Filing deadline nears for candidates

The next couple of months will tell the story if there will be any local races in Presque Isle County with the filing deadline for public offices fast approaching. All county offices are up for election: prosecutor, treasurer, register of deeds, sheriff, county clerk, drain commissioner, county surveyor, as well as the five seats on the county board of commissioners. The filing deadline is May 11 at 4 p.m. Petition signature requirements are determined by the population of the area in which the candidate is running.

FOR THE county office positions, which will be on the ballot county-wide, a candidate will need a minimum of 20 signatures and a maximum of 50. For township offices, or a commissioner seat, the population is below 9,999 according to a state chart, which means candidates need a minimum of only three signatures. The county offices fall into a different category because the population of the county is between 10,000 and 20,499. Petition sheets are available at the county clerk?s office on the second floor of the county courthouse in Rogers City.

County clerk Sue Rhode said each candidate will need, at the time they file their petition sheets, to bring in an affidavit of identity. The deadline for a candidate filing a qualifying petition is July 15 at 4 p.m. ?That?s a person running without party affiliation, but for a partisan office,? said Rhode. Write-ins have until the Friday preceding the election to submit paperwork. Citizens seeking township offices need to file their paperwork with their township clerk, according to Rhode.

DON?T EXPECT new equipment when heading to vote in August or No

vember, as changes to election equipment are still a couple of years away in Presque Isle County. ?We had to have everything in place by May 1 and I just felt that that was too much of a rush to try and get the entire county new equipment and learn everything by this election,? said Rhode.

It won?t be until the election cycle of 2006 that optical scans for voting will be available, she said. ?I?m going to try and get that in place next year so we?re ready,? said Rhode. Voters may register to vote 30 days before the elections at the county clerk?s office, secretary of state, or with their township or city clerk.

Rhode said township clerks have until May 28 to get an issue on the ballot. Wording would need to be verified with the county clerk no later than May 25 for the August 3 primary.