Sheriff’s, governor’s offices up for grabs on Tuesday’s ballot
News Staff Report
Escambia County election officials are expecting a moderate voter turnout next Tuesday, November 8, when voters across the state go to the polls to choose, among other races, whether Alabama’s governorship will remain the same and which of three individuals will take venerable Richard Shelby’s seat in the U.S. Senate.
Gov. Kay Ivey became in 2017 the state’s 54th chief executive officer, its second female governor and its first female Republican governor when former Gov. Robert J. Bentley resigned the office. She was elected to the office in 2018 and will face Democratic challenger Yolanda Flowers and Libertarian James “Jimmy” Blake in her bid for a second full term.
Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth faces opposition, too, in the person of Libertarian candidate Ruth Page Nelson, and Democrat Will Boyd, Republican Katie Britt and Libertarian John Sophocleus are vying for the senate seat held by Shelby, who chose not to run for another term, since 1986.
Locally, Republican Escambia County Sheriff Heath Jackson, a veteran lawman, is seeking a second term and will face Shaun Golden, also a veteran law enforcement officer, who currently serves as assistant police chief for the city of Georgiana.
Also appearing on the ballot although they have no announced challenger are District 1 County Commissioner Steven Dickey, who will win his first full term; former District 3 Commissioner Larry White, who won the Republican Primary and has no opponent, will reclaim the commission seat he held for 24 years; and District 5’s Karean Reynolds will retain his spot at the commission table.
County school board members Cindy Jackson (District 4) and Sherry Digmon (District 6) each won primary races and are unchallenged on Tuesday’s ballot. District 22 State Senator Greg Albritton and District 66 State Representative Alan Baker are also unchallenged, as are 21st Judicial Circuit (Escambia County) District Attorney Steve Billy and Circuit Court Judge Todd Stearns.
Some county ballots will include a choice between Democrat Steve Hubbard and Republican Matthew Hammett as the state representative for District 92.
Atmore native Steve Marshall, who took office in 2017, is seeking another term as Alabama Attorney General. His challenger is Democrat Wendell Major.
Republican Associate Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Place 6, Kelli Wise, is unopposed in her bid for another term, while Democrat Anita L. Kelly and Republican Greg Cook are facing off for the Place 5 seat on the state’s highest court.
Jerry Carl, who is seeking a second term as Alabama’s 1st Congressional District representative in the U.S. House, will face Libertarian Alexander M. Remrey in that race, while some county voters will choose between Democrat Phyllis Harvey-Hall, Republican Barry Moore or Libertarian Jonathan Realz as the state’s 2nd Congressional District representative.
Other races that will appear on all county ballots:
*Secretary of State (Democrat Pamela J. Laffitte; Republican Wes Allen; Libertarian Jason “Matt” Shelby)
*State Treasurer (Republican Young Boozer; Libertarian Scott Hammond)
*State Auditor (Republican Andrew Sorrel; Libertarian Leigh Lachine)
*Commissioner, Agriculture and Industries (Republican Rick Pate; Libertarian Jason Clark)
*Public Service Commission, Place 1 (Republican Jeremy H. Oden; Libertarian Ron Bishop)
*Public Service Commission, Place 2 (Republican Chip Beeker; Libertarian Laura Lane)
Potential voters should be aware that they will have to show a photo ID in order to cast their ballot. The most common form of identification is an Alabama driver’s license, but several other documents will also be accepted. A complete list is posted on the Alabama Secretary of State website.
If a potential voter does not have any of the accepted forms of ID, he or she will be allowed to cast a provisional ballot as provided for by law. Also, a potential voter without photo ID may vote if he or she can be positively identified by two election officials as a voter on the poll list who is eligible to vote, and the election officials sign an affidavit stating so.
Amendments
Tuesday’s ballot will also include the proposed adoption of a new state Constitution from which racist language, duplications and other items that are no longer relevant have been removed, as well as 10 amendments to the Constitution, whether it is rewritten or not. (Those amendments are explained in more detail inside this edition.)
Polling sites across the county and state will remain open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday.