The 2024 preferential primary election ballots cast started with momentum on the first day of early voting, Feb. 20, with 357 votes, and the first week of early voters totaled 1,401.
The second week sits at 1,557 as of Saturday for a total of 2,958 early voters. That number will see some increase with Monday’s total, but compared with the 2022 general election, a low voter turnout looks to be on the horizon for the primaries.
In 2022, the general election ballots totaled 629 on the first day of early voting with a total of 3,113 in the first week of voting and 3,522 in the second week. A total of 1,002 voted the Monday before election day, totaling 7,637 early voters in 2022.
The mayoral candidates include incumbent Shirley Washington, Vivian Flowers, Joni Alexander-Robinson, Samuel Glover, Steven Mays Sr. and Charles Washington.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
City clerk candidates are incumbent Janice Roberts and Mary Liddell. City treasurer candidates are incumbent Gregory Gustek and Loretta Whitfield.
[DOCUMENT: Read the candidates’ answers to questions » pbcommercial.com/33primaryqa/]
Council seats up for reelection are Ward 1, Position 1; Ward 2, Position 1; Ward 3, Position 1; and Ward 4, Position 2.
Each sitting council member in those positions will have an opponent. Ward 1, Position 1 candidates are incumbent Lloyd Holcomb Jr. and Marlette Boales. Ward 2, Position 1 candidates are incumbent Steven Shaner and Yvonne Denton. Ward 3, Position 1 candidates include incumbent Glen Brown Sr., Kenneth Gray Sr. and William Fells. Ward 4, Position 2 candidates are incumbent Bruce Lockett and Mar’Tavius Proctor.
All Jefferson County justices of the peace are up for reelection, but only seven of the 13 have opponents.
Those districts include District 1 incumbent Alfred Carroll Sr. and Garland Trice; District 4 incumbent Patricia Johnson and Win Trafford; District 5 incumbent Lloyd Franklin Jr. and Jimmy Fisher Sr.; District 6 incumbent Margarette Williams and Randy Green; District 9 incumbent Cedric Jackson and Joseph O’Neal; District 10 incumbent Conley Byrd Jr. and Na-Quicha Terrell; and District 13 incumbent Brenda Gaddy and Bruce Carman.
Constable township elections with opponents include Vaugine Township candidates Deshawn Bennett and Leon Warren; Jefferson Township candidates William Beadle and Scott Dunn; and Spring Township candidates Clyde McDaniel and Richard Victorino.
Early voting will continue through Monday. Hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The primary election is Tuesday and the general election is Nov. 5.