The Republican ballot for House District 22 voters in the party's March 3 primary will have two elections for the same office, an oddity the Garland County Election Commission said could cause confusion.
The House's expulsion of Mickey Gates from the District 22 seat last month led the governor to call for a March 3 special election for the final year of Gates' third term. The Legislature scheduled the 2020 preferential primaries and nonpartisan general election for the same day.
Republicans Jack Wells and Richard McGrew will vie for their party's nomination in a Dec. 10 primary. The winner will advance to face Libertarian Judy Bowers in the March 3 special election. Wells, McGrew and Richard Alvin Midkiff will also be on the ballot in the Republican Primary, with the winner qualifying for the Nov. 3 general election against Bowers.
"Whoever wins will be on the March ballot twice," Election Commission Chairman Gene Haley, referring to the winner of the Dec. 10 primary, said at Friday's ballot draw for the Dec. 10 primary, March primaries, nonpartisan general election and school board election.
Haley said ballot position for the March 3 special election will be drawn Dec. 18.
Early voting for the Dec. 10 primary will be Dec. 3-6 and Dec. 9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Community Baptist Church, 3518 Highway 7 north. Election day voting will be from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Community Baptist Church, the Garland County Office of Emergency Management, 401 Mid America blvd., Fountain Lake School, 4207 Park Ave., Unitarian Universalist Church, 403 Barcelona Road, and Lonsdale City Hall, 521 Cockrill St.
All five locations are in District 22, which comprises east Garland and north Saline counties and Hot Springs Village.
The 18 candidate race for U.S. president will be the only partisan contest listed on Democratic ballots in the party's March 3 primary. Republican ballots will have six contested partisan races. Both ballots will have five contested nonpartisan races, including three local judicial races and one each for the state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.
Haley said the five elections being held March 3 will require 75 different ballot styles. The election commission has until Jan. 16 to deliver absentee ballots to the county clerk's office, according to the secretary of state's election calendar. Early voting begins Feb. 18., and the registration deadline is Feb. 3.
Registered Garland County voters who are interested in being poll workers can call the election commission at 622-3622. Training for current poll workers is scheduled for Tuesday.
The election commission drew from a bag of 24 numbered Ping-Pong balls to determine ballot position. The following are the contested races with the candidates' names listed as they will appear on the ballot:
Dec. 10 Special Election State Representative District 22 Republican Primary
Jack Wells
Justice of the Peace Richard McGrew
Democratic Primary
U.S. President
Marianne Williamson
Joe Sestak
Cory Booker
Amy Klobuchar
Tom Steyer
Kamala Harris
Andrew Yang
Tulsi Gabbard
Michael R. Bloomberg
Bernie Sanders
Joseph R. Biden
Pete Buttigieg
Elizabeth Warren
Michael Bennet
Mosie Boyd
Steve Bullock
Julian Castro
John K. Delaney
Republican Primary
U.S. President
Bill Weld
Donald J. Trump
Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente
State Senate District 13
Jeff Crow
Senator Alan Clark
State Representative District 21
Jim Reynolds
Representative Marcus Richmond
State Representative District 22
Justice of the Peace Richard McGrew
Jack Wells
Richard Alvin Midkiff
State Representative District 26
Rick McClure
Lorna Nobles
Constable Hot Springs Township
Jim Kerr
Constable Scott Hecke
Nonpartisan General Election
State Supreme Court Associate Justice Position 4
Barbara Womack Webb
Judge Morgan "Chip" Welch
Court of Appeals Associate Judge District 4, Position 2
Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Potter Barrett
Judge Emily White
Garland County Circuit Judge Division 1
Judge Ralph Ohm
Shane Ethridge
Garland County Circuit Judge Division 2
Judge Wade Naramore
Brian Johnson
Cecelia Dyer
State District Court 41, Position 2
Judge Meredith Switzer
Mark Steven Fraiser
School Board Election
Lakeside School Board Position 4
Cory Cangelosi
Carla Mouton
Brian French
Jonathan Burfeind
Local on 11/16/2019