Mayoral election today in Jackson to replace the late Chokwe Lumumba

Chokwe Lumumba. AP Photo
Chokwe Lumumba. AP Photo
Chokwe Lumumba. AP Photo

JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — A former Jackson mayor and the son of the late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba are among a crowded field of candidates on Tuesday’s special election ballot.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. A runoff, if necessary, is April 22.

The election comes one month after the funeral of Lumumba, who was elected last June and died Feb. 25.

Jackson lawyer Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the late mayor’s son, is on the ballot as is former Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.

Others on the ballot are City Council members Margaret Barrett-Simon, Tony Yarber and Melvin Priester Jr.; attorney Regina Quinn; state Sen. John Horhn; Francis Smith; Albert Wilson; Ken Swarts; John Reed; Rodrick Walker; and Gwendolyn Ward Osborne Chapman.

The candidates run without party affiliation.