Local officials are greasing the wheels of the machinery in preparation for the June 7 Democratic and Republican primary elections.
Tallahatchie County Circuit Clerk Daphane Neal said the Tallahatchie County Election Commission and local executive committees of both the Democrat and Republican parties are busy prepping.
“The primaries for both Democrats and Republicans will be held simultaneously, as usual, and this could cause some confusion; however, voters must know that they will have to declare the party ballot they wish to vote for,” Neal noted.
Voter registration is ongoing, and anyone desiring to vote on June 7 should register very soon, Neal explained.
Daphane Neal
Anyone who registers by the deadline of Monday, May 9, at 5 p.m., will be eligible to vote in the primary election.
The circuit clerk said any voters who have moved since the last election are asked to contact her office or their election commissioner to get their voting record updated before May 9.
To aid registration, all circuit clerk’s offices in Mississippi are required by the state to open their doors from 8 a.m. until noon on Saturday, May 7, to assist anyone wanting to register in person. Neal’s offices in Charleston and Sumner will be open during this time.
Absentee ballots also are available from the circuit clerk's offices, which must be open to the public from 8 a.m. until noon on back-to-back Saturdays, May 28 and June 4, to assist in-person absentee voters.
Absentee ballots that are returned by mail must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the circuit clerk's office within five business days.
The June 7 ballots in Tallahatchie County will feature only the names of candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives in Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District.
In the Democratic primary, Jerry Kerner, a former candidate for mayor of Clinton, will be challenging longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, first elected in 1993.
There are four hopefuls for the Republican nomination for Thompson’s seat. They are Michael Carson, Ronald Eller, Brian Flowers and Stanford Johnson.
In the event no one gains a majority of the vote in the primaries, a runoff would be held June 28.
Party nominees will appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
Neal said anyone having a question about where they should vote on Election Day, or needing any other information, may contact her office in Charleston (662-647-8758) or Sumner (662-375-8515).
