MASON COUNTY — Early voting in Mason County begins on Wednesday, April 25 and ends on May 5.

According to Mason County Clerk Diana Cromley, voters may cast their ballots from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday and from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. on the two Saturdays leading up to the primary election on May 8.

This year’s election is different from any other, if a voter lives in the City of Point Pleasant. For the first time ever, the city’s general election is being held in conjunction with the county’s primary election. This means on May 8, those in the city limits of Point Pleasant will also be voting for their city’s next administration.

Cromley said the city election portion of the ballot is at the end of the ballot. Voters who live in the city limits will start off with federal races, followed by state, then county, then Mason County Board of Education races and only then will they arrive at the city ballot - in short, the city ticket is dead last.

Voters who are casting ballots in the city election are asked to be aware of the city ticket coming at the end of their ballot and at least for GOP voters, their ballot is 17 pages long while the Democratic ticket is only seven pages long. The GOP ballot is longer due to choosing 19 delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Also, those voting in the city election should be aware they can vote for whatever candidate they choose no matter their party affiliation - for example, a registered Democrat can vote for a Republican candidate and a register Republican can vote for a Democratic candidate but only on the city portion of the ballot. The city portion of the ballot is not a primary and therefore all candidates, regardless of party affiliations, are listed.

Also, there are no party affiliations listed for Mason County Board of Education candidates and a complete listing for these candidates will appear on everyone’s ballot.

Cromley estimates there are 19,000 registered voters in Mason County who are eligible to cast ballots.