Warren County voters will be going to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in the state’s presidential preference primary and primary races for U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from the 2nd Congressional District.

The polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

The deadline for absentee voting for the primary is noon Saturday. The Warren County Circuit Clerk’s office will be open from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday for absentee voting.

“Any absentee ballots that are mailed have to be in our office by Monday morning,” Circuit Clerk Jan Daigre said. “They have to come through the mail. They cannot be dropped off. Many people wait too late and then come and hand it to me Monday morning, and we can’t accept it that way.

“By law, it has to come through the postal service.”

As of Wednesday morning, she said, 234 absentee ballots have been cast for the primary.

“That number is very low,” she said.

“That is a low voter turnout so far,” Warren County Election Commission Chairman Sarah Dionne said. “Often, absentee ballots are indicative of the election day turnout, and that’s fairly low.” 

Daigre said many people do not seem to realize the primary includes races in both the Democratic and Republican parties.

“A lot of people think it’s just the Democratic primary,” she said.

Although the parties manage the primary and the runoff, Daigre said, the elections are funded by the county. The political parties contract with the county to use its equipment, she said.

Because the election involves closed, or party primaries, voters will have to declare whether they want a Democrat or Republican ballot when they go to the polls.

“Whichever (party) ballot a voter chooses at the precinct, if there’s a runoff, then they have to stay with that ballot,” Daigre said. “They do not in November (for the general election).”

Several candidates for the Democratic presidential primary have dropped out since the ballots were printed and remain on the ballot, Daigre said, “So you need to make sure your candidate is still a candidate so that your vote will certainly count.”

Except for a few changes, Dionne said registered voters will vote at the same precincts as the state and county elections in November.

All voters living south of Highway 80 who have been voting at Culkin Precinct at Gibson Memorial United Methodist Church will now be voting at Bovina (Bovina Baptist Church), she said.

Also, the Cherry Street Precinct has been moved from the Treehouse to Se-‘ren Venue (formerly the State Farm Insurance office), 2000 Drummond St., at the corner of Drummond and Belmont streets

Voters at the Brunswick Precinct will vote at the Eagle Lake Fire Station.

Because Mississippi 465 is closed, Dionne said, voters may take the levee or use the following alternate route: Take Hwy 61 N, approximately 15 miles past Mississippi 465 to the Onward Store, then turn right past Onward Store, then turn left onto Mississippi 1.

Go approximately 5 miles and turn left onto Mississippi 465.

When the blacktop comes off of the levee, stay left on blacktop, not straight on the gravel, and go 23 miles to Eagle Lake Fire Station, 15115 Mississippi 465, on right.

The Democratic primary ballot includes the following races:

• President: Joseph R. Biden, Tulsi Gabbard, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

• U.S. Senate: Tobey Bernard Bartee, Jensen Bohren and Mike Espy.

• U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District: Sonia Rathbourn and Bennie Thompson.

The Republican ballot includes the following races:

• President: Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente, Donald J. Trump and Bill Weld.

• U.S. Senate: Cindy Hyde-Smith.

• U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District: Thomas L. Carey, Brian Flowers and B.C. Hammond.