8/5/03]With one exception, early turnout today was no better than average, according to reports from a sample of poll managers across Warren County.

About 40 people waited in line at 7 this morning at Sherman Avenue Elementary school to be among the first people across the state to vote in party primaries. Polls remain open until 7 p.m.

“I think it’s going to be steady all day,” said Georgia Durman, manager of the Democratic polling at the Culkin precinct. “I think everyone’s going to come out and vote today.”

Voters were to decide one state legislative race, between Rep. Chester Masterson, 70, and his challenger, Alex Monsour, 40. Both are Republicans, and no other candidate is running for the post.

In other contested primaries for Warren County offices, the names of the three Democrats running for circuit clerk, Shelly Ashley-Palmertree, 34; Gil Culkin, 49; and Jack Grogan, 51; are on ballots countywide. Incumbent Larry Ashley is retiring.

Unlike states where voters must register by party, any registered Mississippi voter may vote in either primary.

In a Republican contest, voters in Board of Supervisors District 1, of which Culkin is one of four precincts, are choosing between incumbent David McDonald, 53, and William Muirhead, 49. Today’s winner will advance to the general election on Nov. 4 to face independents.

In contrast to the turnout at Culkin, ballot-casting at Redwood Elementary, in Supervisor District 2, was “slow, slow, slow,” said Democratic poll manager Peggy Blansett.

Those in the county’s central and southern justice court districts who vote in the Democratic primary will each have two choices for justice court judge.

In the Central District, incumbent Richard Bradford, 60, faces Dora Smith, 55.

And in the Southern District, the Democratic primary candidates are incumbent Joe Crevitt, 65, and John Hunter, 62.

Another area legislative race, for House District 85, is also to be decided by voters in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Chuck Middleton of Port Gibson faces four challengers, Arnold E. Clark Jr., Jesse Harness, Walter Huston and Jerry Sims, all of Jefferson County.

Where more than two primary candidates are seeking the same post within a party, an Aug. 26 runoff will be held between the top two vote-getters unless one candidate receives a majority of votes cast today.

State House of Representatives District 56 incumbent Jep Barbour of Yazoo City faces Philip Gunn of Clinton in a Republican primary.

And in District 23 Sen. Lynn Posey, D-Union Church, has two Democratic primary challengers, E. Vincent Davis of Fayette and Johnnie McDaniels of Port Gibson.

“We’re a little bit behind, but normally a primary is less,” said Louise Crow, poll manager of the YMCA precinct.

Crow’s precinct is one of three in the county whose polling places have changed this year. Beginning today voters cast ballots at Porters Chapel United Methodist Church, 200 Porters Chapel Road.

The other poll locations that have changed are Moose Lodge, which is now at Berachah Church, 2918 Fisher Ferry Road, and Tingleville, which is now at The Church of God, 5598 Gibson Road.

In addition to county and district offices, Mississippi voters are choosing elected officials for statewide posts. In the Democratic primary, Gov. Ronnie Musgrove faces Gilbert Fountain of D’Iberville, Elder McClendon of Hattiesburg, Katie Perrone of Gulfport and Catherine Starr of Hattiesburg.

In the Republican primary for governor, Republican Haley Barbour faces Mitch Tyner of Jackson.

One early voter at the YMCA precinct, Penny Ables, said she likes to vote before work because “I won’t do it later.”

In the last two primary elections in Warren County, about 31 percent of registered voters have cast ballots. The number of Warren County registered voters, about 32,822, is up more than 10 percent this year from four years earlier. In the 1999 primaries in the county, 9,539 of 30,289 registered voters cast ballots.

Statewide, Secretary of State Eric Clark’s predicted votes-cast total for today, 725,000, would be about 25,000 more than that for 1999. It would continue an upward trend in that number for primary elections that began with a low of 640,667 in 1995.

From 828,211 in 1983, the statewide total of votes cast during gubernatorial election years fell until 1995.

Of the 698,697 primary votes cast in the state in 1999, 545,555 were in the Democratic primary and 153,142 in the Republican primary.

Plumbers and Pipefitters poll manager Sid Tucker said the heaviest voting times there are typically 10 a.m., noon and 6 p.m.

“I would hope 400 or 500 voters come by the end of the day,” he said.

The weather outlook for today remained a 30-percent chance of isolated thunderstorms, and some poll managers said weather could be having some effect.

By 7:30 a.m., 21 votes had been cast at Vicksburg Junior High School, where voter Linda Flaggs said, “I hope the rain doesn’t deter voters.”

Tingleville poll manager Tillie Hollifield had seen little voting shortly after 7 a.m., but said it was too soon to tell what the turnout would be.

Between 10 and 15 people had voted from both the American Legion and City Auditorium precincts by about 7:30 a.m., said their respective poll managers, Lillie Flagg and Carla Jones.

“Primaries are always kind of slow,” poll manager Mike Lloyd of the Elks Lodge precinct said.

No. 7 Fire Station poll manager Sue Campbell said that usually a few people are lined up to vote at 7 a.m., but today nobody was. “I’m surprised,” she said.

Once voters began arriving, however, bailiff John Smith called the early turnout “typical.”

The U.S. Justice Department said it will send observers to Kemper, Leake, Neshoba and Newton counties, the Associated Press reported. Clark said he also expected federal observers in Noxubee County, where some people were worried about possible voter intimidation.