CANTON - The lunch hour is over and workers at Canton Cafe and Catering are enjoying a card game. The last thing on their minds is a statewide election only weeks away.
The restaurant's 32-year-old owner, Danny Quon, says he'll cast a vote in the Aug. 5 primary, but he doesn't know for whom.
"I don't even know who's up for whatever election. I just go up there and vote what I feel is right when I get there. I'm not one-sided as far as Republican or Democratic," he says, eagerly awaiting the chance to get back in the game.
In a barbershop near the Canton Square, stylist Robert Chandler is vocal about his choices for lieutenant governor and governor.
"Amy Tuck all the way. Haley Barbour all the way," said Chandler, who called himself an independent.
"I vote for the best qualified person," he said. "I don't care if it's an independent or belongs to blue, red or black, whatever."
On Aug. 5, voters choose party nominees for statewide offices - including governor - and contested party races for the Legislature and various district and county offices.
In the governor's race, Republican Barbour takes on GOP newcomer Mitch Tyner of Jackson, while incumbent Gov. Ronnie Musgrove faces four lesser-known opponents in the Democratic primary.
Lt. Gov. Tuck has no Republican challenger. Voters will decide which of the Democratic contenders - state Sen. Barbara Blackmon of Canton, former Supreme Court Justice Jim Roberts of Pontotoc or businessman Troy Brown of Greenwood - will join Tuck for the Nov. 4 general election.
Some political observers are predicting a big turnout, but voters interviewed by The Associated Press have expressed everything from apathy to anticipation. Others have complained that they know too little about the candidates.
"I'm a teacher, so anything to do with education, I'm interested in," said Tiffany Agent, 25, of Carthage. "I haven't heard as much as I would have liked to. I don't know if the candidates aren't speaking as much or they're just not getting out as much."
Alice Thigpen of Jackson agreed.
"I haven't had a lot of exposure to the candidates. As far as the signs on the highway, other than that, that's it," said Thigpen, who says she'll likely vote for all Democrats.
Thigpen said she's also interested in what candidates are saying about education.
"I know people who are teachers and they're leaving the state to find better paying jobs. I don't think it's fair to them," she said.
Mary Coleman, chairwoman of the political science department at Jackson State University, said although it appears interest is slow to build in some areas of the state, it's "hard to miss the fact that an election is coming up."
Nearly all the candidates have billboards posted across the state. Barbour and Tyner also have bought television time to tell voters why they should put them in office.
The candidates for governor and lieutenant governor have made joint appearances on the Gulf Coast and in Jackson.
Coleman said competitive races should translate into a high turnout next month and in November. She said while there's not a large number of candidates, the platforms of each is diverse.
In Madison County, there is interest in both statewide and local races, said Circuit Clerk Lee Westbrook. Voter registration drives sponsored by civic groups and candidates have kept a steady flow of residents to her office, she said.
"It's always interesting to see how many voters are keeping up with the political races," Westbrook said.
It's a different story on the Gulf Coast, where Harrison County circuit clerk Gayle Parker said few people are lining up to register.
"I don't know if it's the party primaries. There's only a few races that are really contested. There will be more interest in the November election," Parker said.
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