NATCHEZ — The deadline for qualifying has been extended to noon today for anyone wishing to add their name to the ballot for the upcoming city elections.

The City Clerk’s office is open from 8 a.m. until noon today for last-minute candidate qualifications for city elections.

Voter registration is also ongoing until noon.

Natchez City Clerk Donnie Holloway said the deadline was extended until Saturday with the advisement of the Attorney General’s Office to make up for the day lost because of the leap year. Holloway said qualifying must be open for 30 days.

Those who qualified by Friday are:

Mayor

• Larry L. “Butch” Brown, Democrat

• Bill Furlow, Independent

• Jake Middleton, Democrat

• Phillip West, Democrat

Natchez Board of Aldermen

• Ward 1: Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, Democrat

• Ward 2: Billie Joe Frazier and James “Rickey” Gray, both Democrats

• Ward 3: Gwen Ball, Democrat, and Bob Pollard, Republican, Sarah Carter Smith, Democrat

• Ward 4: Ernest “Tony” Fields, Democrat

• Ward 5: Mark Fortenbery, Democrat

• Ward 6: Dianne P. Brown and Dan Dillard, both Democrats

City Clerk

• Temple Hendricks and Donnie Holloway, both Democrats

Municipal Judge

• Jim Blough, Democrat

The city has yet to receive pre-clearance of its redistricting plan from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Holloway announced at Tuesday’s aldermen meeting that elections would continue as scheduled under the current ward lines.

The primary election is May 1. The general election is June 5.