ELKINS — With the early voting period for this year’s May 12 Primary Election fast approaching, voters will have a total of 11 candidates to choose from when it comes to the Randolph County Board of Education.

Of the 11 who have filed to run, three will be chosen to fill the shoes of three current BOE members who are not seeking re-election — Dr. Phil Chua (Cheat District), Dr. Sherri Collett (Tygart District) and Janie Newlon (Cheat District).

The terms of Board President Rachel Burns (Elkins District) and member Ed Daniels (Tygart District)

Because each of the three districts must be represented on the BOE, it’s not guaranteed that the top three vote getters will fill the vacancies.

“The Board of Education is our most confusing race of them all,” Randolph County Deputy Clerk Karla Mahanes told The Inter-Mountain.

“In this election, the top vote-getter from the Cheat District will automatically get in because the two who are currently in there (Chua and Newlon) are not seeking re-election and both of those spots are open. At least one of those spots has to be filled and represented.”

If the top vote-getter in the Cheat District finishes fourth overall or further down the line on election night, that candidate would automatically fill the Cheat District’s slot. After that spot is filled, the top two vote-getters would fill the other two openings, as Burns and Daniels already represent the Elkins and Tygart districts.

“After the Cheat District is filled, it will be the next two highest vote-getters,” Mahanes said. “And they can be from the Elkins, Cheat, or Tygart District, any one of the three.”

Candidates running to represent the Cheat District include Denise Campbell, Peggy Young Ross and Robert Fox.

The three representatives running to represent the Elkins District include Jerod Caligiuri, Anita Thompson and Phillips Kolsun.

Five candidates are running to represent the Tygart District, including Jeri Luby, Randy Long, Tyler Louk, Angela Daniels Lewis and Robin Davis.

The early voting period for the Primary Election in Randolph County will begin on Wednesday, April 29 and run through Saturday, May 9.

Randolph County’s early voting will take place at the Randolph County Commission Annex (old IGA building) in Elkins and the Russell Memorial Public Library in Mill Creek. Early voting will be open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 2 and Saturday, May 9.

For more information or questions about the upcoming election, call the Randolph County Clerk’s Office at 304-636-0543.