I am not a political person and you will probably never hear me discuss politics, but I do believe in the concept or process of voting. I feel like it is our God given right to express our opinion by voting and standing up for what we believe in and if we do not vote than we have given up that right to express our opinion. Our society does not understand what a privilege we have as Americans to vote. It is our duty and right to vote.

In 1 Peter 2:13-14 "The Lord wants you to obey all human authorities, especially the Emperor, who rules over everyone. You must also obey governors, because they are sent by the Emperor to punish criminals and praise good citizens."

In order for us to be able to vote, we need to understand what we are voting for. I am confused the majority of the time the way certain laws are written. In the May primary we will be voting for our county officials. I was wondering exactly what are the duties or job descriptions of each position so I looked them up. They are as follows:

*County Judge- presides over Quorum Court, authorizes and approves disbursement of appropriated county funds and operates the system of county roads.

*The County Sheriff/Collector is the sheriff of the courts, maintains public peace, and has custody over the county jail. He is collector of taxes for the county and collects municipal county, school, and improvement district taxes and turns them over to the county treasurer.

*The County Clerk is the official book keeper of the county government and serves as the clerk for the county and Quorum and probate courts.

*The Circuit Clerk is the clerk of the circuit, chancery court, juvenile court and usually acts as the ex-officio recorder of the county. The clerk keeps up with the deeds, mortgages, leans and licenses.

*The County Assessor's duties are to appraise and assess all real and personal property.

*The County Treasurer is responsible for the custody and disbursement of all county funds and school district funds. He or she also takes financial reports to the Quorum courts and prosecuting attorney.

*The County Coroner is utilized on a as-needed basis and is called upon to hold an inquest to establish cause of death that has occurred under violent and suspicious circumstances. The coroner also signs the death certificate if there is no doctor present.

*The Power of the Quorum Court's job is the levy taxes and public funds. Also they provide for any service or function related to county affairs.

The Quorum Court Justice of the Peace consists of 11 districts. Current offices are as follows: District 1, Randy Jones of Harrisburg, (2) Elizabeth Schwarz of Weiner, (3) Carmack Sanders of Harrisburg, (4) J.C. Carter of Marked Tree, (5) Johnny F. Johnson of Trumann, (6) Jerry G. Terry of Trumann, (7) Brent Henderson of Trumann, (8) John Sadler of Trumann, (9) Mary Ann Arnold of Marked Tree, (10) Linda Powell of Lepanto, and (11) Harold Blackwood of Tyronza.

Larry Steakley and Paul Howard both of Lepanto will be running for Powell's position in district 11 as she will not be running again. Other Tri-City area races include a bid for the district nine seat currently held by Mary Ann Arnold (D). She will face off against republican candidate Coty Powers in the general election in Novemenber.

County Judge is currently held by Doyle Hillis of Harrisburg. Candidates running for this position are former Poinsett County Assessor Steve Jernigan of Lepanto and "Modern News" publisher Charles Nix of Harrisburg.

Lonene Edwards will be retiring in January as the County Treasurer after 48 years of service. Tammie Pate Stanford of Harrisburg and Carolyn Wages of Marked Tree desire the seat of Treasurer.

County and Probate Clerk is currently being held by Fonda Condra. She is opposed by Chris King of Harrisburg.

The District Judge is currently held by Steve Inboden. He will be running against Chet Dunlap of Trumann and Ron Hunter of Harrisburg.

Those unopposed are Sheriff/Collector Larry Mills, Assessor Johnny Rye, Jr., Circuit and Chancery Clerk Claudia Matthews and Coroner John Mark Davis.

Your vote does make a difference. It is not uncommon for elections to decide by very narrow margins especially in local issues. Sometimes just one vote can make a huge difference and impact.

Register to vote, go to www.votenaturally.org/all_about_voting.h.... The primary election is Tuesday, May 20, 2008. The polls open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.