News
Light turnout is predicted in county
By DAVID GOODWIN - News Editor
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With a record number of voters registered, Elmore County citizens will go to the polls Tuesday to elect their parties’ candidates for a number of county offices.
Polls open for the county primaries at 7 a.m. Tuesday. Board of Registrars Chairman Gail Kendrick said in April the county’s voter rolls had entered record territory, surpassing the 40,000 mark. Registrar Nancy Taylor said Friday there were now 40,319 voters registered in Elmore County; the deadline to register was Thursday.
Voter turnout in February’s “Super-Duper” Tuesday Presidential Primary was a brisk 37 percent, according to Probate Judge Jimmy Stubbs. But Stubbs said he expected turnout to be down slightly Tuesday.
“The general rule is that turnout is lower for a primary,” he said, adding the novelty and intense media attention likely made the presidential vote an exception to that rule.
“I wish I could say we expect a big turnout, but I think it’ll be light,” he said.
On the statewide ballots, retiring Rep. Terry Everett’s second congressional district is a leading attention-getter. Three democrats - Cendie Crawley, Cheryl Sabel and Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright - will seek the nomination. David Grimes, Jay Love, John W. Martin, Craig D. Schmidtke, Harri Anne Smith and David Woods are seeking nomination to represent the republican ticket in November.
State Rep. Vivian Davis Figures, Johnny Swanson III and Mark “No NCAA” Townsend will seek the democratic nomination to take a shot at Alabama’s junior U.S. Senator, Jeff Sessions, who also faces a republican challenge in Earl Mack Gavin.
There are crowded races on both ballots for places 1 and 2 on the Court of Criminal Appeals.
State School Board member Stephanie Bell will face challenger Troy W. “Skip” Smithwick Jr. on the GOP ballot. Three republicans will also square off for president of the state’s Public Service Commission.
In Elmore County, Place 6 on the Board of Education and District Judge Place 1 will be up for grabs Tuesday, as only republican candidates qualified to seek the offices.
Incumbent Kitty Graham of Eclectic will face challenger Lynn Weldon of Wetumpka for the school board seat.
Wetumpka attorney Kelly Lee will challenge incumbent Judge Maura Culberson for place one on the district bench.
But most of the action will focus on the county commission, where four seats - Districts 1, 2, 3 and 5 - are contested.
District 1, a rural district that stretches across the county’s northern portion from east to west, leads in number of candidates, with five men challenging incumbent T.J. Eason for the republican nomination. Former commissioner Jack Holley, unopposed for the democratic nod, will await the winner in November.
Commissioner Mickey Shaw and Paul Taylor will square off for the republican nomination in District 2, with Brannon Walden unopposed on the democratic ballot. Bill Azar, David Bowen and Robert Hankins will vie for the District 3 seat to be vacated by retiring Commissioner Don Whorton.
With no republican registered, Commissioner Earl Reeves’ District 5 seat could be decided on Tuesday, as he faces democratic challenger Percy B. Gill.
Commission Chairman Joe Faulk, Revenue Commissioner Mike Harper, School Superintendent Jeff Langham, and Place 2 District Judge Glenn Goggans are all running unopposed.
