Registered voters may cast their ballots for their choice of candidates in the primary election from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. today at their designated polling locations.
Regardless of party, all voters in Howell County will be asked to determine whether the office of prosecuting attorney should be made full-time; county officials previously explained to the Quill that current Prosecutor Mike Hutchings is works full-time hours and is paid part-time wages due to Howell County’s status as a third-class county. All prosecutors in such counties are considered part-time unless voters decide otherwise.
Voters in the city of West Plains will be asked whether to continue a half-cent sales tax which was enacted by voters in 1990 and has been renewed twice since. Funds from the tax currently go toward capital improvements and their maintenance, and if voters approve there will be no change in the city sales tax rate or in how those taxes are used.
Several Republican candidates are contending for office at local, state and federal levels. At the county level, Ralph Riggs and Bryan Brauer are vying for the position of presiding commissioner, and Victoria Howerton is challenging incumbent Howell Township Committeewoman Judy Von Allmen for her seat.
All other county office seekers are uncontested and include current officeholders 37th Judicial Circuit Court Division 2 Judge Donna Anthony and Division 3 Judge R. David Ray, County Clerk Kelly Waggoner, Circuit Clerk Cynthia Lee, Recorder of Deeds Jeff Brasier, County Treasurer Nancy Franz and Prosecutor Hutchings. Running unopposed in the Republican primary for the seat of County Collector is Mark B. Collins.
Rep. David Evans is running to retain his seat as the state representative for District 154, and Rep. Darrell Atchison is likewise running to retain his seat as representative for District 153. That district now includes the extreme northeastern corner of Howell County that used to vote in the 142nd District due to state congressional lines being redrawn this year; the southern third of Shannon County and all of Oregon County are also included. Neither candidate is opposed.
For U.S. Representative District 8, incumbent Jason Smith is challenged in the Republican Primary by Jacob Turner. For State Auditor, David Gregory and Scott Fitzpatrick are vying for the seat currently held by Democrat Nicole Galloway.
For the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Roy Blunt, who is retiring due to term limits, 21 candidates seek to be on the Republican ticket in November: Patrick A. Lewis, Eric Schmitt, Billy Long, Eric Greitens, Bernie Mowinski, C.W. Gardner, Deshon Porter, Vicky Hartzler, Dave Sims, Mark McCloskey, Eric McElroy, Dennis Lee Chilton, Robert Allen, Dave Schatz, Hartford Tunnell, Kevin C. Schepers, Rickey Joiner, Robert Olson, Russel Pealer Breyfogle Jr., Darrell Leon McClanahan III and Curtis D. Vaughn.
There are no Democratic contenders for local office. For U.S. Representative District 8, Ranid McCallian seeks to challenge Rep. Smith in his November bid for reelection. For state auditor, Alan Green runs unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Eleven candidates are vying for their place as Democratic contender for Blunt’s senate seat: Lewis Rolen, Gena Ross, Carla Coffee Wright, Josh Shipp, Spencer Toder, Lucas Kunce, Jewel Kelly, Clarence (Clay) Taylor, Pat Kelly, Trudy Busch Valentine and Ronald (Ron) William Harris.
From the Constitution Party, Paul Venable seeks the U.S. Senate seat.
POLLING LOCATIONS
Voters in Benton 1 precinct will go to the Moody Community Building, 2718 County Road 7820 on the east side of E Highway in Moody, and Benton 2 voters will go to South Fork Elementary, about half a mile west of South Fork on U.S. 60, on the north side of the road.
In the Mtn. View area, Chapel community voters will go to the Forest Dell Community Building, 3300 County Road 3370 about 4 miles south of Mtn. View. Dry Creek voters will cast ballots at the Pomona fire station, south of the airport on County Road 1510 in Pomona, and Goldsberry voters will go to the community center at 125 E. First St. in Mtn. View.
In West Plains, Howell 1 voters will go to First Church of God, 1700 Wayhaven Drive next to the Heart of the Ozarks Fairgrounds; Howell 2 voters will go to the National Guard Armory, 1315 Webster Street next to People’s Park; and Howell 3 voters will go to the West Plains Public Library, 750 W. Broadway. Howell 4 voters will go to the West Plains Civic Center, 110 St. Louis St. a block east of the square, and Howell 5 voters will go to United Freewill Baptist Church, 607 Lanton Road.
Howell 6 voters will cast ballots at Junction Hill School, 804 County Road 3010 about 4 miles east of West Plains at the junction of U.S. 160 and Highway 17. Howell 7 and Myatt 2 will both go to Brandsville City Hall, at the junction of south U.S. 63 and VV Highway in Brandsville.
Voters in Hutton Valley will go to the Hutton Valley School Building, 5098 County Road 2980 about half a mile south of the junction of U.S. 60 and U Highway; turn east on County Road 2860, then travel about 100 years to the rock building on the north side of the road.
Myatt 1 voters will go to the Lanton fire station at 14446 Highway 17 in Lanton, just south of the Highway 17/Highway 142 junction on the east side of the road.
Voters in Siloam Springs will head to the polls at the Pumpkin Center fire station, 1898 Highway 14, about seven miles west of the U.S. 63/Highway 14 junction. Sisson voters will go to the Bosserman Community Center, formerly Peace Valley School, at 5814 County Road 3250 in Peace Valley; from W Highway, turn south at the post office onto County Road 3250. The building is on the east side.
South Fork community voters will cast their ballots at Good News Baptist Church, 4600 Highway 142, about an eight of a mile east of the JJ Highway junction, on the south side of the road. Spring Creek voters will go to Pottersville Baptist Church about a half-mile west of the Pottersville Post Office on the south side of the road.
In Willow Springs, voters in precinct 1 will go to the Ozark Family YMCA at 405 W. Main St., and in precinct 2, they will go to First Baptist Church, 402 N. Harris St.
For more information about about the primary election call the Howell County Clerk’s Office at 256-2591 between between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today, or visit the website at howellcounty.net/clerk.
