Early voting got underway Monday at a busy Moore Center. Poll workers were hard at work attending to the early bird vote casters.
It seems that a lot of folks, myself included, like filling out their ballots during the two-week early voting period.
To me, it's convenient -- and it used to be a way to avoid large election day crowds.
Early voting has become more and more popular over the years.
I've heard some say the best time to vote is the second week of early voting because it's less crowded than the first week or election day, which some traditionalist still prefer.
No matter what day one prefers, what's important is those eligible go out and vote and research the candidates and issues before going to the polls.
Every vote counts, as evidenced by the recent school election that saw Billy Fair keep his seat on the Blytheville School Board by one single vote. Fair received 30 votes, and Danny Beck received 29.
There have been some close municipal races in the past as well.
One never knows if his or her vote will be the deciding checkmark.
Obviously, there are some big local races, including mayoral contests in Blytheville, Gosnell, Manila, Luxora, Keiser, Leachville, Osceola, Joiner, Bassett, Dell and Dyess, along with several city council seats up for grabs.
All these folks will make important decisions over the next four years so it's vital to put the best choice in those positions.
As the old saying goes, elections have consequences.
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For those wanting one more crack at asking office-seekers questions in a public setting, there is a quarterly ward meeting Saturday morning at the library.
According to Blytheville City Councilman R.L. Jones, the ward meeting, which is set for 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, will feature a candidates forum.
Candidates from all offices are invited to participate. The moderators will be JoAnn Henton, Lillie Lucas and Sandra King.
The audience will also be able to ask questions, though there will be time limits.
Ward meeting attendees aren't shy about asking tough questions, albeit sometimes politically charged, attacking queries.
Answering those uncomfortable questions is part of the job, though.
It comes with the territory.
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To me, the most interesting of all the local races is the Blytheville mayoral contest.
City Councilman Tommy Abbott and Gwendolyn Orr are challenging Mayor James Sanders, who is seeking a second term.
It should be a pretty close race, one that I believe will be decided by a runoff.
Sanders and Abbott squared off in a runoff during the last mayoral election.
By a mere 34 votes, Sanders knocked off Abbott in the 2010 runoff, after Abbott had been the leading vote-getter in the general election (1,741-1,412), but failed to get the required 50 percent plus 1 in the three-person race (four-person if you count Jones, who dropped out late, but did receive a few votes anyway).
In my opinion, Orr is more of a threat than former mayoral candidate Carol White was back in 2010, so it could be even tighter than the last time.
Sanders and Abbott are probably the favorites to be in a potential runoff, but one never knows until the votes are counted.
It should be an interesting two weeks.
mbrasfield@blythevillecourier.com