Some Switzerland County residents will go to the polls on Tuesday, November 6th, to elect members of the Patriot Town Council and the Vevay Town Council.
Each board is made up of three members, and those elected will serve four year terms.
Switzerland County Clerk Ginger Peters said that polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and that those voters who live in the town limits of the two communities may vote.
In Patriot, eligible voters are those who live in Posey I precinct and also in the town limits. Not all Posey I voters are eligible. Patriot voters will vote at the Patriot Town Hall.
The same goes in Vevay, where voters in Jefferson I and Jefferson II precincts who live in the town limits are eligible to vote. Vevay voters will vote at the Community Building at the 4-H Fairgrounds.
Not sure if you’re eligible to vote or not? Contact the clerk’s office at 427-3175.
Absentee voting is also now going on.
In addition to voting in the clerk’s office (see accompanying story), Ginger Peters said that voters may also vote by mail or with the traveling board.
If a voter wishes to vote by mail or by traveling board, they must submit an application to the clerk’s office and be approved. Applications are available in the clerk’s office, or the office can mail an application if the voter wishes to call in.
“If they call in and we mail a ballot out, they’re getting close to the deadline, so they need to do that quickly and keep the deadlines in mind,” Ginger Peters said.
If a voter wants to vote by mail, if they are mailing the ballot back it must be received in the clerk’s office by October 29th in order to be counted in the election. If the ballot is delivered in person, it has to be delivered by November 5th in order to be accepted.
Applications do not have to be delivered to the clerk’s office in person, so a family member, neighbor, or friend may bring it in, as well.
In Patriot, there are five candidates running for the three board spots. The top three vote getters will win the election.
Those running in Patriot include: Republican Jack Bell, Democrat James Caudill, Republican Kay Cook, Democrat Cindy Kerr, and Democrat Danielle Hutchinson.
An era will also come to an official end with the Patriot election, as current deputy town clerk-treasurer Linda Sue Fisk is the lone candidate for the clerk-treasurer position. She is a Democrat, and will replace longtime clerk Pam Hutchinson, who chose not to seek reelection.
In the town of Vevay, there are six candidates – three Democrats and three Republicans. As with Patriot, the top three vote getters, regardless of party, will be elected to four year terms.
Those on the Vevay ballot include: Democrat George Altepeter, Democrat Pete Furnish, Democrat Jamie Hayes, Republican Ben Schoenhoft, Republican Tye Sullivan, and Republican Kirk Works.
Democrat clerk-treasurer Donna Graham is unopposed to reelection, and will begin another term in January.
Anyone having any questions concerning either of the upcoming town elections should contact the Switzerland County Clerk’s office at 427-3175.