tony Rook confirmed to the Starkville Daily News and other local media on Wednesday that Judge Ford had canceled Thursday’s hearing.
Spruill was certified as the winner of the mayoral race by seven votes last May and became the city’s first female mayor when she was sworn in to office in July. Moore immediately challenged the results, which led to Ford being appointed by the Mississippi Supreme Court to oversee the case.
The Starkville Daily News previously reported a total of eight affidavit ballots were in question, along with one absentee ballot challenged by Moore’s team and another absentee ballot challenged by Spruill’s team.
The Starkville Daily News will provide live updates on social media from Oktibbeha County Circuit Court today. To follow along, go to @StarkvilleDaily on Twitter or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.