Candidates in area contested Primary races express views prior to June 7 election
Tuesday, June 7 will be the Primary Election to determine which candidates will be representing their respective political parties in the 2016 General Election in November of this year. A sample ballot of the respective races in each of the Republican and Democratic parties was published in the May 25 issue of this newspaper, listing races at the federal, state and county levels for voters to make their selections in.
A listing of polling sites for all 11 of the county's precincts was also published in that May 25 issue. Election polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.
INFORMED CHOICES
In an effort to help inform voters prior to their venture to the polls June 7, The Standard issued a questionnaire to each of the candidates in the local races being contested on this year’s Primary ballot. The series of questions asked and each candidate’s responses are published in the June 1 edition of The Standard.
The questionnaires were sent to candidates who are vying for a position that had more party candidates running for the position than the ballot instructions indicate to vote for. For example, there are two Republican candidates for Allamakee County Board of Supervisors but the ballot instructs voters to vote for no more than one. In fact, that race for Allamakee County Board of Supervisors is the only local governmental race featuring a contested race, as Republican incumbent Dennis Koenig is being challenged by Mark Reiser for that seat coming up for election.
The only other contested race by declared candidates on this year's Republican Primary Election ballot is for District 56 of the Iowa House of Representatives, where challengers Lowell Engle and Kristi Hager will square off in an effort to win the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Democrat Patti Ruff in the November General Election, with Ruff running unopposed on the Democratic Primary Election ballot for re-election to that District 56 seat.
Republican candidates in uncontested races also listed on this year's Primary ballot include local incumbent candidates Denise Beyer and Clark Mellick for Allamakee County Auditor and Sheriff, respectively. Incumbent District 28 State Senator Michael Breitbach is also running unopposed on the Republican Primary ballot, as are U.S. Senator Charles Grassley and District 1 U.S. Representative Rod Blum.
The Democratic Primary ballot features no contested races, or candidates for that matter, in any of the three County government seats up for election, while Ruff stands uncontested in her Iowa House of Representatives quest for re-election and Jan Heikes also stands unopposed on the Democratic ballot in the race for Iowa Senate District 28, where she will likely square off with incumbent Breitbach in November.
The only declared contested races on this year's Democratic Primary Election ballot are at the Federal level of government, where Monica Vernon and Pat Murphy are vying for the Democratic nomination for District 1 of the U.S. House of Representatives to challenge incumbent Blum in November, and four candidates - Robert Hogg, Patty Judge, Bob Krause and Thomas Fiegen - are battling for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, where they will challenge long-time incumbent Grassley.
ABSENTEE VOTING
Voters not able to go to the polls on Election Day may vote absentee in person at the Allamakee County Auditor’s Office through 4 p.m. Monday, June 6. Saturday, June 4 the Auditor’s Office in the Allamakee County Courthouse in Waukon will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for absentee voting. A request for an absentee ballot by mail must be made by Friday, June 3 on an Official Absentee Ballot Request Form available at the Auditor’s Office or downloaded from the Iowa Secretary of State’s website: www.sos.iowa.gov.
For the Primary Election, voters must declare either a Republican or Democratic party ballot in order to vote. The application may be submitted to the Allamakee County Commissioner of Elections, 110 Allamakee St., Waukon, IA 52172.
