Voters will make choices Tuesday

Commissioner. School board. State representative. U.S. representative and senator.

Jay County voters will elect or help elect each of those positions Tuesday.

After a month of early voting, local voters will get the final chance to have their say on Election Day, with at least one new local elected official guaranteed.

That guaranteed change is for middle district commissioner, as cousins Brian Aker, a Democrat, and Chad Aker, a Republican, square off. They are seeking to take over the seat currently held by Barry Hudson, who fell to Chad Aker in the May primary.

Local voters will also help elect a new state representative after Greg Beumer chose not to seek another term in District 33, which covers all of Jay and Randolph counties and part of Delaware County. Libertarian Dale Arnett, Democrat Shon Byrum and Republican J.D. Prescott are all vying to fill the seat.

Jay County voters will also cast their ballots for a pair of contested  school board seats. In District 1, incumbent Cory Gundrum is facing a challenge from Chris Snow. Incumbent Beth Krieg has a couple of challengers in district three — Donna Geesaman and P.J. Corwin. Gundrum is seeking his second term while Krieg is running for her third.

In the other contested county-level race, Republican Betty St. Myers, the incumbent recorder, is seeking a fourth term in office while facing a challenge from Democrat Dominic M. Martyne.

Voters in Redkey will make their selections for two at-large seats on town council, as incumbents seek re-election. Republican Charles “Red” Coons and independent Mike Wright are both running for a second term against former town council member Terri D. Taylor and Randy J. May. The top two vote-getters will earn seats on council.

In addition to the list of local races, Jay County voters will also have the opportunity make an impact on the makeup of the U.S. Congress.

One of those is for U.S. Senate as incumbent Democrat Joe Donnelly battles Republican Mike Braun and Libertarian Lucy M. Brenton. Polls in the last few days have shown Donnelly and Braun in a virtual dead heat.

There is also a contested race for U.S. Representative in Indiana’s 3rd District, which covers the northeast corner of the Hoosier State including Jay County. Republican Jim Banks is seeking a second term in office while facing a challenge from Democrat Courtney Tritch.

Incumbent State Sen. Travis Holdman, a Republican, is running unopposed.

Other statewide offices up for election are:

Secretary of state — Republican Connie Lawson, Democrat Jim Harper and Libertarian Mark W. Rutherford

State auditor — Republican Tera Klutz, Libertarian John Schick and Democrat Joselyn Whitticker

State treasurer — Democrat John C. Aguilera and Republican Kelly Mitchell

Republican Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison, Democrat prosecutor Wes Schemenaur, Republican auditor Anna Culy, Republican Sheriff Dwane Ford, Republican Jay County Council members Mike Rockwell, Faron Parr and Amy Runyon Barrett, Democrat county council member Ted Champ and Jay School Board members Mike Shannon and Ron Laux are running unopposed. Robin Alberson, who won the Republican primary for county assessor to take over for the retiring Diana Stults, is also unopposed.

There are also races for town boards, township trustees and precinct committeeman.