It's Election Time

 We have a couple interesting notes during the June 9th Primary Election.
Election night in small town America is filled with long winded stories, munchies, sometimes some very hard feelings. That wasn't the case this time around. Less than 20 visitors were on hand to watch the ballots being counted.
There were no munchies on hand
This was the first year for mass mail in , folded up, ballots. Our counting machines handled the dog eared ballots very well.
    Clayberry has right at 5552 registered voters of which only about 2600 has marked ballots. 2600 sounds like a pee poor turn out but it's not. That amounts to about 47% coming out to exercise their voting rights. That's a huge number in this county. During many recent election cycles, less than 30% cared enough to vote. We think the increase is directly linked to mail in voting.
   Actually we only had three contested races this season, County Commission on the Demorat side, Top Badge on the Republicrap corner, and School Board run.  For County Commission, all three candidates, Poopy Holcomb, Vanessa Dunigan and David Schoolcraft, were present for the counting. All three were there but the Poopster never left his office while votes were being counted. The battle between Dunigan and Schoolcraft went back and forth the entire evening. With one last precinct to be counted, Dunigan was behind just 5 votes. She ended the night down 19 votes.
   Both of the top tier candidates advertised and placed road side placards on every corner.  For the Dunigan lass, every one of her signs were swiped before election day.
But wait there's more!!!!!!!!!!!
   There are 40 some ballots yet to be counted. There may be more coming to the Courthouse via snail mail compliments the mail-in ballots process. With 40 or so to be counted during the canvass Monday June 15th, 10am, this contest has not been decided. As long as the mail in ballots are postmarked by June 9th, they will be counted. The lone ballot that was hand delivered on June 10th, that one will be tossed for sure.
Lo Nutter ran for a perch on the Clayberry School Board. She did absolutely no posters, ads, signs, placards of any kind. She lost but her vote count by just 19 votes and that was a darn good showing.


     Sheriff Donnie Triplett resigned his position on May 4th. Resigning that late in  race meant, his name would remain on the ballot. Keep in mind, the guy resigned BUT BUT he  still garnered 704 votes. Unless he officially removes his name from the November General Election Ballot, he will be the Demorat contender for another 4 year term.
  On the Repub side, Alan King easily defeated his two other contender handily. Mr King brought home 525 votes compared to Brian Mitchem's 130 and Tom Gorgone's 111.
   If Triplett does remove his name from a November run, the Demorat Executive Committee can appoint someone to be on the ballot. Around the county, word has it, Randy Holcomb, who is serving as the acting Sheriff, may try a run for that office. Based on his total vote count in the Commission race and that he lost one precinct to a dead man,  we hope the Demorat Committee finds a more viable candidate.
  Always with their hand out, local government floated an excess levy long shot. The new funds would go the Top Badge's office for new vehicles and night patrols. The chance to take more from your wallet failed miserably. Unofficial count, For 719, Nays 1178.
   The biggy news of the night did not come from Clayberry
   Under the Gold Dome in Charleston, Mitch Carmichael is the Senate President. Keep in mind, Carmichael is actually the Lt Governor and one heart beat away from being the Governor.   For teachers, school personnel and state workers, he's the most despised elected official in the state. Tuesday night Mitch went down in flames big time.



  Except for the signs being swiped, it was a very quiet and long election run. Election night, it too was quiet. We miss seeing when a local attorney belly butted Commissioner Jimmy Sams, an Assessor candidate coming in stoned out of head with mascara running down her face and hearing Gene King tell the assembled, many of his Widen Precinct ballots were tossed in the Elk  and floating down the river behind the Courthouse. Ahhhhh, we saw the belly butting and the stony in tears. We didn't see the ballots afloat.
  Added June 17th:  Govt is always seeking additional tax money. For this election cycle, the Sheriff's office sought more $ . The call for the excess levy said the new funds if approved by the voters would add additional Badges and a new cruiser.
  That request for more was shut down overwhelmingly. When the dust settled, For more out of your pocket, 719; those against the additional tax,1178. Only one precinct voted in favor.
   That's a pretty big Heck No from Clayonins
PRIMARY CANVAS
  As required by law, following a Primary Election, a vote "canvas" has to be performed by county commissioners across the State. What that amounts to is checking all the paperwork prepared by poll workers and deciding which provisional votes, absentee votes and this year, and, all the anyone can vote early ballots. Also during a canvas, one precinct is selected to be counted vote by vote to make sure everything is kosher.
  The Canvas was held Monday June 15th. Beginning at 10am, it took the Clerk's staff and CCC til 4pm to get the workload completed.
  For this canvas, one race could have been changed with the addition of new ballots (votes) in the County Commission contest between David Schoolcraft and Vanessa Dunigan. Before the canvas, Schoolcraft was ahead 19 votes.
  On the 15th there wasn't one face mask in place. Same applies to those recounting that one precinct, Widen. Social distancing, no way. If we have a spike in Corona fourteen days from right now, we know where it came from.

The Bean Counters




Social Distancing?
   Ballot canvas operations are all done in public. It was reassuring to watch the process and how close they followed Secretary of State law. When it was all said and done, County Commission candidate Randy Holcomb gained a couple votes. Also in that CCC race, Vanessa Dunigan gained five more marks.  With the dust now settled, the new County Commissioner will be David Schoolcraft.
   One of the Canvas duties is judge whether contested ballots will be counted. This year, with around 1200 early voting due to the Corona Beer Bug, that task was weighty. Many many, of those early votes were tossed because the early voter did NOT follow the clearly marked rules. The vast majority of those contested ballots went uncounted because the voter did NOT provide a signature on the ballot envelope. Mention was made, when the County Clerk's office noticed the shortcoming, they called the voter and told em: Look, if you don't come down here and sign your envelope, your vote won't count. Even with the call being made, many chose not to do as the law requires, sign the darn envelope. Sad.
  Another shortcoming came out. A bunch of the contested ballots were because the voter was registered in one precinct and voted in another precinct. There were even a few voters living in one place, registering to vote in another place but then on election day voting in yet another precinct. Needless to say, those votes were not allowed.
  If you are a registered Demorat or Republicrap and chose some other part ballot, your vote was not counted. If you are not a registered voter and still voted, you marks did not count.
  It was interesting to watch the process.
  


David Schoolcraft during the vote canvas.
Just call him Commissioner Schoolcraft
Is the Spring Primary all settled? Yes it is BUT, on June 15th, our State Supreme Court issued a decision which may affect future elections relating to voting when your home address is  not correct on election documents. Here's the MetroNews write up on the big change in Election Law.
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AW






Here's the Link to the unofficial primary election results as of 10pm June 9th, 2020