Early Voting Starts Monday

Early voting for the July 31 primaries and non-partisan elections begins next Monday, July 9, and persons interested in learning more about the candidates in contested races may want to attend a candidate forum on Thursday, July 12, before voting.

Most registered voters have received a voter registration card in the mail showing which district they vote in and which precinct they vote in. Those who have not should receive one in the next few days, said Chief Registrar Carole Norris. Anyone who has questions about that information may contact Mrs. Norris at 706-468-4909.

Several Jasper County races will be settled by the Republican primary. For example, both Angela Walsh and Angie Steele are seeking the post of tax commissioner, and both names appear on the Republican ballot. Unless an independent was to announce, whoever wins the primary will be the next tax commissioner, as no one qualified as a Democrat.

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Likewise, incumbent Chief Magistrate Ken Jackson is being challenged by Tim lam. This year the non-partisan races are being held in conjunction with the primaries, so that race will be determined July 31.

Sample Ballot

See Page 8, this week’s paper

In addition, although some commission races and the sheriff’s race have Republicans and Democrats both running, there are no contested races in Jasper County on the Democrat’s ballot.

Therefore, the Monticello-Jasper County Chamber of Commerce and the Jasper County Farm Bureau are again teaming up to hold a candidate forum on Thursday, July 12, at 7 p.m., in the small Courtroom upstairs in the Courthouse.

The candidates will be broken into two groups—those seeking county commission posts, and all others.

The only candidates invited are those candidates with opposition on July 31. The COC and Farm Bureau plan to host another forum in October featuring races that have two-party and independent contenders.

Anyone wanting to submit questions for next Thursday’s forum should send them to jasperchamber@bellsouth.net or to editor@themonticellonews.com.

The forum is intended for voters to meet the candidates and learn how they stand on issues. Therefore, all interested persons are encouraged to submit their questions in advance and to attend the forum.

And, the reason the questions need to be submitted in advance is to try to avoid redundancy. There is a limited amount of time to hear from many candidates, so questions need to be direct. Be sure to include who should answer the question.

For example, questions can be addressed to commission candidates, sheriff candidates, Chief Magistrate, Tax Commissioner, and any others.