May and November aren’t the only times this year that Republicans in Brownstown and Medora will have an opportunity to vote.
This month, they will get a bonus election with conventions to narrow down the field of candidates for town council seats.
From 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 15, registered Republican voters in Medora can head to the Medora Christian Church 237 Building, 76 S. George St. The ballot will contain the names of six people — Jerry Ault, Sharon Bowers, James Davers, Rhonda Freeman, Pamela Smith and Rebecca Zirkel.
The top three vote-getters will move on to the Nov. 5 general election to face the lone Democrat, Robert Thompson. The three seats on the Medora Town Council currently are held by Bowers, Davers and Thompson.
Then from 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 19, registered Republican voters in Brownstown can go upstairs in the Jackson County Courthouse, 111 S. Main St. The Ward 1 candidates are Terry Fordice and Gregory Goshorn, and the Ward 5 candidates are Colby Carter and Timothy Robinson.
The top vote-getter from each ward will be on the general election ballot. The winner of the Ward 1 race will face Democrat Pamela Fleetwood, while the Ward 5 winner will be unopposed.
Republican Sally Lawson, the current president of the Brownstown Town Council and representative of Ward 5, chose to not seek re-election. Republicans Sharon Koch (Ward 2) and Gary Drake (Ward 3) and Democrat Mark Reynolds (Ward 4), all incumbents, will run unopposed.
In both conventions, residents living within the town limits with a Republican primary voting history are eligible to vote.
“A lack of Republican primary voting history doesn’t disqualify someone from being able to vote,” said Amanda Lowery, chairwoman of the Jackson County Republican Party.
“There are lots of voters who typically wouldn’t vote in a primary. They wait until a general election to vote, so they have no vote history, but if they wanted to vote at the convention for one of the candidates, they could come in. They would just have to sign an affidavit, a state party form that basically claims their affiliation to the Republican Party.”
That happens in conjunction with the party conducting the convention, but if people want to check their eligibility ahead of time, they may call the voter registration office at 812-358-6120.
The deadline for candidates to file was Aug. 1.
Lowery said Crothersville was one Republican candidate away from having a convention. Incumbents Danieta Foster and Chad Wilson filed along with Jamy Greathouse, Jason Hillenburg and Katie Masters for the five seats on the council. They will face Democrats Brandon “Kyle” McIntosh, Cedric Nichols and Geoffrey Walker in the general election.
“I am just surprised and excited about the amount of interest,” Lowery said of the number of people filing in the three towns. “There are lots of good things going on in a lot of these communities, and I think people have realized that it’s going to take good leadership, and that’s bringing people out to say, ‘Hey, I can step up, and I can lend a hand here.'”
She said the candidates are working hard to encourage people to vote in the conventions. Some have even created social media pages to promote it, especially because people are used to voting in May and November.
“We’re doing this in August. People aren’t paying attention really to what’s happening,” Lowery said. “I think it’s confusing for people, ‘What is this? What are we voting for? What’s happening right now?’ If they were on a regular election cycle, then they would have a traditional primary and they would have a general election, and they would have other candidates to run with, and people would be more in tune to what was happening.”
Lowery said it’s unusual to have two conventions, so she hopes for good voter turnout.
“It takes some time, and candidates are putting in effort, so I don’t want to have a convention and 10 people show up. I want as many people to come as who wants to come,” she said.
“It’s a race to see who can get the most people in to vote for them,” she said. “That’s what it is, and it will be interesting this time around, too, with two candidates (in Brownstown) because they’re going to be bringing in (their supporters) and then they get another choice, too.”
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What: Jackson County Republican Party conventions
When: 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 15 and 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 19
Where: Medora Christian Church 237 Building, 76 S. George St., for Medora voters Aug. 15 and upstairs in the Jackson County Courthouse, 111 S. Main St., for Brownstown voters
Who: Residents living within the town limits with a Republican primary voting history are eligible to vote
Medora candidates: Jerry Ault, Sharon Bowers, James Davers, Rhonda Freeman, Pamela Smith and Rebecca Zirkel
Brownstown candidates: Terry Fordice and Gregory Goshorn for Ward 1 and Colby Carter and Timothy Robinson for Ward 5
Advancement: The top three vote-getters in Medora and the top vote-getter in the Ward 1 and Ward 5 races in Brownstown will move on to the Nov. 5 general election
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