Voters will have 13 presidential candidates to choose from

The qualifying deadline has passed for candidates for president, senator and representative has passed with 13 hopefuls to be on the ballots for president. Both the incumbent senator and representative for this district have picked up opponents as well.

There are 10 Democrats that will be on the March 10 Democratic primary ballot and three Republicans on that primary ballot.

Even though some may have dropped out their names could still be on the ballot.

Democratic candidates for president include Joe Biden, Michael R. Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Tuisi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Deval Patrick, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, Elizabeth Warren and Andrew Yang.

Republican candidates are Rocky De La Fuente, Donald J. Trump and Bill Weld.

Sen. Roger Wicker, elected to a six-year term in 2018, will not be up for election but Cindy Hyde-Smith, who filled out the term of Thad Cochran, will be. The incumbent Republican is being challenged by Democrat Mike Espy and other Democrats Tobey Bernard Bartee and Jensen  Bohren are also running, along with independent Jimmy Edwards.

Incumbent Republican U. S. Representative Trent Kelly is being challenged by Democrat Antonia Eliason.

The only candidate for the Supreme Court seat for this district is incumbent Josiah Coleman but judicial candidates have until March 2 to qualify.

This means that the only races with any choice here on March 10 will be for Republican presidential candidate and Democratic presidential and senate candidates.

If a runoff is needed because any one candidate in a race fails to get more than 50 percent of the vote, it will be Tuesday, March 31.

The more local elections, for Union County election commissioners and one county school board seat, will not be voted on until the Nov. 3 general election.

Locally, Union County Circuit Clerk Phyllis Stanford said all five incumbent election commissioners are expected to seek re-election but potential challengers have until June 1 to qualify.

They are Wes Creighton, District 1; Bill Azlin, District 2; Barbara Reed, District 3; Mike Beam, District 4; and Wayne Wilhite, District 5.

The only school board seat to be voted on is that held by incumbent Wayne Mahon. He represents Union County School District 5, which does not have the same boundaries as Union County Supervisors District 5.

County school board candidates have only a one-month window in which to qualify, from Monday, Aug. 5 to Friday, Sept. 4.

The presidential preference primary is to determine how Mississippi’s part votes are cast at the party national conventions. They are generally to be cast in proportion to votes within the state but there is a formula concerning how certain delegates may or may not be bound.

Stanford said earlier that absentee ballots for the primaries should be available the last week in January or first week in February.

She also wanted to again remind voters that the polling locations for some districts are changing.

The most recent is precinct 501, which has been voting at Northeast Mississippi Community College.

Now, those voters will go to Watson Grove Baptist Church at 521 E. Bankhead Street. The precinct will be renamed Watson Grove as well. This is the county’s largest precinct and the move should make more parking space available as well as space in the voting area.

Other changes have been made, mostly to move voting away from county schools. The move is partly due to school security reasons, but also because of crowding.

Voters who used to go to Myrtle School will now go to Temple Baptist Church at 1026 North St. in Myrtle.

Ingomar voters will now go to Ingomar Baptist Church at 1112 CR 90.

West Union voters will now go to Conlee Construction at 1533 Hwy. 30 West.

East Union will now go to Ellistown Baptist Church at 1006 CR 185.

Signs will be posted at the former locations for those who forget or are not aware of the changes.