Voters are set to go to the polls Tuesday in a variety for races from local school board and judges seats to House and Senate positions up for grabs, and absentee voting has been brisk at the Marion County Circuit Clerk’s Office.
“As of today, we are at 600 absentees for in-office and mail outs,” Circuit Clerk Janette Nolan said Thursday. “That is slightly below 4 percent. Compared to the midterms four years ago, we are on pace to double the number of absentees cast.”
For those who need to vote absentee, the Circuit Clerk’s Office at the Marion County Courthouse will be open Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon, which is the final day. Polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. at all Marion County locations.
All three of the school board positions on the Nov. 6 ballot will be contested.
In the Municipal Separate School District Trustee race, incumbent Dr. Ronald Luethje and Chris Wallace are running. That district covers residences in the city school district but outside Columbia city limits.
For District 3 on the Marion County School Board, incumbent Jessie Graham will face Lonnie C. Ball Sr.
For District 4 of the county school board, incumbent Wendy Hammonds faces challenger David Foxworth.
Columbia attorney Lawrence Hahn will be the next county prosecuting attorney after he was the only candidate for the position. It came vacant following the death of Scott Phillips last year.
The biggest election on the ballot is the U.S. Senate seat formerly held for 40 years by Thad Cochran. U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, whom Gov. Phil Bryant appointed to fill the position pending the special election, faces fellow Republican State Sen. Chris McDaniel and Democrat Mike Espy, a former congressman and U.S. secretary of agriculture. The top two will advance to a Nov. 27 runoff if no one gets 50 percent plus 1 vote.
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican, is also on the ballot for another six-year term, facing State Rep. David Baria, a Democrat.
Other races include House District 4, currently held by Republican Steven Palazzo, a Mississippi Supreme Court Justice position, a Court of Appeals position and Circuit Court and Chancery Court judges.
See sample ballot below.
