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Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Voter turnout by ward shows low participation citywide
TUPELO — Elections and voting are the bedrock of American democracy, from the presidential election down to local representation, and Tupelo is one of many municipalities that held municipal primaries on April 1 with low participation. With a population of 37,652 and 29,333 registered voters, just 14.68% of Tupelo's voting population took part in the municipal primary election, which decided most of the city's races. Just 4,305 individuals, 3,680 of whom were Republican, decided who would serve as mayor. There were no Democrat or independent candidates in this year's mayoral race. There will be no vote for the seat in the general election on June 3, meaning those who voted in the Democratic Party primaries to decide their council representation had no voice in the mayoral race. 'We always try to encourage as much turnout as possible,' Tupelo Municipal Republican Committee Chair Richard Stone said. 'The Republican Club and any entity encourages people to go out and vote. We want to make sure the masters of our government are actively having a say in how the government moves.' Charles Penson, Tupelo Municipal Democrat Committee chair, said turnout was light among both Democrats and Republicans, which is never ideal. 'I think part of it had to do with a lack of motivation, stemming from the federal (government) all the way down to federal elections,' Penson said. 'There is not a lot of motivation that's been driven by a party or a candidate in this local election.' Participation in the Lee County presidential and gubernatorial primary was at 20% last March, with a total turnout of 62% in the November general election. In the primary, 3,791 Tupelo residents voted, which comes out to about 15%, which is in line with last Tuesday's primary. The city had a 57% turnout in the general election last November. The interesting data point shown in the numbers provided by the city is that the three precincts with the highest turnout did not have candidates running for council. Ward 1 Councilman Chad Mims and Ward 6 Councilwoman Janet Gaston were both unopposed. Precinct 1, which is in Ward 1, had about 32% turnout. Precinct 2, also in Ward 1, had a 24% turnout. Precinct 10, in Ward 6, got about 22% turnout. Precinct 10 had the largest volume of voters with 807 ballots counted out of 3,767 voters. Penson said the fact that those voting in the Democratic primary could not vote in the Republican mayoral race was less an issue of the system and more of a problem of the local Democratic party being unable to bring forth a candidate for the race. 'I look at it as more of a failure of the Democrats to field a candidate in the mayoral race,' he said. Stone noted that Mississippi law allows people to vote in whichever primary they choose regardless of party affiliation, which allows for crossover that other states with closed primaries, in which voters must register with a party, do not. In Ward 4, between its two precincts, there were a total of 387 votes from a potential of 5,726 combined registered voters, leading to a 7% turnout. Ward 4 Councilwoman Nettie Davis secured a seventh term in office with a combined total of 161 votes, which was 66% of the total votes cast. Those 161 voters represent 2% of the potential voters in Ward 7. Penson said the reason for this low turnout can't be placed on one specific issue, but he noted it pointed to two things: residents being satisfied with Davis's performance and a lack of door-to-door campaigning. Meanwhile, in Ward 7, which has the highest number of registered voters, turnout was about 9%. Out of 6,272 registered voters, only 536 individuals cast a ballot for mayor or Ward 7 council person. The distinction is that if a voter wanted to vote for their council representation, they couldn't vote for their mayoral candidate because no Republican candidates ran in Ward 7. Standing in the middle of the pack was Ward 5, which got close to 18% voter turnout, or 559 votes out of a potential 3,140. This race has no incumbent and three candidates: Steven Coon, Mike Horton and Bentley Nolan, vying for the Republican ticket in the June 3 general election against unopposed Democrat Candria Lewis. Nolan received 261 votes, or 47%, of the total votes cast. Coon earned 200 votes, or 36%. Horton earned 93 votes, or 16%. This triggered a runoff election because no candidate gained a clear majority. On April 22, Coon and Nolan will face each other again. Outgoing Incumbent Ward 5 Councilman Buddy Palmer said he believed the turnout was "much too low" for him and worries that turnout may be an even bigger issue in the upcoming runoff. He said that he has spoken to both candidates and believes they are doing a great job of getting out there to energize the voter base. Stone, who is also the vice president of the Lee County Republican Club, echoed Palmer's sentiment, adding that every organization in which he's a part is actively encouraging individuals to vote in the primary and in the general election. Stone noted while low turnout is an issue, it can make races more competitive, leading to situations where a handful of votes can change the course of an election. Because of the tightness of low turnout races, he said, it pushes candidates to get more involved and activate their base of support. 'It comes down to how much interface the candidates have with their constituents … it comes down to who can motivate their people to come out and vote,' he said. 'The (local Republican) party will be doing everything we can on Facebook … and avenues like that, but it comes down to the folks that have a stake in it and feel they need to come out and participate.'
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tupelo municipal candidates field questions at Republican club forum
TUPELO — With less than 10 days until a majority of races in Tupelo's municipal elections will be decided, residents got one of their last chances to hear from Republican candidates in a public setting though a Lee County Republican Club candidate forum. The Lee County Republican Club held a Q&A forum at Bulldog Burger in Tupelo, Monday afternoon. All candidates took time to speak and field questions. 'We look to have respectful discussion. The club itself seeks to be a neutral platform for all Republican candidates to come speak to their vision for Tupelo … make their case to the people and give the people a platform to as questions in a respectful manner,' Vice President of the Lee County Republican Club Richard Stone said. Candidates gave their backgrounds and made their elevator pitches for why they believe they should be elected. The mayoral candidates got four minutes each and have 10 minutes of questions. Council candidates meanwhile got two minutes to speak and a varying amount of time for questions based on the number of candidates. Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan, in his portion of the event, touted his record last term. His opponent, Rob Chambers, promoted his assistance in state legislation and pro-life advocacy. Questions included topics such as Chambers' lawsuit against the American Family Association, crime rates and economic growth. The lawsuit, which is ongoing, involves Chambers' termination from the organization. He said he filed a federal lawsuit over alleged misconduct. He declined to elaborate on the specifics of the case as it is an open lawsuit. On crime, Jordan noted the work already done to increase safety including the establishment of the real-time crime center while Chambers said he would build police posts in neighborhoods with high crime rates and work with communities by needs. Both talked about increasing cameras and lighting in town. Most races will be decided next week Of the eight races in Tupelo, all but two have a Republican candidate. Most of the races will be decided during the April 1 primary election next week, including the races in Ward 2, Ward 4, Ward 6, Ward 7 and the mayor's race. On top of this, Ward 1 Councilman Chad Mims and Ward 6 Councilwoman Janet Gaston are both running unopposed, meaning their reelections are assured. Mims and Gaston did not attend the forum. Ward 2 has two Republican candidates: Lucas Berryhill, industrial safety sales specialist, and incumbent Lynn Bryan, owner of Lynn Bryan Construction. In Ward 3, incumbent Republican Travis Beard, a retired teacher, will face Democrat Shirley Hendrix, who owns R&B Specialty Printing, in the June 3 general election. Bryan did not attend the forum. In Ward 5, there are three republicans and one democrat. Steven. J. Coon, a design engineer at Tiffin Motorhomes, Mike Horton, district manager for Northeast Mississippi Natural Gas District and Bentley Nolan, manager of Nolan Brothers' Motor Sales, all hope to replace outgoing incumbent Republican Buddy Palmer. When questioned about the possibility of bringing a grocery store and bank back to east Tupelo, Horton said it was important to build up local business to bring new opportunities. Coon noted that he'd work with the Community Development Foundation to bring economic growth. Nolan echoed the two but praised the area for its tourism dollars. In the event no candidate gains a majority of the vote, the top two candidates will face each other in a runoff on April 22. The winner will face Democrat Candria Lewis during the general election.
