City among six towns with poll monitors
Published 7:00 pm Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Brookhaven’s is among six Mississippi municipal elections being monitored today by the U.S. Justice Department to ensure voters are treated fairly.
The department is having attorneys observe polling place activities in Brookhaven, Greenwood, Isola, Meridian, Philadelphia and Ruleville.
The monitoring is designed to enforce provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits discrimination based on race and other factors. Most Mississippi cities are electing mayors and members of the city council or board of aldermen.
In Meridian, Republican Mayor Cheri Barry and Democratic challenger Percy Bland both requested Justice Department monitoring.
In Brookhaven, voters will elect a new mayor because Les Bumgarner, an independent, didn’t seek a second term. Brookhaven voters also will decide whether to allow the sale of alcohol in the city.
Voting was reported as steady this morning in Brookhaven, as citizens cast ballots for mayor and four other contested city offices as well as the liquor referendum.
In addition to the votes being cast today, election officials reported around 280 absentee ballots.
Officials reported Ward Four has the largest number of absentee votes, with 101.
Ward One has 39 absentee ballots; Ward Two, 27; Ward Three, 46; Ward Five, 43; and Ward Six, 26.
Seeking the office of mayor on today’s ballot are Joe C. Cox (Republican), D.W. Maxwell (independent), Rose “Polly” Powell (independent) and David Douglas Smith III (Democrat).
Running for city clerk are incumbent Michael Jinks (Republican) and Maxine McCoy Jones (Democrat).
Seeking the office of chief of police are Bobby Bell (Democrat) and Ted Goleman (Republican).
In the alderman at large race, voters will choose between André Spiller (Democrat), incumbent Karen Sullivan (Republican) and Ed Thompson (independent).
In the Ward Six alderman’s race, voters will decide between David McCoy (Democrat) and incumbent David W. Phillips (independent).
Also still to be decided is the controversial decision on the citywide referendum on liquor sales.
Today’s ballot offers voters the choice of selecting either “for the legal sale of alcoholic liquor and wines of more than eight percent (8%) by weight” or “against the legal sale of alcoholic liquor and wines of more than eight percent (8%) by weight.”
Several aldermen have already been selected for the next four years based on the primary elections.
The aldermen already voted in are: Ward One, newcomer Randy Belcher (Democrat), Ward Two incumbent Terry L. Bates Sr. (Democrat), Ward Three incumbent Mary Wilson (Democrat), Ward Four incumbent Shirley Estes (Republican) and Ward Five newcomer Fletcher Grice (Republican).
Precints
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Ward One’s voting precinct is at Cloverdale Acres Administration Building, Ward Two’s at Alexander Junior High’s auditorium, Ward Three’s at the Lincoln County-Brookhaven Government Complex, Ward Four’s at the Brookhaven Elementary School auditorium, and Ward Six’s at Mamie Martin Elementary School’s auditorium.