FARMINGTON -- Early voting opens Tuesday, Nov. 29, and ends Monday, Dec. 5, for the Dec. 6 runoff election for Farmington mayor.
Farmington Mayor Ernie Penn and city council member Diane Bryant will face each other in the runoff.
Penn received 49.71% of the vote in the Nov. 8 election but needed to be over 50% to be declared the winner in a three-way race. Bryant received 31.41% of the vote and a third candidate, Jerrod Fraley, received 18.8% of the vote.
City of Farmington registered voters can cast an early ballot for the mayor's runoff election in the county clerk's office at Washington County Courthouse on Monday through Friday the week of Nov. 29 and then on Monday, Dec. 5. Regular office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For the Dec. 6 runoff election, Farmington voters can cast a ballot at any of the seven voting centers open that day but all centers are in Springdale, except the Farmington voting center at Main Street Baptist Church, 49 W. Main St.
Polls open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.
Penn has served a total of 24 years for the city of Farmington, first as mayor from 1999 to 2002, then four years on the city council and then as mayor since 2007. He has 42 years' experience as a banker and retired from Arvest Bank in 2018, before starting his current term as mayor.
Bryant is a retired school librarian and teacher and has lived in Farmington for 15 years. She served a year on the Washington County Quorum Court and has been a city council member for eight years. Bryant will retain her council position serving Ward 4, Position 1, if not elected as mayor.