As the top two Republican candidates for the for the Precinct 3 seat on the Howard County Commissioners Court hit the streets in preparation for the April 8 runoff, local election officials say there has been some confusion concerning who can and can’t vote in the contest.
Jimmie Long and Winston Paschal Odom, both Republican candidates for the seat, will face each other in a runoff election made necessary by the March 4 political party primaries. Neither candidate was able to garner the required 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff.
Long finished ahead of the pack for the party’s nomination with 310 ballots — 39.64 percent of the vote — while Odom finished the night with 197 ballots, accounting for 25.19 percent of the vote.
According to Saundra Bloom, county elections administrator, preparations for the election are going smoothly, but she and her staff are hearing plenty of conflicting stories when it comes to who can vote in the contest.
“There have certainly been some conflicting ideas out there,” said Bloom with a laugh. “People are telling us they’ve been told they couldn’t vote in the runoff election if they didn’t vote in the primaries, or they couldn’t vote in the runoff if they didn’t vote for one of the two remaining candidates during the primaries. There has been a lot of disinformation out there.
“Voters in Precinct 3 will be the only voters who can cast a ballot in the runoff. The only voters in Precinct 3 who are ineligible to vote are those who voted in the Democratic Primary. So, even if you didn’t vote in the primary, you are still eligible to vote in the runoff. It’s that simple.”
Area voters unsure which precinct they are registered to vote in may have the answer in their wallet or pocketbook, according to Bloom.
“On the new voter registration certificates, the voter precinct for Big Spring is a two-digit number,” said Bloom. “For example, if your card says you’re in Precinct 12, that means you live in County Precinct 1 and City District 2. So, if your voter precinct number begins with a three, you’re eligible to vote in the runoff election — unless you voted in the Democratic Primary this year.”
Bloom said preparations for the runoff are under way, with early voting set to begin at the end of this month.
“The runoff will be held April 8 at First Baptist Church,” she said. “Early voting — which will be held between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the third floor of the Howard County Courthouse — will begin March 31 and end April 4. We will hold late hour voting Thursday, April 3, from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.”
The winner of the runoff will have to face Democratic nominee Dick Dubose — who won his party’s nomination unopposed — in the November election.
Anyone with questions regarding the runoff election can contact Bloom at 264-2273.
Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at
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