Few votes cast early in Dem mayoral runoff|[5/17/05]

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, May 17, 2005

From staff reports

With a dismal turnout to open today’s Democratic runoff voting, the two hopefuls cast their own ballots and hoped to advance to next month’s general election.

Polls will remain open until 7 tonight for voting in the citywide race for the party nomination. Results will be available on the city’s cable channel, RCTV 23, WQBC 1420 AM and on the Internet at www.vicksburg.org.

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Turnout during the first half-hour after polls opened was nearly half the number recorded at about the same time two weeks ago for the primary races, which had the lowest turnout for a primary race in a decade.

Turnout is “OK, but I don’t think it’s going to be that impressive,” said Marilyn Patterson, precinct manager at the American Legion Post on Monroe Street.

About 30 ballots were cast there by 7:30, but that number was impressive compared to other polling places.

The same number had voted at the Vicksburg Auditorium, one of the city’s largest precincts, but only two people had voted at the No. 7 Fire Station and only seven votes were cast at the Vicksburg Junior High School precinct by 7:50.

Total turnout for the party primary was 4,298 people, about 23 percent of the number of the city’s registered voters, but runoff elections usually draw fewer people.

Both candidates on today’s ballots, John Ferguson, 63, and Charles Selmon, 44, said they hoped the numbers will pick up as the day progresses.

“I really hope people will come out and exercise their rights and participate in the voting process,” Selmon said. “We’ll wait until 11 hours from now to see what the citizens have to say about the democratic process.”

“I hope the efforts we put into stressing the importance of getting back out to vote will get them back out,” Ferguson said. But, “a lot of people are focusing on June 7 and simply forgot about the primary.”

Selmon has been the Warren County District 2 supervisor for the past nine years, and Ferguson was District 2 supervisor from 1980 to 1995.

A win today will advance one candidate to the June 7 general election to face incumbent Mayor Laurence Leyens, 40, for the city’s highest elected office. Also looking to beat Leyens for the job are former Mayor Joe Loviza, 65, and Republican nominee Shirley N. Smollen, 69.

Independent candidates and the Republican nominee will first appear on the ballots for the general election. In that election, the candidate with the most votes wins and there can be no runoffs.

In other races, Michael Mayfield, 47, won the Democratic nomination for the North Ward alderman’s spot and advances to the general election to face independent candidates Vickie Bailey, 37, and Tommie Rawlings, 42, in the general election.

South Ward Democratic nominee Pam Johnson, 39, will challenge incumbent Sid Beauman, 57, a Republican, in the general election.