Detroiters will vote Tuesday in a primary election to choose two candidates who will run to fill the Detroit City Council seat left vacant by the death of councilwoman Brenda Scott.

The polls opened at 7 a.m. and will remain open until 8 p.m. Absentee ballots must be returned to the Detroit Department of Elections by Tuesday.

Sixteen candidates are running in Tuesday's primary election. The field will then be narrowed to two candidates for a special election scheduled for April 29.

City Clerk Jackie Currie informed council members in January of the available dates for the special elections, and also stated that the elections would cost $3 million.

The $3-million tab was arrived at while Currie was preparing her 2003-2004 budget request. The amount will cover the costs of the elections, including printing ballots and hiring polling workers. All polling locations in the city will be opened and staffed for the elections to fill the vacancy. There are 620 polling locations in the city of Detroit.

Scott (pictured, above), 47, died Sept. 2, 2002, just three days after undergoing a popular stomach-reduction procedure in a Port Huron hospital. Scott died from an infection in her stomach lining, according to the medical examiner's autopsy.

More Information:

Voter Registration Information: www.publius.org
Detroit Department Of Elections: (313) 876-0190