The ballots for the May 3 DeKalb County Primaries have been released by the DeKalb County Election Commission office.
A total of 57 candidates are listed between the two primary ballots with 26 of those seeking the party nomination for the seven county commission districts.
“Voters are reminded these are primary elections and they can only vote in one of the elections,” said Dennis Stanley Administrator of Elections. “Under state law, a voter cannot vote in two primaries, which are held at the same time, such as is the case on May 3rd.”
Stanley encouraged voters to study the ballots and make their decision which primary they wish to vote in before heading to the polls, either for early voting or Election Day.
“A voter must decide which candidate, which office or which party is more important to them and then make a selection,” he said.
Sample ballots will also be posted on the Election Commission website at www.dekalbelections.com and will be available at each voting location to assist the voters with their decision. (The ballots will also be published later in the Smithville Review)
Meanwhile, the election commission has set the early voting hours for the May primaries
Early voting begins April 13 and runs through April 28 and will be held at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Smithville and limited hours at the fairgrounds in Alexandria.
Early voting hours in Smithville are as follows: Mondays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Thursdays 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon.
Early voting hours in Alexandria will be Tuesday April 19th from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday April 25 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
All properly registered voters can vote early at either location. Early voting will not be held on Good Friday.
“We’re pleased to be able to offer limited early voting in Alexandria this election,” Stanley said. “And remember, just like Smithville, anyone in the county can vote early in Alexandria as well.”
Voters are also reminded to keep their address up to date with the election office to avoid delays when they come to vote.
“During the petition process we noticed several voters signed a candidate’s petition with an address different than what we had on file,” Stanley said. “In order to avoid delays or possibly a trip to another voting site on Election Day, voters need to make sure their current address is the same address the election office has on file.”
Stanley also took the opportunity to explain the primary process with the following Q&A.
What is a primary election? ----
• A primary election is an election for each political party to select its’ candidates in each office to represent their party in the august county general election.
In the May primaries, democrats are running against democrats and republicans are running against republicans. Independent candidates are never listed on a primary ballot. The winners of the May primaries move on to the august general election.
It is the august general election when democrats face republicans along with any properly qualified independent candidate. It is august that the winner takes all and becomes the office holder. Also in august we have a Tennessee State primary for state offices held on the same day and further information about those primaries will be provided later.
• In relation to the May primary, we have been asked if a person can vote for one candidate in one party and another candidate in the other party.
The answer is no….under state law, a voter cannot vote in two primaries which are held at the same time, such as is the case on May 3rd.
As a result, a voter must decide which candidate, which office or which party is more important to them and then make a selection.
• We have also be asked if a voter says they are in independent and, if so, can they vote in May.
The answer is yes…..there is no such thing as party registration in Tennessee … you are simply a registered voter. However, keep in mind the May elections are primary elections and there are no independent candidates on the May ballots. Again, the voter must choose only one primary.
• Another question is…if a voter votes for a particular candidate or party in may do they have to vote for the same candidate or in the same state primary in august.
The short answer is no….august is a completely different election and how someone votes in may has no impact on the august election, either in the county general or Tennessee primaries. It simply again becomes the voter’s choice.
When voting for county offices in august, a voter has the choice to vote for a candidate in either party or for an independent candidate. August is a county general and voters may choose a party candidate in one office and in another office choose a candidate in the opposite party or vote for an independent.
• Another question is---it is recorded which primary a voter chooses.
Yes…we do not know who you voted for, but each voter’s party choice is recorded on their permanent record.
• If a voter does not vote in may can they still vote in august?
Yes, again, in basic terms, one election has no relation to the other.
