Deadline nears to vote in May 19 elections

Advanced registration for those wanting to vote early in the local school board and taxing district elections next month have until 5 p.m. April 24 to file their request.

Voters may submit their requests in person at the Elmore County Courthouse by the deadline or mail it in time to ensure the letter has the required April 24 postmark.

A number of school board trustee seats are among the local races featured in the May 19 elections.

In-person absentee voting at the courthouse begins Monday, April 27. All in-person absentee voters must present their photo identification or sign a personal identification affidavit.

People may cast their ballots from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the first floor of the courthouse. In-person absentee voting ends at 5 p.m. May 15. The courthouse will not allow voting on May 18.

Properly registered voters can request to have an absentee ballot mailed to them. County election officials prefer that voters use a specific request form when requesting to have a ballot mailed to them.

Voters may pick up a request form at the courthouse or from Linda Neuer at the county office in Glenns Ferry. People may also download and print the form by going online to the county's website at www.elmorecounty.org and click on the "elections" tab.

Individuals have until 5 p.m. May 13 to get their absentee ballot request to the courthouse. Elections officials will not accept any requests either in person or through the mail after this date.

Across Elmore County, a handful of school board trustee seats will face challenges while others will see new faces as the May 19 elections approach.

Two trustee seats in the Mountain Home School District will see incumbents facing opponents in the May elections. School board president James Alexander, who represents Trustee Zone 5, is being challenged by Eric Abrego.

Richard F. Checketts will run against Ralph W. Binion III, for the seat in Trustee Zone 3. Jack Walborn will remain unopposed in Trustee Zone 1 with current representative Toni Reynolds choosing to step down from her seat on the local school board.

The Glenns Ferry Joint School District will see a new representative in Trustee Zone 2 after Stephenie Carpenter choose to not run for another term. Those running for that seat are Neil V. Colwell, Victoria Sellers Wilcox and Marilyn Peak, all from Hammett.

In addition, Donnelle "Donna" Fain will face Teri Crone for the Trustee Zone 3 seat on the Glenns Ferry school board. Fain submitted her candidacy as a write-in candidate.

Kelly Riggs of Glenns Ferry faces a challenge by Dawn "Dawni" Bryant for the board position in Trustee Zone 4.

In the Prairie Elementary School District, Luther Cook filed a write-in candidacy for the school board seat in Trustee Zone 1. With no one else running for office, he will automatically earn the seat with the county cancelling that election.

Meanwhile, Michael D. Davison and Bill Zumstein are vying for the seat in Trustee Zone 3 with the Prairie school district.

One seat up for election in the Bruneau-Grand View Joint School District will remain unchanged with Scott McNeley keeping his position as representative for Trustee Zone 4.

The school board races are among several that include local highway districts as well as at-large positions in other taxing districts.

Ronald L. Sherer and Robert Bartimoccia will remain unopposed for their seats in the Atlanta Highway District. However, the Glenns Ferry Highway District will see a race for the district 1 position between Harold Tews of Hammett and Howard "Harley" Harlan Riggs from Glenns Ferry.

George L. Hall Jr. of Mountain Home will keep his seat with the Mountain Home Highway District.