The deadline to file for this May’s primary election has come and gone, and as candidates begin to meet with potential voters, there are also several positions that each political party will look to fill after the primary election is over.
Clerk of Courts Gayle Sullivan said that the primary ballot slates are now set, as the deadline to file for office was last Friday, February 9th, at noon; and the deadline to withdraw from the election was at noon this past Monday, February 12th.
Each party will now hold a primary election on Tuesday, May 8th. The traveling voting centers will again be utilized for the election, which will begin approximately two weeks prior to the actual primary election day. In addition to the traveling centers, voters may also vote in the courthouse. The clerk said that voters can cast their ballots in the courthouse beginning on Tuesday, April 10th.
This year’s traveling voting center schedule is:
• Moorefield Firehouse: Thursday, April 26th from 8 a.m. to noon; and Friday, April 27th from 2-6 p.m.
• East Enterprise Firehouse: Saturday, April 28th from 8 a.m. to noon; and Monday, April 30th from 2-6 p.m.
• Patriot Town Hall: Tuesday, May 1st from 8 a.m. to noon; and Wednesday, May 2nd from 2-6 p.m.
• Florence Firehouse: Thursday, May 3rd from 8 a.m. to noon; and Friday, May 4th from 2-6 p.m.
• Switzerland County TEC Center: Saturday, May 5th from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Monday, May 7th from 8 a.m. to noon.
• On Election Day, Tuesday, May 8th, the only site in Switzerland County open for voting will be the Switzerland County TEC Center on Seminary Street in Vevay.
• Voting in the Switzerland County Courthouse basement will be held beginning on Tuesday, April 10th through Monday, May 7th: Voting on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1-3 p.m.; and on Thursdays from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Voting will also be held in the Courthouse on Saturdays April 28th and May 5th from 8 a.m. until noon; and on Monday, May 7th from 8 a.m. until noon.
*
Sullivan also said that open registration for those wanting to register to vote is also underway. That can be done in a variety of ways and locations, including in the clerk’s office in the courthouse. Open registration ends on Monday, April 9th. Registration will then re-open after the primary election is completed for people who want to vote in the general election in November.
Once the primary election is over, each political party will have the opportunity to fill holes in their ballots prior to the November General Election. If there was no candidate for a party in the primary, each party can hold a meeting and appoint a candidate to run in the November election. Sullivan said that each party has to make those appointments before Saturday, June 30th, and that candidate must file their paperwork in the clerk’s office before noon on Tuesday, July 3rd.
Since the primary election is the way that each political party sets its ballot for the general election, a voter in the primary must declare whether they would like to vote in the Republican or Democratic primary. In the general election in November, both parties will be represented on the same ballot.
Here’s a look at this year’s Primary Election ballots for both parties.
REPUBLICAN PARTY
• Sheriff: Rod Chase, Brian Morton, Jason Sullivan.
• Clerk of the Circuit Court: incumbent Gayle Sullivan.
• County Council, District 1: incumbent Elizabeth Jones.
• County Council, District 2: incumbent Mike Bear.
• County Council, District 3: Lance Collier, Aaron Cutter.
• County Council, District 4: Todd Chase.
• Cotton Township Trustee: Kelly Purvis.
• Jefferson Township Trustee: Helen Peelman.
• Pleasant Township Trustee: Shannon Phipps.
• Posey Township Trustee: incumbent Joey Rider.
• York Township Trustee: incumbent Ken Byars, Erin Deck.
• Delegate to State Convention (3): August Dauel, Lisa Fisher, Debbie Turner.
• Township Advisory Boards (3): Cotton Township: Rita Works; Craig Township: Roberta VonBargen; Jefferson Township: Debbie Hickman. Alan Konkle, Gayle Rayles; Pleasant Township: Donald Morton, Jim Phipps, Travis Richards; Posey Township: Jill Hutcherson; York Township: Scott Gregory, Shannon Jackson.
• State Representative, District 67: incumbent Randy Frye.
• State Senate, District 45: Chris Garten.
• US Representative, District 6: Mike Campbell, Thomas Ferkinhoff, William Frazier, Jonathan Lamb, Stephen MacKenzie, Gregory Pence, Jeffrey Smith.
• US Senate: Michael Braun, Andrew Horning, Mark Hurt, Luke Messer, Todd Rokita, Andrew Takami.
Republicans have no candidates for the following offices: County Assessor; County Auditor; County Commissioner, District 3; Prosecuting Attorney; Craig Township Trustee.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
• Sheriff: Cory Hankins.
• County Assessor: Stacey Mathews.
• County Auditor: Trenton Ricketts.
• County Commissioner, District 3: incumbent Mark Lohide; Jack Asbury.
• County Council, District 1: Dana Griffin.
• County Council, District 2: Steve Lyons.
• County Council, District 4: Jeff Darling, Dusty Higgins.
• Prosecuting Attorney: incumbent Monica Hensley.
• Cotton Township Trustee: incumbent Barbara Bowling, Jennifer Scudder.
• Craig Township Trustee: Jack Mathews
• Jefferson Township Trustee: incumbent Wade Hughes.
• Pleasant Township Trustee: incumbent Jim Wingate.
• York Township Trustee: Vicky Hinman, Devin Scudder.
• Township Advisory Boards (3): Cotton Township: Brenda Shaw; Craig Township: Linda Andrew, Lynda Spiller; Jefferson Township: Don Stout, Carol Ann Sublett; Pleasant Township: David Christman; Posey Township: Mark Jones, Lulu Belle Thomas; York Township: Michael Beatty, Larry Turner.
• State Senate, District 45: John Perkins.
• US Representative, District 6: George Holland, Jeannine Lee Lake, K. Jasen Lave, Jim Pruett, Lane Siekman, Joshua Williamson.
• US Senate: incumbent Joe Donnelly.
Democrats have no candidates for the following offices: Clerk of Circuit Court; County Council, District 3; Posey Township Trustee; Delegates to the State Convention; State Representative, District 67; and Democrats are also electing Precinct Committeemen in this primary.
For more information concerning this year’s election, contact the Switzerland County Clerk’s office at (812) 427-4415.