| 1,100+ residents in OC turn out for early voting | | Posted: Monday, July 30, 2012 10:00 pm
| By CHRIS MENEES
Staff Reporter
More than 1,100 Obion Countians took advantage of early voting ahead of Thursday’s state primary and county general elec-tion.
Obion County adminis-trator of elections Leigh Schlager said a total of 1,171 people voted early, which includes any absentee ballots that have been returned.
The total includes 794 who voted as Republicans in the state primary and 364 who voted as Democrats, as well as 13 people who chose to vote only in the county general election rather than declaring a party to vote in the state primary.
“Early voting picked up the last couple of days,” Mrs. Schlager said. “We did 130 one day and 128 another day. We were running about 90 or so. It picked up a little at the end.”
By comparison, a total of 854 people voted early for the last election in March.
There are 20,658 regi-stered voters in Obion County, according to Mrs. Schlager.
Early voting began July 13 and ended Saturday at noon at the election office for Thursday’s state primary and Obion County general election.
For those who didn’t take advantage of early voting, the polls will be open Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Obion County’s polling locations. Mrs. Schlager said anyone who has questions about redistricting or other voting issues may contact the election office at 885-1901.
Voters should remember that a federal or state government-issued photo identification is now required to vote, unless some exception applies. College student IDs will not be accepted. For more information, contact the election office or visit the website www.GoVoteTN.com.
After the polls close Thursday night, Obion County’s results will be available online at www.obioncountyelection.com. The results will be uploaded as soon as they come in and totals will be updated frequently throughout the evening.
County election
In the Obion County general election, voters countywide will cast ballots for an assessor of property — with Judy D. Smith running as an independent candidate — and vote on whether or not to retain or replace a pair of Court of Criminal Appeals judges — Jeffrey S. Bivins in the Middle Division and Roger A. Page in the Western Division.
In their respective districts, Obion County voters will have the opportunity to select four members of the Obion County School Board, three trustees of the Kenton Special School District (KSSD) and the county’s constables.
Candidates for the Obion County School Board include James L. Faulkner and David Walter Lamb (incumbent) in District 1; Diane F. Sanderson (incumbent) and Chris Wilson in District 3; Brian Douglas Rainey (incumbent) in District 5; and Dan Huggins and Scott Northam in District 7. The District 7 seat is currently held by Susan Williams, who is not able to seek re-election there due to recent redistricting.
Among the candidates for the KSSD trustee positions are Charles L. Phillips in the Gibson County trustee race and Mike Farrar in the Kenton city trustee race. No one qualified to run for the Obion County trustee position.
Constables are up for election in all seven of Obion County’s districts, although there are three districts where no candidates qualified to run. Those listed on the ballot include Bobby J. Hall in District 1; James W. Hack in District 2; Bruce Davidson in District 3; and Eugene Fletcher in District 7. No candidates appear on the ballot for Districts 4, 5 and 6.
Mrs. Schlager said even though all of the ballots have spaces for write-in candidates, as required by law, the deadline for write-in candidates has passed and no one qualified as a write-in in any of the races.
State primary
For the state primary, voters will have to declare either Republican or Democrat in order to vote in races that include candidates for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives for the 8th Congressional District, Tennessee Senate for the 24th Senatorial District and Tennessee House of Representatives for either the 77th Representative District or the 76th Representative District, depending where the voter lives based on recent redistricting.
Candidates for the U.S. Senate include: Republicans, Fred R. Anderson, Mark Twain Clemens, Bob Corker (incumbent), Brenda S. Lenard and Zach Poskevich; and Democrats, Mark E. Clayton, Larry Crim, Gary Gene Davis, Dave Hancock, Park Overall, T.K. Owens and Benjamin Roberts.
The U.S. House of Representatives candidates for the 8th Congressional District are: Republicans, Stephen Lee Fincher (incumbent) and Annette Justice; and Democrats, Wes Bradley, Timothy D. Dixon and Christa Stoscheck.
In the Tennessee Senate race for the 24th Senatorial District, the candidates include: Republicans, Danny C. Jowers of Kenton and John Stevens of Huntingdon; and Democrat, Brad Thompson of the Midway community between Union City and Martin.
Recent redistricting has resulted in Obion County now being served by two different state representatives — those for the 77th Representative District and the 76th Representative District — and local voters in the state primary election will receive the ballot with the appropriate candidates for their district. South Fulton is now entirely in the 76th Representative District and there are five split precincts in the county affected by the redistricting, according to Mrs. Schlager.
In the Tennessee House of Representatives, candidates in the 77th Representative District are: Republican, Bill Sanderson (incumbent); and Democrat, Mark Oakes.
For the 76th Representa-tive District of the Tennessee House of Representatives, candidates are: Republican, Andy Holt (incumbent); and Democrat, Mark L. Maddox.
Mrs. Schlager said cards were mailed out to everyone affected by the redistricting, but many of the cards were returned to the election office as undeliverable.
Anyone who has questions should call the election office or stop by the election office, located adjacent to the courthouse.
The election office computer has been programmed and voters will receive the correct ballot for the district in which they reside. Published in The Messenger 7.30.12 | | | | |
