Last chance to vote in Bay County municipal runoff elections
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Tuesday marks the last day to vote in the 2025 Bay County municipal runoff elections.
Robbie Hughes and Daniel Schultz are running for the Panama City Commission Ward One position.
The winner will be replacing Jenna Haligas. She did not seek reelection after eight years on the city commission.
Lynn Haven voters will choose between Judy Tinder and Jeff Snyder for the Seat Four race.
The winner will be replacing Judy Vandergrift, who was appointed to the position in 2023. Vandergrift replaced Tinder after she announced her candidacy for mayor.
Tinder lost the mayoral election to incumbent and current Lynn Haven Mayor Jesse Nelson.
Last month, Tinder missed winning back the commission seat outright by just 1% of votes. But, officials said it's hard to know what to expect in a runoff.
'Typically, municipal turnout is lower. You know, in 2023, I think was the last time we had a runoff. And we actually saw higher turnout in the runoff than the, you know, regular election for municipals. Hopefully, we'll see that today,' Bay County Supervisor of Elections Nina Ward said.
In 2023's Super Tuesday Election, Panama City incumbent mayor Greg Brudnicki got 47% of the vote in a three-way race. Michael Rohan's got into the run-off with 40%. But Rohan beat Brudnicki in the run-off.
Ward said anything can happen and encourages all eligible voters to hit the polls.
'These positions are really the closest to home and have, you know, have an effect on our daily lives. So I can't stress enough how important it is to just get up and get out and vote. You know, this is your opportunity to make your voice heard. I know we say it over and over and over, but it is frustrating for people when we hold elections and then we see these low turnout numbers,' Ward added. 'I hope that everybody that's eligible, you know, exercises their right and gets out and votes today.'
Polls at Panama City City Hall and the Lynn Haven Senior Center close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Mail-in ballots can be turned in at the Bay County Supervisor of Elections Office until 7 p.m.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Instead, the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, as well as Ward's office, argue that a "special recount board" would fall under California Elections Code 12302, which prohibits nonvoters from tallying votes for a "precinct board" (emphasis ours): (c)(2) A nonvoter appointed to a precinct board pursuant to this subdivision shall not be permitted to do either of the following: (A) Serve as, or perform any of the duties of, the inspector of a precinct board. (B) Tally votes for the precinct board. A "special recount board" as described in AB 930 likely falls under the definition of a "precinct board" per California law (emphasis ours): (a) "Precinct board" is the board appointed by the elections official to serve at a single precinct or a consolidated precinct. In an election conducted using vote centers, "precinct board" means the board appointed by the elections official to serve at a vote center. (b) "Precinct board," when used in relation to proceedings taking place after the polls have closed, likewise includes any substitutive canvassing and counting board that may have been appointed to take the place of the board theretofore serving. As a special recount board takes place after the polls have closed and is a "counting board," it probably counts as a precinct board. But Ethan Jones, chief consultant for the California State Assembly Committee on Elections, said in an email that while there's a "colorable argument" that the restrictions for a precinct board apply to a special recount board, he "wouldn't say that's a slam dunk." "It's somewhat ambiguous whether the restrictions on precinct boards would apply to recount boards, or whether a recount board would be considered a precinct board under the law," Jones said. A search for "special recount board" within the "definitions" section of California's Elections Code returned no results, meaning the state law does not explicitly specify that a special recount board is a precinct board. To summarize, should AB 930 pass, it is likely that it would not permit undocumented immigrants to tally votes in any capacity due to federal employment restrictions and preexisting state law. However, there is a small chance that ambiguity in the existing law may in theory allow California's undocumented immigrants to sit on a special recount board, which convenes when a voter requests a ballot recount. "8 USC 1324a: Unlawful Employment of Aliens." Accessed 28 May 2025. "Bill Text - AB-930 Elections and Voting Procedures." Accessed 28 May 2025. "Bill Text - SB-225 Citizens of the State." Accessed 30 May 2025. "California Code, ELEC 12302." Accessed 30 May 2025. "California Code, ELEC 15625." Accessed 30 May 2025. "Chapter 1 - Purpose and Background | USCIS." 11 May 2021, Accessed 28 May 2025. "Committee Staff | California State Assembly." Accessed 30 May 2025. Constitution Annotated. "ArtVI.C2.1 Overview of Supremacy Clause." Accessed 28 May 2025. "Elections Code - ELEC DIVISION 0.5. PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS [1 - 362] ." Accessed 30 May 2025. "Elections Code - ELEC DIVISION 12. PREELECTION PROCEDURES [12000 - 12327] ." Accessed 30 May 2025. Jones, Ethan. ASSEMBLY THIRD READING AB 930 (Ward). 1 May 2025, Accessed 28 May 2025. "Overview | Constitution Annotated | | Library of Congress." Page, Bob. CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION of CLERKS and ELECTION OFFICIALS. CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF CLERKS AND ELECTION OFFICIALS, 29 May 2025, Accessed 30 May 2025. "Recounts — Frequently Asked Questions : California Secretary of State." 2025,
