Clinton County voters will go to the polls next Tuesday, November 8 and see a range of federal and some local contested elections on the ballot, including helping elect and new President of the United States and new U.S. Congressman to represent the First District of Kentucky.

Due to high interest in the hotly contested presidential race, as well as races for Congress and one U.S. Senate seat, as well as some local races that will appear on the ballot, voter turnout is expected to be at least moderate to heavier than normal locally.

Although most voter interest is between the two major candidates seeking the nation’s highest elected position in the land, the race for President between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton, at least some voters in Clinton County will be casting votes in local district races.

There will also be some local races on the ballot, including voters in the City of Albany selecting six of eight candidates running for seats on the Albany City Council and serving two year terms.

Only one incumbent, Brad Thrasher, is not seeking re-election to the council this year.

The eight candidates–with the top six being seated–including incumbents Leland Hicks, Tonya Claborn Thrasher, Steve Lawson, Tony Delk and Frankie Stockton, along with three first-time candidates, Jerrod Parrigin, Carl Ferguson, and Jon Cowan.

There will be one contested school board race, that being in district four, which takes in North, East and West Albany.

On the ballot in that race will be recently appointed incumbent Crystal Irwin along with new candidates Gary Norris and Donald Story.

Two incumbent board members, Paula Key in District Three, Highway, Illwill and Speck precincts, and Jeff Sams in District Two, Seventy-Six and Cave Springs precincts, are both unopposed.

One race that has already been decided with the maximum number of candidates to fill the seats and thus will not be on the voter ballot, is that of Soil Conservation Board members. It includes Greg Abston, Roger Beard, Kathy Conner, and Steve Peddicord.

There will be three federal races and two different local related elections on next week’s ballot.

In the presidential race, voters will have four candidates to choose from, including Democrat Hillary Clinton, former United States First Lady and former Secretary of State; Donald J. Trump, a well-known businessman, entrepreneur; as well as Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein. Those are the four primary candidates in the race.

The U.S. Senate race, which has also garnered a lot of attention and media coverage, will see first term incumbent Republican Rand Paul of Bowling Green being challenged by Jim Gray, Democrat Mayor of Lexington.

Local voters will also help select a new member to the U.S. House of Representatives in the First Congressional district, with long-time Congressman Ed Whitfield retiring earlier this year.

Actually, there will be “two” Congressional elections, a special election to fill Whitfield’s unexpired term, as well as the regular election that will send the winner to Congress for a two-year term. In that race, locally well-known Republican and former Commissioner of Agriculture James Comer is running against Democrat Sam Gaskins on both ballots.

Incumbent Kentucky State Representative Jeff Hoover (R-Jamestown), who represents Clinton County as a part of his 83rd District, will also appear on Tuesday’s ballot, running unopposed for re-election to that seat.

The deadline to request a paper absentee ballot has passed, with that being this past Tuesday, November 1. Those voting by absentee ballot have to have them returned to the county clerk’s office by election day.

Walk-in voting on the machine set up in the clerk’s office, geared for those voters who will be out of the county on election day, will be open through next Monday, November 7 during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday.

Clinton County Clerk Shelia Braswell Booher is urging all registered voters to exercise their privilege and go to the polls next Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., citing that 2016 is an “extremely important” election.

Anyone with questions pertaining to absentee voting, where they are to vote, or any other questions about the election process are asked to call the county clerk’s office at 387-5943.

(A complete sample ballot listing all candidates in all races, as well as precinct officers names can be found elsewhere this week.)