If you don't know, polls in Escambia County (Ala.) will be open from 7 a.m. to 7p.m. Tuesday, March 3 for the Republican and Democratic primaries.
The reason people in our area might not know we have an election coming up is because there are no local races on the ballot; our streets are not lined with political signs. We do have presidential primaries, races for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives and a few judgeships. We also have an amendment to the Alabama Constitution on the ballot to decide whether or not the state board of education should be elected or appointed by the Governor. Currently the board is elected by the people. A yes vote on the amendment Tuesday would change it to an appointed board. The governor will appoint and the Senate will confirm. A no vote leaves it as an elected school board.
I touched on a few Civics 101 issues a few weeks ago, but on the eve of the election I'll go over those and add a few more.
As you know, Tuesday we are not electing anybody to any office. The only thing that will be settled Tuesday is the constitutional amendment. What the Democrats and Republicans are doing is nominating their respective candidates to represent their respective parties in the November General Election.
When you head to the polls Tuesday you will be asked whether you want a Republican ballot or a Democratic ballot. There is one option to not declare and you will get a ballot, but the only thing on that ballot will be the constitutional amendment.
Poll workers shouldn't ask you if you are a Democrat or Republican because that's none of their business. But it is their business to ask you whether you want a Democratic or Republican ballot because you're either getting one or the other.
You can't vote in the Republican Primary for president and the Democratic Primary for the U.S. Senate.
Come November it won't matter because the winners of all the primaries will be on the ballot and you can vote for some Democrats and some Republicans – just not this Tuesday.
Another thing to keep in mind that came from a rule change a few years is that if you vote in the Democratic Primary, you will not be allowed to vote in the Republican runoff and vice versa.
If you ride the elephant to the polls Tuesday, you can't ride the donkey to the runoff.
Due to no local candidates on the ballot, I've been predicting that we will see one of the lowest voter turnouts Escambia County has ever seen. I checked with Circuit Clerk John Robert Fountain and he said by Wednesday he had gotten back 67 absentee ballots. That number did jump from 37 to 67 since Monday. But Fountain said by this time he normally has 200-plus absentee ballots on hand. He said in General Elections the numbers jump to more than 1,000.
Just a reminder, today (Thursday, Feb. 27) is the last day to make application for an absentee ballot. Those ballots then need to be returned to the clerk's office by 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 2.
The important thing is for people to vote. We do have critical votes on the Republican ticket for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives on the ballot.
I'll go out on short limb and tell you Trump will win Alabama and Democrat Doug Jones will be the nominee for the U.S. Senate. That's kind of like cheating because they are guaranteed to win with virtually no competition. Jones will win and Jones will be defeated in November by the GOP nominee.
I seriously doubt that we will have Republican nominees for the Senate and House when we wake up next Wednesday morning. With the crowded fields, we'll head into a runoff.
It's up to you to have a voice. I don't care who you vote for and I don't care which primary you vote in but I do care, and hope, you will go to the polls Tuesday and vote.
I won't be wrong on Trump and Jones Tuesday, but I hope you prove me wrong on a voter turnout in the 20 percent range.
