Special to The Democrat

With great enthusiasm, Daye Dearing announces her candidacy for the office of Circuit Clerk of Adams County.

“My goals as Circuit Clerk are to protect and safeguard the voting process for the citizens of Adams County, to expand and increase electronic filing capabilities, to organize and secure existing marriage and court records, and ensure services are performed in an efficient, productive and timely manner,” Dearing said.

Dearing is a Natchez native, educated in the Natchez-Adams School District and a 1981 graduate of South-Natchez Adams High School. She received a bachelor of business administration in marketing from Delta State University and completed 36 hours towards a master of arts in political science at Louisiana State University.

She is currently pursuing a master of science in a workforce education leadership. 

“As a Research Analyst at the John C. Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University, I was responsible for program evaluation for the Mississippi Legislature, the Mississippi Office of the Secretary of State, the Mississippi Office of the Attorney General, the Mississippi Administrative Office of the Courts, and the Mississippi Department of Health; election analysis, political analysis; and community enhancement,” Dearing said.

Of specific relevance to the responsibilities of Circuit Clerk, Dearing authored a report for the office of the Mississippi Secretary of State in 1996: “Creating a Computerized Mississippi Voter Roll, a Feasibility Study.”

“This study was the basis for creating the statewide election management system (SEMS) that is used today by counties and the state of Mississippi to monitor and update the statewide database of registered voters,” Dearing said. 

Dearing began working for Alcorn State University in 2005, and in 2009, became coordinator of internships and grants for the School of Business.

“In this position, I worked with over 235 students to secure internships. Included in those 235 internships, I worked with private- and public-sector entities to create 86 new student internships, resulting in over $418,251 in total salaries for the students,” Dearing said. 

Dearing is a member of Alcorn State University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), which is responsible for approving research and testing involving human subjects, and have previously served as co-chairman of the Alcorn State University All-for-One Fundraising Campaign, and as a member of the university’s NCAA Self-Study Committee. She is also a past president of Delta State University’s National Alumni Association.

Dearing’s community involvement includes serving as a classroom presenter/recruiter for the Mississippi Economic Council (MEC) Mississippi Scholars Program. She has also served on the Natchez-Adams School District Teacher-of-the-Year and Parent-of-the-Year Selection Committees, and is a recipient of Merit Health Hospital’s Caring Woman Award, Defender category.

Dearing is a lifelong member of First Presbyterian Church where I have served as a deacon.

“I look forward to meeting you and sharing my ideas, goals, and priorities for the Circuit Clerk’s office, and humbly ask for your support and your vote on Tuesday, August 6, 2019,” Dearing said.