District 6 re-election underway
By Matt Shaw
Published in News on March 23, 2004 2:05 PM
Voting got off to a smooth, albeit slow, start this morning in the rematch for the final seat on the Goldsboro City Council.
Seven county precincts opened at 6:30 a.m. for the rematch of Danny Roseborough and Jackie Warrick in Goldsboro's District 6. As of 10:30 a.m., nearly 500 people had voted, including early one-stop, and no problems had been reported at any of the polling places.
News-Argus/Kaye Nesbit
Theresa Freeman casts her vote at the Family Y polling place this morning.
Gary Sims, elections director for Wayne County, expected between 600-800 people to have voted by the time polling closes at 7:30 tonight. That would be in the range of a 20-percent turnout, about normal for a municipal election.
But a late surge in voting could still happen, he said.
"The public is definitely aware of this election. There's been a lot of information in the newspaper and on the radio, and I know both the candidates have been out there working," Sims said.
Clear weather should only help, he added. "Rain and snow sometimes keep people home, but the cold shouldn't. They're used to voting in November, after all."
Voting was brisk at the Family Y, a precinct with nearly half the district's residents. A voter was waiting when the precinct opened, said chief judge Doris Colclough-Hardy. More than 100 people had been through by 9:40 a.m.
"It's been going great. We're looking at a good turnout," she said.
Violet Cox-Wingo said, "This is very important to me. I always exercise my option to vote," as she emerged from the precinct.
She was happy to cast her vote for Roseborough, whose stance on the civic center had impressed her, she said. "I agree that this has gone on long enough. A decision needs to be made."
Another voter, who asked not to be identified, said that she had voted for Warrick, who she believes was the actual winner of the first election.
Roseborough, deputy executive director for the Eastern Carolina Regional Housing Authority, and Warrick, a retired Goldsboro police chief, first faced off in November. Roseborough seemed to win the election and the right to replace Councilman Delmus Bridgers.
But problems with write-in ballots caused some people's votes to be counted twice. In December, the State Board of Elections ruled the election process had been tainted and ordered a new election.
The county elections office has instituted new training procedures intended to avoid a repeat of the problems with center-bin ballots.
The District 6 precincts are Saulston Fire Station, New Hope Fire Station, the Family Y, Oak Forest Road Church, New Hope Friends Church, Greenwood Middle School and Goldsboro Wesleyan Church.
Anyone with elections questions can call the Board of Elections at 731-1411.