Alabama primary voters head to polls today

ELECTION DAYPolls in Jackson and DeKalb counties open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. CDT.Voters must have a valid photo ID to cast a ballot. A photo ID can be a driver's license, non-driver ID, Alabama photo voter ID, state-issued ID from Alabama or other states, federally issued ID, valid U.S. passport, employee ID from federal, state, county, or city governments or other state entity, student/employee college or university ID, valid military ID or valid tribal ID.If anyone still has no ID, two poll workers who know the perspective voter personally can verify a voter's identity. On election day, a voter ID can be issued to anyone who can provide proper documentation of residency.For more information, contact the county board of registrar's office.

Primary voters in Alabama's DeKalb and Jackson counties headed for the polls today will have light local ballots countered by a number of state party races to decide.

More than 700,000 Alabama voters are expected to vote in the first election in which the state's voters are required to show a photo ID, according to The Associated Press.

Alabama's chief election official, Secretary of State Jim Bennett, estimated that 25 percent to 27 percent of Alabama's 2.85 million voters will turn out. That is down from 32 percent four years ago, when Alabama had hotly contested races for governor in both party primaries, The AP reported.

Today's primary ballot is decidedly heavier on the GOP side.

DeKalb County has only one contested local race, the Republican primary race for revenue commissioner between Royce L. Lader and Tyler Wilks. The rest of DeKalb's ballot consists of state races.

Jackson County voters will decide local seats in the District 3 board of education race between Chad Anthony Gorhan and Dana Moore. Republican candidates in the race for Jackson's revenue commissioner are Kermit Cornelison, Shadrick McGill and Kathy Thompson.

Primary winners in these races will decide the seats, since they have no opposition from the other party.

Jackson County Republicans will also choose between candidates Mo Brooks and Jerry Hill in the race for Alabama's U.S. 5th District congressional seat.

Voters in the two counties today will choose among primary contestants for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, state senator district 8, state representatives, party executive committee members, both male and female, state board of education, and public service commission.

On the Democrats' ticket, Kevin Bass and Parker Griffith face off for a spot on the November ballot, and Republican incumbent Robert Bentley will try to hold off GOP hopefuls Stacy Lee George and Bob Starkey for governor.

Since there are no Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor, Republicans Stan Cook and Kay Ivey will battle for the post in a race to decide the seat.

Republicans Reese McKinney, John Merrill and Jim Perdue will duke it out in a three-way race for the secretary of state seat.

DeKalb and Jackson voters in both parties will choose contenders in the primary for state Senate District 8. Democrats will pick from Horace Clemmons and Randy Bruce Money while Republicans will choose from Todd Greeson and Steve Livingston.

In state Representative District 23, Jim Green and John Robinson are vying for the Democratic nod. There are no Republicans seeking the post.

In state Representative District 24, Republicans Billy Hodges and Nathaniel Ledbetter are fighting for the seat. There are no Democrats in the hunt.

In state Representative District 26, Ginger Fletcher and Kerry Rich are contending for the Republican slot. There are no Democrats vying for the seat.

Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.

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