Although the voter turnout for runoff elections has traditionally been very light, if early voting is an indication, more voters could cast their ballots for the runoff than they did in the political party primaries in May.
Through mid-day Friday, more than 1,600 people had voted early, far outdistancing the numbers that were recorded during the entire first week of early voting for the primaries.
“And that’s without extended hours or Saturday voting like we had in the primary,” Katherine Wooldridge, a deputy county clerk, said Friday.
One of the main attractions bringing people to the county courthouse to vote is the contest between Pine Bluff Assistant Chief of Police Ivan Whitfield and former Pine Bluff Mayor Dutch King for the Democratic nomination for Jefferson County judge.
Whitfield led the ticket following the primary, collecting 3,706 votes to 3,408 for King and 1,969 for third-place finisher current Justice of the Peace Alfred Carroll, who late last week endorsed Whitfield.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The position became open when current County Judge Mike Holcomb, who has served three terms, filed for the District 10 seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives.
Whitfield, who will retire from the police department July 1, has served in all four divisions and was named assistant chief last year.
He is a graduate of Central High School at Helena-West Helena and received a degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
He is also a graduate of the Southern Police Institute and the School of Law Enforcement Supervision in 1995.
“I want to build on what other county judges have done in the past,” Whitfield said. “One of the big concerns is roads and I want to see to it that we take care of more roads and keep them up.”
He has also said he wants to work the the Economic Development board to try and bring new jobs to the county, and to maintain jobs that currently exist.
King served as mayor of Pine Bluff for four years, and before that was a member of the city council for six years.
A graduate of Pine Bluff High School, King received a degree in business administration with a minor in social studies from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
He owns Arkansas Marketers Inc., which he has operated since 1981, and has owned Applied Energy since 1985.
“I believe in the spirit of Jefferson County and in the people who call this home,” King said. “As county judge, I will work with our business and education leaders to bring prosperity and opportunity back to our community.”
King has said he will also focus on improving county roads and services, among other things.
Early voting continues through Monday at the county courthouse from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the polls will be open Tuesday from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.