NATCHEZ — A special election is officially set for May 23 to determine if voters will allow the Natchez-Adams School District to borrow $35 million in bonds for a building program.

Adams County Board of Supervisors Board Attorney Scott Slover said under the bond statute, the school board can call for an election on a bond within a district.

Slover said timelines exist that may not be met on this election — such as absentee ballots being available 45 days before an election — but no penalties exist if the school board cannot meet the goals.

“The law just says the school board has to do its best to meet deadlines,” Slover said.

Adams County Election Commissioner Larry Gardner said the company to program the electronic ballots has been hired for $1,500, and the paper ballots could be printed as early as today. The special election is expected to cost $20,000 to $30,000, Gardner said.

Gardner said absentee ballots could be in by Monday or Tuesday, as they will be printed and shipped from Hattiesburg.

While Gardner said no statutory penalty exists if the absentee ballots are not ready by Friday, a lawsuit could occur. Absentee ballots are supposed to be ready 45 days before an election, which is Friday.

“Getting absentee ballots ready is a time-consuming thing,” Gardner said. “If you don’t dot your i’s and cross your t’s, these people will be disenfranchised.”

Gardner said 100 to 150 county voters are permanently disabled and depend on absentee ballots to vote.

“If everything is not right, those people will lose their right to vote,” Gardner said.

Gardner said election officials are working hard to make sure the election goes off with as few issues as possible, but that he was disappointed in the way the school board has handled the process.

“We are moving expeditiously to get this thing done so we will be prepared,” Gardner said.

One of Gardner’s frustrations was that district officials apparently slid an unsigned resolution calling for the election under the commission’s door last week, he said. Gardner said the commission does not work every day, so some time could have passed before someone checked the office.

“Why were the documents not filled out correctly? Why were they not handed to the right people right away?” Gardner said. “Does any of that sound professional to you? Mercy, these are the people that are teaching our children.”

Two issues also exist with the election, Gardner said.

Since the board of supervisors is not handling the election, who will take the voting machines to the precincts? Gardner said typically the county road crew handles taking the machines.

District 1 Supervisor Mike Lazarus said he was not sure who would take the machines to the precincts and that he was working on getting a precinct in place for District 1.

“This is all new territory for me,” Lazarus said. “We’ve had special elections but they have been county ordered. I’m letting the legal side handle it.”

Also, no voting precinct exists at this time for District 1.

The precinct was at Mississippi Auto Direct on John R. Junkin Drive, but the owners no longer want it because it causes congestion, Lazarus said.

“I have feelers out for a few places right now,” Lazarus said. “This all popped up last week. I didn’t know we had to be in a rush to find a place until now.”

Gardner said people would have until 30 days before the election to register to vote, meaning the deadline to register is April 24,

Gardner said he would prefer the election be on Nov. 7, when three items are on the ballot: election commissioner in District 5, county prosecuting attorney and southern district justice court judge.

“I know as a taxpayer, I would rather pay for one out of my pocket than pay for two,” he said.