WOODVILLE &045; Despite a Jackson consultant’s contention that Wilkinson County’s redistricting plan has been submitted to the U. S. Justice Department for approval, a spokesperson for the Justice Department on Thursday said the plan has not been received in that office.

The proposal, which was approved by the Wilkinson County Board of Supervisors in August, must be cleared by the Justice Department’s Voting Rights Section before the new lines can be enforced, according to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Derrick L. Johnson, who was hired to guide the county through the redistricting process in July of 2001, told supervisors on May 12 that he had erroneously mailed Wilkinson County’s plan with a redistricting plan for Tallahatchie County.

Johnson said Wilkinson County’s plan would have to be resubmitted.

At another board meeting on May 19, Johnson said he would repackage the plan along with newly-proposed precinct line changes and mail the package to the Justice Department the next day.

&uot;It’s been done,&uot; Johnson said Wednesday, though he could not recall exactly when the proposal was allegedly submitted.

&uot;I would have to check with my secretary.

She actually mailed it out,&uot; he said.But the plan had not reached the Justice Department as of late-morning on Thursday.

&uot;There is no record of a Wilkinson County plan being received,&uot; said Casey Stavropoulas, a press assistant in the Justice Department’s Office of Public Affairs.

Stavropoulas also said there is no record of Wilkinson County’s plan being received with any of Tallahatchie County’s redistricting submissions.

The Justice Department’s online listing of submissions from jurisdictions in Mississippi also contains no mention of a Wilkinson County submission since the board adopted the proposed line changes in August.

On Wednesday, Johnson also said he would send a letter of confirmation to Board Attorney Ron Senko.

Fifth District Supervisor W. G. Johnson said he called Senko’s office on Thursday afternoon and was informed that no such confirmation letter from Johnson had yet been received.

Some supervisors are wondering if the new districts will be approved before the Aug. 5 primary elections.

&uot;I don’t know what to do now.

I’m going to continue to check on this with the board attorney,&uot; Board President Kirk Smith said Thursday.

Smith said the situation would be addressed at the board’s next meeting on Monday.