Primary election to be held Tuesday, special election set for Aug. 11

 

By Christa Jennings

Senior Staff Writer

With news circulating regarding Alabama’s redistricting case recently, it has caused some confusion among voters regarding the primary election; however, voters should still go to the polls as usual on Tuesday to cast their ballots in the primary election.

For Coosa County, only one race on the Republican Party’s ballot on Tuesday will be affected. All other offices, as well as the two statewide constitutional amendments, will be voted on and counted as usual.

On Tuesday, Gov. Kay Ivey set a special primary election for Tuesday, August 11, which only applies to congressional districts 1, 2, 6, and 7. Coosa County is part of the 6th Congressional District and as such will be taking part in the August 11 special election.

For that special primary election, there will be no runoff election. If more than two candidates are on the ballot, then whoever gets the most votes will automatically move on to appear on the November ballot.

The general election for those districts will occur as planned with all other races on Tuesday, November 3.

In addition to Coosa, other counties in those four districts that will be affected by and taking part in the special primary election are Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, Elmore, Escambia, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jefferson, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Shelby, Sumter, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Washington, and Wilcox.

In Coosa County, there is not a candidate for Congressional District 6 on the Democratic primary ballot. However, the current Republican Party ballot will reflect candidates Case Dixon and Gary Palmer vying for the U.S. House of Representatives District 6 seat.

Those who choose to cast a Republican Party ballot on Tuesday may still vote for that office, and votes will be tabulated like normal, but those votes for that particular office will not count.

Coosa County Judge of Probate Richard Dean explained that the May 19 results for all other offices on the ballot will remain valid. However, votes for that specific race will only officially count during the August 11 election.

During a press conference held Tuesday, Secretary of State Wes Allen stated, “Here is what I want every Alabama voter to remember: Go vote on May 19. Votes for statewide constitutional offices, local races, state legislative, and judicial races, as well as statewide constitutional amendments, will count on May 19. If you live in Congressional Districts 1, 2, 6, or 7, your vote for those races on August 11 will decide those races.”

There is a short qualifying window for those races, with qualifying with the major political parties beginning Wednesday, May 20. The deadline for qualifying with the two major political parties for those congressional races will be at 5 p.m. Friday, May 22.

The deadline for qualifying with all independent and minor political parties for those races will be Tuesday, August 11, at 5 p.m.

For Tuesday’s primary election, voters will be asked to state whether they want to cast a Democratic, Republican, or Constitutional Amendments Only ballot. Following Tuesday’s primary election, the runoff will be held June 16, and voters must cast the same type of ballot as they select for the primary.

Following the primary and runoff elections, the special primary election for those affected congressional districts will be held August 11, and then the election cycle will conclude with the general election on November 3.

For some in Coosa County, there will be another election to keep in mind next month, however.

The Town of Kellyton will be holding an election of annexation on Tuesday, June 9, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to determine whether a majority of voters are in favor of annexation for certain property proposed to be annexed into the town limits.

The election will be conducted at the Kellyton Civic Complex, located at 145 Church Street in Kellyton, with the polling place open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The proposed annexation refers to “certain unincorporated areas on the border of the present corporate limits of the Town of Kellyton.” A legal notice pertaining to the town’s election with a legal description of the property is running in this week’s edition, and a map depicting the proposed boundary of the territory proposed to be brought within Kellyton’s town limits is available for view in the probate office of the Coosa County Courthouse from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. any day the courthouse is open for business.

The June 9 election is for qualified voters who have “resided within the boundaries of the territory proposed to be brought into the Town of Kellyton for three months next preceding the election may vote at said election.”

Absentee ballots will be available for those who qualify to vote in the election. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is five days before the June 9 annexation election.

For election information; including sample ballots for Tuesday, to check voter registration information and more; visit the secretary of state’s website at www.AlabamaVotes.gov.

See next week’s edition for election results and a breakdown of how Coosa County voted.