Voters head to polls to decide local races

Voting booths like this one await Vernon County voters who will cast their ballots today for candidates running for area school boards and city, village and township officials, water district board members and a Vernon County Ambulance District board member, as well as special township road levys. The polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. --Steve Moyer/Nevada Daily Mail

Voters throughout Vernon County will head to the polls today to cast their votes in races for area school boards, city government officials, township officials and more. Many in rural areas also will be deciding the fate of special road levys, including Bacon Township, Badger Township, Blue Mound Township, Coal Township, Deerfield Township, Harrison Township, Henry Township, Lake Township, Metz Township, Montevallo Township, Moundville Township, Walker Township and Washington Township, all of which are seeking road tax levys in varying amounts.

City council members or aldermen also will be selected in the towns of Nevada, Schell City, Sheldon, Walker, Deerfield, Harwood, Metz, Milo, Moundville, Richards and Stotesbury.

For many races in smaller communities, no candidate has filed, and in some cases only one candidate filed. State election law states that "Write-in votes shall be counted only for candidates for election to office who have filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate for election to office with the proper election authority, who shall then notify the proper filing officer of the write-in candidate prior to 5 p.m. on the second Friday immediately preceding the election day."

Vernon County Clerk Tammy Beach explains that means that, when enough candidates appear on the ballot to fill vacancies, only write-in candidates who have registered will be counted. Candidates have officially registered as write-in candidates in four races. Sonya K. Tumm has declared write-in candidacy for the Nevada City Council; Christopher D. Mason, for subdistrict 6 of the Vernon County Ambulance District Board; Steven E. Hoy for the Bronaugh Board of Aldermen, South Ward; and Larry Gardner, for the Sheldon City Council.

For races in which no one has filed, or in cases, for example, where two seats are open but only one person has filed, all votes for write-in candidates are counted.

Beach also noted it's important that voters choosing a write-in candidate remember they must also connect the arrows next to the slot where they have written in the name, as this formally casts the vote for a write-in candidate, and the name written in must be close enough to the correct spelling of the name that it is clearly identifiable.