Early voting begins next Wednesday, April 11 for the DeKalb County Democratic Primary

Voters will be making their choices as to who will represent the Democratic party as nominees in the August General Election for the offices of Road Supervisor, County Mayor, Circuit Court Clerk, Sheriff, Register of Deeds, County Clerk, and for the county commission in each of the seven districts. There is no Democratic candidate for Trustee

The primary will feature two county wide contested races for County Mayor and Circuit Court Clerk. There are four contested county commission district primary races including in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 7th districts.

The DeKalb County Election Commission has set the same time frame for early voting as in previous county elections.

The times are as follows:

Mondays—1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesdays—9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Wednesdays—9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Thursdays—2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Fridays—9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturdays—9 a.m. to noon.

Early voting begins April 11 and runs through April 26 on the first floor of the DeKalb County Courthouse.

The candidates for County Mayor are first term incumbent Tim Stribling, former three term incumbent Mike Foster, and two term incumbent 3rd District County Commissioner Bradley Hendrix. The winner will face Independent candidate Randy Paris in the August 2 County General Election. There is no Republican candidate for County Mayor.

Meanwhile Nicole Wright and Mark Milam are looking to become the party nominee for Circuit Court Clerk, a position Incumbent Katherine Pack, a democrat, has held since 2002. Pack is not seeking re-election to a fifth term. Wright works for Pack in the Circuit Court Clerk office. Milam has served as Constable of the 5th district for over 25 years. The winner of the primary will face Republican Susan Martin in the County General Election on August 2.

Other candidates in the May 1 DeKalb County Democratic Primary and the Republican and Independent opponents in the August 2 DeKalb County General Election are as follows:

COUNTY CLERK:
James L. (Jimmy) Poss—(Incumbent): Unopposed in May and August

SHERIFF:
Michael Agee-Unopposed in May. Agee will face Republican Incumbent Sheriff Patrick Ray on August 2

ROAD SUPERVISOR:
Jimmy Sprague- Unopposed in May. Sprague will face Republican Danny Hale on August 2

REGISTER OF DEEDS:
Jeff McMillen (Incumbent): Unopposed in May and August

TRUSTEE:
Republican Incumbent Sean Driver to be unopposed on August 2

COUNTY COMMISSION-FIRST DISTRICT (Two to be nominated in May)
Julie Young (Incumbent)-Unopposed in May
Dennis Slager-Unopposed in May
Republican Tom Chandler to be on the ballot with Slager and Young in August (Two to be elected in August)

COUNTY COMMISSION-SECOND DISTRICT (Two to be nominated in May)
Joe Johnson (Incumbent)
Nora Harvey
Myron Rhody
Republican Sabrina Farler to be on the ballot with the two Democratic nominees in August (Two to be elected in August)

COUNTY COMMISSION-THIRD DISTRICT (Two to be nominated in May)
Jack Barton (Incumbent)
Jenny Trapp
Bobby Johnson
Republican Renee Steff to be on the ballot with the two Democratic nominees in August (Two to be elected in August)

COUNTY COMMISSION-FOURTH DISTRICT (Two to be nominated in May)
Jonathan Norris (Incumbent)
Wayne Cantrell (Incumbent)
Dr. Scott Little
Bobby Taylor
Janice Fish-Stewart
Republican Greg Matthews to be on the ballot with the two Democratic nominees in August (Two to be elected in August)

COUNTY COMMISSION-FIFTH DISTRICT (Two to be nominated in May)
Anita Puckett (Incumbent) Unopposed in May
Lloyd Emmons Unopposed in May
Republican Incumbent Jerry Adcock and Independent candidate William Rutherford to be on the ballot with Puckett and Emmons in August (Two to be elected in August)

COUNTY COMMISSION-SIXTH DISTRICT (Two to be nominated in May)
Betty Atnip (Incumbent) Unopposed in May
Jeff Barnes (Incumbent) Unopposed in May
Republican candidate Matt Adcock to be on the ballot with Atnip and Barnes in August (Two to be elected in August)

COUNTY COMMISSION-SEVENTH DISTRICT(Two to be nominated in May)
Kevin Robinson (Incumbent)
Larry Summers (Incumbent
Beth Pafford
Republican candidate Bruce Malone to be on the ballot with the two Democratic nominees in August (Two to be elected in August)

State Senator Mark Pody and State Representatives Terri Lynn Weaver and Clark Boyd are being challenged in the 2018 elections.

Senator Pody, a Republican, will face a rematch with Democrat Mary Alice Carfi in the November General Election. The winner will represent District 17 for four years in the State Senate. Pody and Carfi, both of Wilson County, are unopposed in their respective party primaries on August 2.

Noon Thursday, April 5 was the qualifying deadline.

Pody narrowly defeated Carfi in a special election last December to fill the remaining year of former State Senator Mae Beavers’ unexpired term.
Meanwhile State Representative Weaver, a Republican who represents District 40, is facing a primary challenge on August 2 from Chad Z. Williams. Both are from Smith County. Jason Holleman, a Democrat also from Smith County, has filed a petition to run for the office in the Tennessee Democrat Primary in August. If nominated, Holleman would face either Weaver or Williams in the Tennessee General Election in November. The term is for two years. An independent, Teresa Marion of Pleasant Shade has also filed a petition with the state to run for the office in November but her candidate status is still pending according to the Tennessee Division of Elections website.

Republican State Representative Clark Boyd in District 46 is facing a GOP primary challenge in August from Menda McCall Holmes. Both are from Wilson County. Boyd was appointed by the Wilson County Commission to fill the remaining year of former State Representative Mark Pody’s unexpired term after Pody was elected to the State Senate. Meanwhile, two candidates are seeking the Democrat nomination for the District 46 State Representative seat, Mark Cagle of Wilson County and Faye Northcutt-Knox of Cannon County. Winners of the respective primaries in August will square off in the November Tennessee General Election. The term is for two years.

The following candidates have filed petitions to run for state executive committeeman and woman in their party primaries:

Republican State Executive Committeeman-17th District
Jerry Beavers of Wilson County and Dwayne Craighead of Clay County

Democratic State Executive Committeeman-17th District
Aubrey T. Givens of Wilson County

Republican State Executive Committeewoman-17th District
Terri Nicholson of Wilson County
Jennifer Franklin Winfree of DeKalb County

Democratic State Executive Committeewoman-17th District
Carol Brown Andrews of Smith County

All the candidates listed above but Marion have filed duplicate state petitions with the DeKalb County Election Commission.

The race for Mayor of Smithville will be contested on August 2 but the alderman candidates will be unopposed.

Smithville Mayor Jimmy Poss will be seeking his 3rd term but he will face a challenge from Josh Miller, who currently serves as alderman. Curtis Rust is also in the race to unseat Mayor Poss.

Incumbent alderman Gayla Hendrix and political newcomer Brandon Cox are unopposed for the two alderman seats up for election.

The terms for mayor and aldermen are each for four years.

Noon Thursday, April 5 was the qualifying deadline.

Meanwhile a mayor and five aldermen will be elected in Liberty on August 2.

Incumbent Liberty Mayor Dwight Mathis will be seeking re-election but Darrell W. Johnson will be trying to unseat him.

The alderman candidates, Dwayne Blair, J.D. Bratten, Derek Johnson, Jason H. Ray, and William Howard Reynolds, Jr., are all running unopposed.

Noon Thursday, August 5 was the qualifying deadline.

Three aldermen are to be elected in Dowelltown on August 2 but only one candidate qualified, Ronald L. Griffith.

Meanwhile in Alexandria a mayor is to be elected on August 2 but no one qualified to run. Only one candidate qualified to run for alderman, Lloyd Dyer. Three full term alderman seats are to be filled along with two unexpired vacant alderman positions.

Although the qualifying deadline has passed for municipal and school board elections, there is still time to become a “write-in” candidate.

“In order for write-in ballots to be counted, a form must be filed no later than noon on the 50th day before the election with the local election commission office,” said Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley.