Election Tuesday

The long-awaited general election will wrap up Tuesday when the polling places close at 6 p.m.

Harrison County, Cynthiana and Berry voters will be making selections for local leaders as well as presidential.

Locally, voters in the Southside, Clifton Village, City Fire Department No. 2, library, sheriff’s office, part of Eastside and Westside precincts will be choosing four Cynthiana City Commissioners.

There are two incumbents in that race, Jack Keith and Jimmy New. Joining them on the ballot will be Amanda Moore, Cherity Christopher, Price Mitchell, Elizabeth Vaught and Mark Mattmiller. Not on the ballot, but registered as a write-in is Scott Smith.

Berry voters will also be selecting four city commissioners. There are four on the ballot, Donald Brown, Melissa Lea, Johnny Murphy and Mary Nichols. James L. House Jr. is also an official write-in candidate for Berry.

Of the three county school board divisions up for election, only one is a contested race. Commissioner of Education-appointed board member Kristy Carey, who is filling the unexpired term of the late Joe England, and long-time educator and Cynthiana City Commissioner Bill Doan will be facing off for the Division 3 seat.

Incumbents Gary Lizer, Division 4, and Edwin Taylor Jr., Division 5, are unopposed in their bids for re-election.

Another contested race in Harrison County is that of Family Court Judge, an office shared in the 18th Judicial District with Pendleton, Robertson and Nicholas counties. There are four candidates in the non-partisan race. There are Raymond S. Bogucki, Barbara Paul, Donald Bromagen and Peter Newberry.

They are only three people who have filed for the four soil and water conservation district supervisor positions. They are Charles Tribble, Manville Bradford and Jennifer Burgan.

Marty Hall is the only candidate seeking a constable position. Four constable seats are open. However, Hall is the only person to file and he filed as a write-in candidate. He will be seeking election to magisterial district 1.

Districts 5, 6 and 7 were also open, but will go unfilled.

State Rep. Tom McKee (D-Cynthiana) has no opposition in his bid for re-election to the 78th District in the House of Representatives.

U.S. Representative and Republican incumbent Geoff Davis is seeking to hold on to his office against challenging Democrat Michael Kelley.

In the highly contested race for U.S. senator, incumbent Mitch McConnell (R) and Bruce Lunsford (D) will square off.

The ballot lists five presidential candidates and their running mates. There are also seven official write-in candidates and running mates.

Only write-in candidates who met criteria to run as such will be counted in election night totals.

On the ballot will be John McCain and Sarah Palin (R), Barack Obama and Joe Biden (D), Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez (I), Church Baldwin and Robert E. Thornsberry (C), and Bob Barr and Wayne A. Root (L).

The presidential write-in candidates are: Leonard C. Habermehl/Seven K. Miller, Keith Russell Judd/Morty Wayne Judd, Shelley Renee Upchurch/Billy Joe Upchurch, Alan Keyes/Brian Rohrbough, Billy Mills/David Hinton, Brian Moore/Stewart A. Alexander, and Jonathan Allen/Jeffrey Stath.

Harrison County Clerk Linda Furnish has issued some “housekeeping” items for election day.

•Voters in the Leesburg and  Connersville  precincts will be voting at Harrison County Middle School. Their polling place has been moved to the front of the school. Voters will enter the school by the flag pole.

•In the general election, voters may vote for any party.

•Absentee voting on the machine at the county clerk’s office may be done through Nov. 3. On Wednesday and Friday, hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Thursday, hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

•Check the state’s website to make sure you are eligible to vote on Tuesday and where you will vote. That website is www.elect.ky.gov. Go to the Voter Information Center.