Published: April 02, 2009 11:59 am      

Early voting starts Friday

By JAMES BEATY

SENIOR EDITOR

Early in-person absentee ballot voting is set to begin Friday for municipal races in four Pittsburg County communities, as well as for a seat on the Haileyville School Board.

Voters who want to cast the in-person ballots can do so from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Friday and Monday at the Pittsburg County Election Board offices, currently housed in Suite 106 of the Professional Building at 10 E. Washington Ave., adjacent to City Hall.

Because this is not a statewide election, no in-person absentee balloting will be available on Saturday.

A two-member bipartisan Absentee Voting Board will be on duty both Friday and Monday to give absentee voters any needed assistance, said Pittsburg County Election Board Secretary Cathy Thornton.

“In-person absentee voters fill out a form when they get to the office,” Thornton said. “Voters are not required to give a reason for voting absentee.”

“They are required to swear that they have not voted a regular mail absentee ballot and that they will not vote at their polling places on election day.”

All regular precincts which have races will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. for election day on Tuesday.

In the Haileyville municipal election, Alan Epps and Danny Karr will face each other for an unexpired term as police chief. The run-off election in the Haileyville school district has Jimmy J. Stewart Sr. and Paul N. Tucker facing each other for a seat on the school board.

In Hartshorne, John Price and Charles E. Green Jr. are running for the Ward 1 council seat.

At Kiowa, Lena Heron and Cara Cole are running for the city treasurer’s office. Joemae Peck and Sherry Owen are running for city clerk.

Also in Kiowa, Jimmy Wayne Brown and Donald Betts are running for the Ward 1 city council seat. Ned E. Naugle and Sherry Stone are running for the Ward 3 seat in Kiowa. Danny Drake and Mary Cearly are seeking the city council seat in Ward 4.

In Krebs, Tammi Garcia and Avie Heathcock are running for the city treasurer’s post. Brandon DeFrange and Woody Coplen are running for the Ward 2 city council seat. David Bailey and Eugene Haas are running for the Ward 4 seat on the Krebs city council.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.