Window opens next week to file for November elections

Nine local taxing districts, including the cities of Mountain Home and Glenns Ferry, will hold elections this year with the opening date to start filing for office beginning next week.

Anyone wishing to run for one of the open seats in the Nov. 5 election can begin turning in petitions on Aug. 26. The final deadline to turn in petitions and appear on the November ballot is Sept. 6.

Five signatures of registered voters in the district for which the office is being sought are required. The county elections office recommends that candidates get at least ten signatures, to avoid problems with people who aren't registered, who have moved or changed their name, or who really don't live in the district they think they live in.

Anyone who doesn't make the Sept. 6 deadline to appear on the ballot can submit a notarized declaration of write-in candidacy by Sept. 20 if they want to run for office, except that the write-in deadline for the cities of Mountain Home and Glenns Ferry is Oct. 8. Any write-in candidate who doesn't file a proper declaration of candidacy with the county elections office by the deadline date will not have their names counted during the election.

After all those deadlines are closed, in cases where there is only one candidate running, on the ballot or write-in, that candidate will be declared elected and no election will be held for that specific post.

For the city of Mountain Home, two at-large city council positions will be up for election. Those posts currently are held by Alain Isaac and Richard Urquidi.

In Glenns Ferry, two at-large council seats and the office of mayor are up for election.

The Atlanta Rural Fire Department will have an election for its District 2 commissioner. That post is currently held by Mary Drake.

The King Hill Rural Fire District, which hasn't held a legal election in years, will be hitting the "reset" button and electing all three commissioners. District 1 will be for a two-year initial term and District 3 and 4 will be for four-year terms.

The Grand View Rural Fire Protection District has two positions open -- for District 1 and 3. Both of those districts are entirely in Owyhee County.

The Mountain Home Rural Fire Protection District has two positions open. The District 1 post is currently held by Tom Ducharme and the District 2 positions is held by Larry "Slick" Jewett.

The Oasis Volunteer Fire District also has two positions open. District 1 is currently held by Ken Johnson and District 3 by Monte MacConnell.

The Eastern Elmore County Recreation District will hold elections for the District 1 seat currently held by Cinda Janenette and the District 2 position held by Mark Martell.

The Western Elmore County Recreation District has one seat open, the District 3 post currently held by Molly Marsh, the only remaining member from the original board when the district was created 13 years ago.

With the exception of the two at-large city council elections, all candidacy petitions must contain signatures of the specific sub-district within each taxing district that is represented by the post up for election. However, during the general election in November, everyone in those taxing districts, whether they live in that sub-district or not, are eligible to vote for those open positions.

Voters also are being urged to pre-register for the November elections at the county courthouse. Anyone who has changed their name or moved must re-register with the county.

Registration details and requirements can be obtained by calling the county elections office at 587-2136, extension 206.