City/school elections Tuesday
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Polls across Ringgold County will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 5 for voting to fill seats on city councils and school boards.
Voters must cast their ballots at the polling place of the precinct in which they live. Voting locations have changed for some voters due to the consolidation of the city and school elections into one election.
Polling places for Tuesday’s election include:
Athens precinct – Kellerton City Hall
Clinton precinct – Redding Frontier Hall
Mount Ayr 1 precinct – American Legion building
Mount Ayr 2 precinct – Ringgold County Courthouse
Tingley precinct – Tingley Community Building
Union precinct – Ellston Community Building
Washington precinct – Diagonal Community Building
If voters have questions about their precinct location, they may refer to their voter cards, the county website: www.ringgoldcounty.us or contact the Auditor’s Office at 641-464-3239.
Voting procedures
All voters are required to provide an approved form of identification at the polling place before receiving and casting a ballot. Voters who are not pre-registered – such as voters registering to vote on election day – and voters who have changed precincts will also be required to provide proof of residence. A voter who cannot provide proof of identification may have their identity attested to by another voter registered in the precinct who has an approved form of identification. For more information about voter ID, visit http://sos.iowa.gov/voterid or call 641-464-3239.
A person who is eligible to register to vote, may register on election day by appearing in person at the polling place for the precinct in which the individual resides. The voter must complete a voter registration application, make written oath and provide acceptable proof of identity and acceptable proof of residence. Acceptable documents which can be used as proof of identity and proof of residence are very specific and substitutes will not be accepted.
To see all forms of approved ID visit http://sos.iowa.gov/voterid or call 641-464-3239.
Any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may be given assistance by a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer or officer or agent of the voter’s union.
Any voter who is physically unable to enter a polling place has the right to vote in the voter’s vehicle.
The candidates
The slates of candidates are set for the election of city and school leaders.
Mount Ayr
Incumbent mayor Steve Fetty is running unopposed for another two-year term as mayor of Mount Ayr.
Incumbents Brad Elliott and Ken Robertson are running unopposed for reelection to the Mount Ayr city council.
Jordan Stewart is also unopposed in his candidacy to fill the seat left vacant by Don Solliday, who did not seek reelection.
Three incumbents are running unopposed for reelection to the board of directors in the Mount Ayr Community Schools. They include Brandi Shay as director at large, Craig Winemiller in District 1 and Patricia West in District 3.
Diagonal
Incumbent mayor Lowell Johnson is running unopposed for mayor of Diagonal.
Candidates James Norris, Shon O’Kelley and Doug Ruby are running unopposed for four-year terms on the Diagonal council.
In addition, Bradley Bentley is unopposed in his candidacy to fill a vacancy on the council.
Pam Grace, Becky Stamps, and Gina Warren are running unopposed for reelection to the Diagonal school board.
A public measure will appear on the ballot for residents within the Diagonal school district.
The measure asks voters to renew the existing instructional support levy for another 10 years.
The levy allows a tax not to exceed 10 percent of the regular program cost upon all the taxable property within the school district commencing with the levy of property taxes for collection in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. Furthermore, the levy allows the school board to add an instructional support income surtax upon the state individual income tax of each individual income taxpayer resident in the district.
Tingley
The office of Tingley mayor will be filled with write-in votes.
Only one candidate – Priscilla Anne Alvik – appears on the ballot for Tingley town council.
Two other vacancies on the Tingley council will be filled by write-in votes.
Kellerton
Kellerton will see a contested race for mayor as both Thomas Giles and Cody Doolittle appear on the ballot.
Three candidates – Bay lee Stark, Richard Stark, and Joe Stark – are seeking election to three city council positions
Beaconsfield
The mayor’s seat in Beaconsfield will be filled by write-in vote.
One candidate – Michael Neessen – appears on the ballot for city council. The remaining two seats will be filled by write-in votes.
Benton
The Benton’s mayor’s position will be filled by write-in vote.
Daron Richie is the lone announced candidate for Benton council. The remaining two seats will be filled via write-ins.
Redding
The mayor’s seat will be filled by write-in vote in Redding.
Four candidates appear on the ballot to fill five seats on the Redding council. They include Frank Baker, Morris Carpenter, Albert A. Rich and Richard L. Snethen. The fifth seat will be determined via write-in votes.
Shannon City
Terry M. Gilbert is running unopposed for Shannon City mayor.
Glen Hoyt, Robert Arnold, and Clay Arnold are running to fill three seats on the city council.
Two other seats are also up for election. Randy Lilly will appear on the ballot to fill one seat while the other will be filled via write-in.
Clearfield, Ellston, Maloy
Voters in these three towns will fill their mayor and council positions through write in votes as no candidates filed papers to appear on the ballot.
Southwestern Community College
Three individuals – Fred Shearer, Carol Saxton and Vicki Sickels – are running unopposed for seats on the Southwestern board of directors.
Sun Valley RIZ
Voters will choose among four candidates to fill two seats on the Sun Valley Lake Rural Improvment Zone board.
These candidates include Mike Cheese, Randal L. Vardaman, Kila Christensen, and Bob Weeks.
Judy Green is running unopposed to fill one vacancy on the RIZ board.