By Robert Medley
Managing Editor
There was a line of voters at the Piedmont First Baptist Church Tuesday when Melody Carney arrived during the mid-morning hours.
But the wait was not too long she said, as she cast her ballot for the candidates of her choice running for the Piedmont School Board Office 2 sea and in the Oklahoma City mayoral race. Skies were sunny and temperatures had warmed into the upper 40s, much better for getting out than during the Arctic blast and the snowdrifts with single digit temperatures of the past week.
“I voted for the school board and I also had to vote for the Oklahoma City mayor. I live in the County Line Road area,” Carney said. There are three Oklahoma City wards within Canadian County borders, and voters had the chance to pick a mayor.
Carney, who teaches art at The Middle School of Piedmont, was not deterred by a short line of voters.
“There were more people there than I expected, but I was glad the line was not out the door,” Carney said. Voters stood in the church gymnasium to cast ballots in Precinct 506.
A few miles to the south of Piedmont, in the Surrey Hills portion of far northwest Oklahoma City, voters parked and walked inside Surrey Hills Baptist Church on Mustang Road south of Northwest Expressway to cast their ballots inside the Precinct 200 location.
Volunteer election worker Ceeja Malmkar said there are about 7,000 registered voters who cast ballots at the Surrey Hills precinct. The line was short during the morning hours, but it was beginning to get a bit longer before noon.
“We have the Oklahoma City mayoral race and the Piedmont School Board race on the ballots because some people in this precinct are in the Piedmont School District,” Malmkar said.
She said there had been about 200 voters cast ballots before 11 a.m., mostly for the Oklahoma City mayoral race.
“We are the largest precinct in the state, and we have close to 7,000 voters. We might get busy later,” Malmkar said.
Warren “Pete” Taylor wore a ballcap with a red airplane and the word “Alaska” on it when he showed up at the Surrey Hills precinct Tuesday morning.
His sticker reading, “I voted,” was on his shirt.
He said he lives in Oklahoma City in the Sundance Ridge addition.
He did not want to reveal who he voted for in the Oklahoma City mayoral race.
“No, it is a secret ballot. My mom would never tell me who she voted for, and I messed with her constantly,” Taylor said.
He was proud to exercise his right Tuesday.
“I think all legal Americans should have a right to vote,” Taylor said.
Richard and Mary Brasiel voted Tuesday at Surrey Hills Baptist Church. Richard Brasiel said he was glad there were no glitches at the ballot box.
“I hope the Dominion machines are not here, I’ll put it that way,” Richard Brasiel said, jokingly.
The polls Tuesday will be open until 7 p.m. Watch for results of local races on piedmontnewsonline.com and read the Piedmont-Surrey Gazette for more.
