Tag: election

Voters to Decide Next JeffCo Commissioner for District 5 in Tuesday Election

The Jefferson County Commission District 5 seat is up for grabs in a special election Tuesday.

The vote will decide whether former judge Mike Bolin or developer David Silverstein will fill the term of former Commissioner Steve Ammons, who resigned recently to become CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance. The winner will serve in the seat until the 2026 election.

The district includes parts of Hoover, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Birmingham and Leeds.

You can determine whether you’re in the district, find your polling place and check whether you’re registered to vote here.

Read profiles on the candidates:

Bolin Points to Judicial Experience in Race for JeffCo Commission

Mike Bolin could only play so many rounds of golf.

The former Alabama Supreme Court justice says he was miserable after retiring Jan. 15 of this year. He found that he’s more like his Fairfield steelworker father than he realized.

“He used to work every day,” said Bolin, who’s running for the unexpired District 5 seat on the Jefferson County Commission. “Back in those days, you didn’t get paid if you didn’t work.”

Silverstein Touts His Business Experience in Race for JeffCo Commission

Don’t call David Silverstein a politician.

Yes, the former lawyer and career developer is running for the unexpired Jefferson County Commission District 5 seat of Steve Ammons in Tuesday’s special election. But don’t call him a politician.

“I don’t consider myself a politician,” the Mountain Brook resident said. “I consider myself a businessman that’s had his success, been part of this community since my birth, that wants to serve. I don’t see myself as a politician.”

Long Lines Greet People Trying to Vote Early Today

Cameron Ydarraga turned 18 in September and has been looking forward to his first chance to vote. The John Carroll Catholic senior considered the candidates and he considered the amendments.

But the Hoover resident didn’t consider the incredibly long line in which he would have to stand at Hunter Street Baptist Church before casting his ballot.

Cameron wasn’t the only one taken aback by the crowd, which was “Way, way, way more than normal,” according to a poll worker who asked that his name not be used.

Voters at other polling places across the area also were facing long lines this morning. Read more.

Calm Before a Storm? Election Workers Prepare for Alabama’s Biggest Voter Turnout

The ballots are stacked, pens gathered, poll workers trained and rolls of “I Voted” stickers ready to go.

Election workers this weekend were taking a “deep breath before the plunge,” as Barry Stephenson, chairman of the Jefferson County Board of Registrars, described it. They’ve been working seven days a week since Labor Day to prepare for what could be historic turnout at the polls, he said.

The state has topped 3.3 million registered voters, Secretary of State John Merrill said last week, surpassing the state’s highest registration by 584,252 registered voters.

Likewise, Jefferson County has set a record for registered voters, with 456,000. Before this, the record was 435,000 for the 2012 election, when 302,000 people voted in the county. Stephenson said the county is expecting more than 300,000 voters to show up at the polls Tuesday.

In preparation, the Jefferson County has increased the number of precincts and added an extra 150 poll workers, bringing the total number to 1,900. There will be more voter sign-in books at the polls in an attempt to avoid long lines, but Stephenson warned, “It still may not be a quick process.” Read more.