Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Filing fees set for Primaries

Filing fees for the May 23 Preferential Primary Election have been set.

Actually, the fees will be unchanged from two years ago. This decision was made by the Nevada County Democratic Committee Thursday, Feb. 9.

The filing fees for Nevada County Judge and Nevada County Sheriff will be $750. All others courthouse elected officials will be required to put up a $600 filing fee. The filing fee for the Nevada County Coroner is $50, and $75 for those seeking positions as Justice of the Peace or for the Prescott City Council. There is no fee for those running for constable.

Davis Benton, committee chairman, said the filing period will begin at noon March 21, ending at noon, April 4. Filing must be done at the Nevada County Courthouse.

He said there are several positions on the committee still vacant, including East Rural. Larry Hicks, Benton told the group, wants to get off the committee in Bodcaw, which would leave that spot open. Other areas vacant include Emmet, Wards 2 and 3 in Prescott and Boughton.

Anyone interested in joining the Nevada County Democratic Committee should call Nevada County Clerk Julie Oliver, at 887-2710.

Benton said there will be a lot of changes in the election laws this year, but most of them will fall under the jurisdiction of the Nevada County Election Commission. The changes, he added, stem from election problems in Florida in 2000.

Twenty-six years ago I came back to Nevada County after 35 years with the National Weather Service and the Navy. One of the first things that happened, he said, is I ran into John Teeter who was looking for a replacement (as committee chairman). Ive been chairman ever since.

Benton resigned his position, after nominating John Miller as his replacement. The committee members reluctantly accepted his resignation, and appointed Miller as the new chairman.

The committee chairman, he said, is also chairman of the election commission. The election commissions vice chair is normally the chairman of the Republican party in the county, with the third being appointed by the governor, but usually being a member of the dominant party in the county.

Oliver updated the committee about voting equipment, saying the new voting machines have been ordered and must be at every polling location in the county. These new machines are touch screen devices with booths to ensure privacy.

However, for the Primary election, paper ballots will be used in the county. Oliver said two of her staff will be going to Camden to learn how to use the new machines, and may not be ready by the time the Primary rolls around. But, she added, after the May election, the new machines will be the only way people can vote.

The machines, she said, cost about $8,000 each, but this is state funded. We could have gone with plan C and used paper ballots the state chose, but we are still required to have the machines anyway.