Three cities to hold elections this year

Three of DeKalb County’s municipalities have elections planned for the 2012 calendar year.
First on the calendar is the Smithville Municipal Election on June 19th. A mayor and two aldermen will be elected. The seats are currently held by Mayor Taft Hendrixson and Aldermen Steve White and Cecil Burger.
The qualifying deadline for the Smithville Election is NOON March 15. The last day to register to vote in that election is May 21.
Dowelltown and Liberty will have elections on August 2. In Dowelltown, a mayor and two aldermen will be elected. The seats are currently held by Mayor Gerald Bailiff and Aldermen Joe Bogle and Elizabeth Redmon.
The qualifying deadline for the Dowelltown election is NOON April 5 and the last day to register to vote is July 3.
In Liberty, three aldermen will be elected. The seats are held by Todd Dodd, Dwight Mathis and Paul M. Neal
The qualifying deadline is NOON April 5 and the last day to register to vote in that election is July 3.
Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley said there are two important messages voters should remember before going to the polls on Election Day or for early voting.
“If your address has changed since the last time you voted, you should contact the local election office to begin the process of updating your records,” Stanley said. “If you show up at the polls with a voter’s card that has an address different than where you currently live, you will have to fill out a ‘Fail-Safe’ form and you may even be sent to another location to vote.”
“Also, voters are reminded that with all elections in 2012, voters will have to have a valid federal or state government issued photo i.d. to vote on the machines,” he added.
Acceptable forms of photo identification, even if expired, are any of the following: a Tennessee Driver License with your photo; a United States Passport; Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security photo I.D.; a Photo I.D. issued by the federal or state government, such as an employee I.D. from the U.S. Department of Energy with your photo; United States Military photo I.D., including a Veteran Identification Card; and a state-issued handgun carry permit card with your photo.
“If you do not bring a photo I.D. to the polls, you will vote a Provisional Ballot,” Stanley said. “Then you will have two business days after Election Day to return to the election commission office to show a valid photo I.D. If not, the ballot will not be counted.”