Early voting underway for primary runoff
By Matthew Whittle
Published in News on June 6, 2008 1:45 PM
Early voting in the second state Senate District 5 Democratic primary kicked off with a bang Thursday, with 109 residents casting ballots at the Board of Elections office in Goldsboro.
"We're very happy that many showed an interest in our second primary," Wayne County elections director Vickie Reed said.
The race, which features Snow Hill Mayor Don Davis and state Board of Education member Kathy Taft of Greenville -- the two top vote-getters from the six-way May 6 primary -- will end on Tuesday, June 24 when polls open from 6:30 a.m to 7:30 p.m.
Until then, one-stop voting will be available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday, June 21, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the William Street elections office.
And, like during the first primary, same-day registration will be available during one-stop only.
Otherwise, the only people eligible to vote in this second primary will be registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters who voted in the Democratic primary or who did not vote.
Republicans and unaffiliated voters who voted in the Republican primary are not eligible.
The runoff was called for by Ms. Taft after she finished second to Davis with 24.13 percent of the vote, compared to his 35.81 percent -- shy of the 40 percent necessary to win outright.
In Wayne County, though, where 22 of 30 precincts will be voting, Davis won more than 39 percent of the vote, while Taft took home only 11.74 percent.
The district also includes all of Greene County and part of Pitt.
Currently it is represented by Sen. John Kerr, D-Wayne, who's retiring this year after more than two decades in the state General Assembly.