Few head to polls for head start on voting
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 27, 2009 1:46 PM
As of Monday morning, only 26 people had taken advantage of the early one-stop early voting that began Oct. 15 for the Nov. 3 municipal elections.
One-stop voting site will continue through Saturday at the Wayne County Board of Elections office, 209 S. William St. The hours will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The votes have "been scattered" across the county, but no one from Mount Olive or Fremont has yet to vote one-stop, she said.
"I was really surprised by the low turnout," elections Director Vickie Reed said this morning. "I would have thought that people would have more interest in their local elections."
During the last municipal elections, which included Goldsboro, there was a 32 percent turnout.
Despite the low turnout, state law requires that the one-stop site remain open through Saturday, Ms. Reed said.
The polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
Along with electing a mayor and two commissioners, Pikeville voters also will decide on three referendums, all dealing with alcoholic beverages, to vote on.
The measures are to permit on-premises sale of malt beverages by Class A hotels, motels, and restaurants only and to permit off-premises sales by others; off-premises sale only of malt beverages; and on-premises and off-premises sale of unfortified wine.
Several changes have been made in polling locations for the Nov. 3 election.
The Precinct 5 site has been moved from Belfast Holiness Church, 3093 U.S. 117 North to the Woodmen of the World building, 3733 U.S. 117.
Precinct 6 has moved from the Saulston Fire Station, 511 Saulston Road, to Saulston United Methodist Church, 4620 Wayne Memorial Drive.
In Mount Olive, Precinct 25 is being transferred temporarily from the Civic Center, 108 W. Main St., to the fire station, 401 Northwest Center St. Precinct 30 has moved from the old Carver High School on South Breazeale Avenue to the First United Methodist Church, 120 E. James St.
Precinct 22 is being transferred temporarily to Precinct 12. Only voters eligible to vote in the Eastern Wayne Sanitary District will vote there. The polling place is moving from Faith Alliance Church, 3203 Cashwell Drive to Oak Forest Church of Christ, 401 N. Oak Forest Road, Goldsboro.
Following are the list of candidates in the election. An "i" next to the name denotes an incumbent.
Eureka:
No one filed for the mayoral seat now held by Steven Howell or for the two board seats. Billy Martin holds one of those seats. The other was left vacant by the death of Wayne Taylor. The election will be decided by write-ins. If there are none, the town board could make appointments.
Mount Olive:
*Mayor: Ray McDonald Sr. (i); James Mayo.
*Commissioners: Ray Thompson (i), at-large, Kenny Talton (i), District 1; Hosea Manley (i), District 2; George Fulghum, District 3; Gene Lee (i), District 4.
Pikeville:
*Mayor: Herbert Sieger (i); Johnny Weaver
*Commissioner (two seats): Lyman Galloway (i), Ward Kellum, Edith McClenny (i), Charles Lee McGrady, Regina Wassenhove.
Seven Springs:
*Mayor: Stephen Potter (i).
*Commissioners (two seats): Lisa Cash (i). Commissioner Rodoph Adams died after filing for re-election. No one filed when the filing period was reopened. The seat could be decided by write-in or by board appointment.
Walnut Creek:
*Council members (two seats): Darrell Horne (i), Russell Prys.
Belfast-Patetown Sanitary District (five seats): Joe Brown (i), Benjamin Casey Jr. (i), Landis Davis (i), Fred Newcomb (i), Charles Ray Sullivan (i).
Eastern Wayne Sanitary District Board (five seats): Daryl Anderson (i), Walter Bean (i), Brandon Gray, Kivett Ivey (i), Billie Lee (i), Carl Mozingo (i).
Fork Township Sanitary District (three seats): Henry Braswell (i), Gary Holland, Donald Neal (i), George Taylor (i), Wayne Westbrook.
Southeastern Wayne Sanitary District (five seats): Sam Casey (i), Charlie Holloway (i), Bobby Outlaw (i), Edith Smith (i), James Taylor (i), Sally Rawls Bowles (i), Dale Gainey (i).