With Election Day less than a week away, Mason County Clerk Stephanie Schumacher hopes to clear up any confusion that may surround the write-in candidate race for Maysville City Commission.
When a copy of the sample ballot was published recently, only one space for write-in candidates was shown, even though the actual ballot will have four spaces for voters to fill in if they want, Schumacher said. That raised questions among voters on how many write-in candidates a voter can select.
With four spots up for grabs on city commission on the Nov. 6 ballot, voters may vote for up to four candidates — write-in or those printed on the ballot in any combination, she said.
The nine write-in candidates include David Doyle, Robbie Detro, Ann Brammer, Barry Shrout, Kathryn Gilligan, Andrew Wood, Robert Hendrickson, Charles L. Kielman and Kirby Bennett. They join the three candidates listed on the ballot — Victor McKay, Jeff Brammer and Kelly Ashley.
The late Jerry Schumacher is also listed but votes for him will not be tallied.
Schumacher said she has had numerous calls from voters who are concerned with how the write-in process will work.
“People are interested,” she said.
Schumacher urges voters who have questions to stop by her office and view a sample ballot or take one home to study.
“They are free,” she said.
Even with Election Day just a few days away, Schumacher said she is unsure of what to expect for voter turnout. Absentee voting, she said, has been up and the numbers are in line with a presidential election year.
With so many write-in candidates, the County Board of Elections agreed to delay counting write-in votes until Wednesday, Nov. 7.
After ballots have been tallied for all other races, the board will quit for the evening and reconvene Wednesday morning to count the write-ins, Schumacher said.
Members of the board include Democrat Kirk Clarke, Republican Elizabeth Andrews, Tim Nolder who is serving as sheriff and Stephanie Schumacher.
Absentee voting is currently underway on machines at the clerk’s office and will be available through Nov. 5. The deadline to request a paper absentee ballot has passed.
City commission isn’t the only race Mason County voters will find on their ballots. A complete list of races includes:
U.S. Representative 4th District— Republican Thomas Massie, Democrat Seth Hall, Independent Mike Moffett.
State Representative 70th District — Democrat John Sims Jr.
Commonwealth’s Attorney — Democrat J. Kelly Clarke.
Circuit Clerk — Democrat Kirk Tolle.
PVA — Democrat Troy Cracraft.
County Judge-Executive — Independent Joe Pfeffer
County Attorney — Democrat John Estill.
County Clerk — Democrat Stephanie Schumacher.
Sheriff — Democrat Patrick Boggs.
Jailer — Republican Ryan Hull, Democrat Lisa Kern-Yeary.
County Commissioner District 1 — Democrat Joe McKay.
County Commissioner District 2 — Republican Ray Walters, Democrat Chris O’Hearn.
County Commissioner District 3 — Democrat Phil Day.
Coroner — Democrat David E. Lawrence.
County Surveyor — Democrat R. David Hord.
Justice of Peace District 2 — Democrat Seth Woods.
Justice of Peace District 3 — Libertarian Trevor Applegate.
District Judge 19th District — Kim Leet Razor, Jeff Schumacher.
Soil and Water Conservation — Colton Bennett, Janice Barnett-Gifford.
Mason County Board of Education District 2 — Vicky G. Lowe.
Mason County Board of Education District 3 — Stephanie M. Gardner, Daniel “Danny” Collins.
Mason County Board of Education District 5 — Melissa Grandison Simmons.
Germantown Mayor — Dwayne Sharp.
Germantown City Commission — Aaron Berry, Shawn Hardin.
Maysville Mayor — David Cartmell, Charles T. Cotterill.
Dover Mayor — Bruce A. Eder.
Dover City Commission — Amanda Smith, Nelson E. Davis, Judy Wood, Clarence R. Jefferson, James Tyler Habermehl, Edward Sidell, Viola Snapp.
Sardis Mayor — Steven Tuel.
Sardis City Commission — Raymond Dodson, Chasity Clifford, James Burton, Jerry Craycraft.
The ballot also includes a Constitutional Amendment for Marsy’s Law, which would expand victims’ rights in criminal proceedings.
Dover voters will also face a ballot question on whether they favor dissolving the city.
Polls open at 6 a.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 6 and will remain open until 6 p.m.
For more information on polling locations or registration, contact your county clerk’s office.
