Voting day in Miss.
Voters across the state will head to the polls today to select mayors, council members, aldermen – and in Flowood – whether to allow sales of liquor by the glass.
For some municipalities, this is the third and final day at the polls in the long election season.
Many municipalities are expecting low voter turnout, a trend seen this year statewide.
Turnout hovered around 30 percent in Jackson’s Democratic primary and runoff elections. In Pearl’s Republican primary, about 34 percent of registered voters came to the polls, and in Brandon’s Republican primary, almost 22 percent of registered voters cast ballots.
Secretary of State urges Mississippi to get out the vote
Today, Meridian will decide who will be its first new mayor in 16 years as Republican Cheri Barry and Democrat Percy Bland face off in the 2009 municipal election.
Two city council seats will be decided today as well. Long time incumbent Barbara Henson, a Republican, is running against Democrat Randle Jennings in Ward 3, while in Ward 5, incumbent John Harris, a Democrat, is running against Republican Bobby Smith, who held the Ward 5 seat for eight years prior to Harris.
Harris is also running in the Mississippi House District 82 special election, which will be held one week from today.
Now that Election Day is here, City Clerk Ed Skipper has asked that voters check their voter registration cards before heading to the polls to ensure that they are going to the right polling place.
Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is urging all Mississippians to vote today, saying he was disappointed with low voter turnout in primary elections statewide.
Go vote tomorrow in Oxford, and some advice
Don’t forget to vote. Everyone knows I’m a Yellow Dog Democrat. But I want to make some specific remarks that go beyond that, because races at the local, city level are (blessedly) not just about partisanship.
Mayor: Pat Patterson has served in various capacities in the City of Oxford for years and years. This is literally service– devotion to making the community a better place. He was a member and then head of the Tourism Council. He’s been an alderman for several terms (I honestly can’t remember. 3? 4?). He’s a conservative Democrat– has a small businessman’s understanding of budgetary matters and the like– but we can depend him on important stuff like the new city transit system.
I’ve known Pat since childhood. He’s the candidate with real and deep Oxford roots. If I could vote here (My back yard is the city limits and I cant!) I’d vote for him without hesitation.
Janice Antonow: There has been no city servant more dedicated for the last couple of decades than Janice. She is as responsive as an elective official can be to her constituents. She understands what is going on at the city hall as well as any person. It would be a blow to the city to lose her service, so much so that her oponent is running on her themes as an ersatz Janice.
Election Day: Information you need to know at the polls
Q: What’s being decided in Tuesday’s elections?
A: Voters are choosing their municipal leaders for the next four years – mayors, council members, aldermen and others.
Q: What about the previous elections in May?
A: Those were party primaries, and only Democrats and Republicans were involved. In some cases, the winners of those primaries have no opponents Tuesday and thus will take office in July. But their names will still appear unopposed on the ballots.
Q: When can I vote for someone who’s not a Republican or Democrat?
A: Tuesday is your chance, because the general election ballots contain not only party nominees but independent candidates.
Q: I didn’t vote in the primary. Can I still vote Tuesday?
A: Yes, as long as you’re registered to vote in your municipality.
South Mississippians head to the polls today, and several cities will elect new mayors, council members and aldermen, and incumbents will fight to keep their jobs.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said Monday preliminary counts show fewer than one in four eligible voters cast ballots in municipal primaries across the state last month. He said he hopes that trend doesn’t continue today.
“We hope to see a considerable amount more in the municipal general (election),” Hosemann said.
A news release said workers from Hosemann’s office would be observing elections in several Mississippi cities today, including Bay St. Louis, Ocean Springs and Wiggins. A recent elections-reform law requires the Secretary of State’s office to compile a report on elections to give to the Legislature. The findings will be released to the public.
6/2/9
Magnolia Tribune
