Voters in Lauderdale County headed to the polls Tuesday to choose Democratic and Republican candidates for president and candidates in several congressional races.

Ollie Thompson, who voted at Meridian Little Theatre, said she was looking for a president who would “be fair and treat everybody the same and look out for the senior citizens.”

The lifelong Democrat put her support behind former Vice President Joe Biden.

“I think it’s just a continuation of Barack Obama and everybody always trusted Barack Obama in everything,” Thompson said. 

G.B. Mitchell, who cast his ballot at the Raymond P. Davis County Annex Building, also voted for Biden. 

“When you elect this person, you’re electing him on the basis that he’s going to make your life better and so, that’s why you have to look and see, not just for show, not just for a name, but to do what you said you were going to do,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell was one of 99 people who voted there by 4 p.m.

Dana McKinley voted for President Donald Trump at NorthPark Church. 

“Donald Trump has done more for our country right now than we’ve had of presidents in my lifetime, that I’ve seen, that stands up and represents all of us instead of the politicians,” she said. 

Linda Thompson, who also supported Trump, said she wanted a candidate who “tries to do what is right as a Christian and has Christian ethics and Christian background and will do what he thinks is best for the country.”

Voter turnout seemed to be steady by late afternoon, the office of Secretary of State Michael Watson said in a news release.

Jim Nelson, who was working at the polling place in NorthPark Church, said the precinct had not been very busy.

Of 1,557 registered voters there, 251 had voted by around 3:15 p.m., he said.

Some poll workers said rain may have kept some voters away.

“Normally, at 7 a.m., when the doors open, we have a line,” said Ashlee Onyia, the receiving and returning manager at the polling place at Meridian Little Theatre.

Turnout didn’t start picking up until around 10:30 a.m., she said.

“It’s still just been steady, but not as many as we like to see.”

By around 3:30 p.m., 348 voters had cast their ballots at the precinct, but Onyia expected to see more of a rush between 4 and 5 p.m. 

Unofficial Lauderdale County primary election results March 10, 2020

• U.S. President – Republican 

Roque ‘Rocky’ De La Fuente: 23; Donald Trump: 6256; Bill Weld: 56

• U.S. President – Democratic 

Joe Biden: 5151; Bernie Sanders: 604; Tulsi Gabbard: 12

The following candidates have dropped out of the race: Michael Bloomberg: 149; Pete Buttigieg: 6; Amy Klobuchar: 9; Deval Patrick: 8; Tom Steyer: 4; Elizabeth Warren: 17; Andrew Yang: 7

• U.S. Senate -Republican 

Cindy Hyde-Smith: 6204

• U.S. Senate – Democrat 

Tobey Bernard Bartee: 506; Jensen Bohren: 156; Mike Espy: 5138 

• U.S. House of Rep. 3rd Congressional District – Republican 

Michael Guest: 5483; James Tulp: 817 

• U.S. House of Rep. 3rd Congressional District – Democrat

Dorothy ‘Dot’ Benford: 3533; Katelyn Lee: 1749