Election Day 2016 has arrived — Vote! Vote! Vote today!

Election Day 2016 has arrived — Vote! Vote! Vote today!

Presidential race, state and local contests to be decided

ralphhardin@gmail.com The wait is over. After months of campaigning, primaries, and politicking, and weeks of early voting, Crittenden County residents, Arkansans across the state, an Americans nationwide will have one last opportunity to have their voices be heard.

It’s Election Day, and as of 7:30 a.m., poll are open, and will remain open until 7:30 p.m. tonight.

At the top of the ballot, voters will be deciding on the 45th President of the United States.

There are eight candidates on the ballot in Arkansas.

They are (in the order they will appear on the ballot): Lynn Kahn (P)/Kathleen Monahan (VP), Independent; Jim Hedges (P)/Bill Bayes (VP), Prohibition Party; Donald Trump (P)/Mike Pence V), Republican Party; Hillary Clinton (P)/Tim Kaine (VP), Democratic Party; Jill Stein (P)/Ajamu Baraka (VP), Green Party; Gary Johnson (P)/Bill Weld (VP), Libertarian Party; Evan Mc-Mullin (P)/Nathan Johnson (VP), Better For America Party; and Darrell Castle (P)/Scott Bradley (VP), Constitution Party.

Get a full run-down of these candidates at www.politics1.com/p2016.

htm.

Additionally, there are a number of state and regional races for voters to consider this election cycle. In the race for the U.S.

Senate, the senior senator from Arkansas, incumbent John Boozman, a Republican, will be seeking reelection. Boozman will face challenges from the Democratic candidate, former U.S. Prosecuting Attorney Conner Eldridge, as well as Libertarian candidate Frank Gilbert. Independent candidate Jason Tate has also met state requirements to be considered as a write-in candidate.

In the U.S. Congressional District 1 race, incumbent U.S. Representative Rick Crawford will not face a challenger from the Democratic Party. Libertarian Mark West will be Craw- ford’s lone opponent in his re-election bid.

Both local State Representatives are unopposed in their re-election campaigns. Arkansas State House District 50 Representative, Democrat Milton Nicks, and Arkansas State House District 51 Representative, Democrat Deborah Ferguson, have filed for another term in the State Legislature.

Two statewide judicial seats also feature uncontested races. In the State Supreme Court Associate Justice Position 1 race, Judge Dan Kemp is the lone candidate. The case is the same in the State Supreme Court Associate Justice Position 5 race, where Judge Shawn A.

Womack is unopposed.

Voters will also decide a number of county and local municipal races. Not all positions are up for election, and not all open positions had a candidate file with the County Clerk, but seats in which one or more candidates did file include (listed alphabetically, by city/town): Anthonyville Council Position I — Solon L. Anthony; Council Position II — Eddie Lee Bailey; Council Positon III — Freddie Lee Hicks; Council Position IV— Mildora Hicks, Roy L.

Eason; Council Position V — Leroy C. Wright Sr.

Clarkedale Council Position I — (no candidate filed); Council Position II — Mike Sample; Council Position III — Dave Thomas; Council Position IV — Rueben Parnell Council Position V — (no candidate filed); Clerk — Candice Pirani (did not qualify/not enough signatures), Paul Pirani (did not qualify/not enough signatures).

Crawfordsville City Council Ward 1-1 — Terri Watson; City Council Ward 1-2 — Greg Pipken; City Council Ward 2-1 — Alex Alpe; City Council Ward 2-2 — ReDonna Allen; City Council Ward 3-1 — France R. Wallace; City Council Ward 3-2 — John Michael Burrows; Recorder — Julie S. Alpe; City Treasurer — Judy H.

Moore.

Earle Council Ward 1-2 — Donnie Cheers; Council Ward 2-2 — Charlie Young, Brenda Morris; Council Ward 3-2 — Robert Malone; Council Ward 4-2 — Sarah Johnson, Robert L.

Udell Sr., Tyrone Hurst.

Voters will also voter “FOR” or “AGAINST” a petition to recall Mayor Carolyn Jones.

Edmondson Council Position 1 — Alonzo Buckley; Council Position 2 — (no candidate filed); Council Position 3 — (no candidate filed); Council Position 4 — Larry Moore; Council Position 5 — Gayland Moore (did not qualify).

Horseshoe Lake Town Council Position 1 — Trina Scarbrough; Town Council Position 2 — Shawn Siders, Garry Hahne; Town Council Position 3 — Terry Tarr; Town Council Position 4 — Karla Chambers Fann; Town Council Position 5 — Kenneth McDermott.

Jericho Position 1 — Dorothy K.

Parnell; Position 2 — Juanita Edwards, Gregory D. Fisher; Position 3 — Freddie Banks; Position 4 — (no candidate filed); Position 5 — Ida B.

Shumpert.

Marion City Council Jasper 1-1 — Matthew S. Hale, Kelly O’ Neal; CIty Council Jasper 2-1 — Cliff Wood; City Council Jasper 3-1 — Bryan Jackson, Sherry Holliman.

Turrell Council Position 1 — Floyd D. Holmes; Council Position 2 — (no candidate filed); Council Position 3 — (no candidate filed); Council Position 4 — Eddie Mae Hale; Emmanual Harris; Council Position 5 — Angela Scott; Council Position 6 — Jeffrey Thomas.

West Memphis Council Ward 1-2 — Tracy Catt, Alex Dunlap; Council Ward 2-2 — Melanie D. Hutchinson; Council Ward 3-2 — Don L. Christian, Wayne Croom; Council Ward 4-2 — Marco McClendon; Council Ward 5-2 — Willis Mondy, Alfred Felton.

No candidate filed for office in Gilmore, Jeanette or Sunset.

“Election Central” for the results of the day's voting will be at the Eugene Woods Civic Center, 228 Polk Ave., in West Memphis, starting at 7:30 p.m.

By Ralph Hardin