The Forsyth County Elections Board has ruled that former County Commissioner Bill Jenkins meets the qualifications to run for tax commissioner.

The board voted 3-0 late Monday that Jenkins meets the requirement that candidates for the job have a high school diploma or recognized equivalent.

Jenkins, who was on the county commission several years ago, is running against incumbent Tax Commissioner Matthew Ledbetter in the GOP primary on July 15.

Ledbetter filed a complaint challenging Jenkins' qualifications. But it was made after the deadline for such complaints, said Gary Smith, the county's election supervisor.

The three-member Elections Board, which includes Smith, decided to look into the matter. Jenkins had submitted to the board a copy of a certificate he received from the Department of Defense in 1970. The certificate said he had achieved satisfactory scores on the Test of General Educational Development. But it also stated that the document "is not a high school diploma or equivalency certificate."

Smith said he was able to verify Jenkins' claims that, after his military service, he taken college courses at two Georgia schools.

Smith said he was told Jenkins would not have been able to enroll in a Georgia college without a high school diploma or equivalent.