One-stop voting starts Thursday across county
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 13, 2010 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MICHAEL BETTS
Wayne County Board of Elections Director Vickie Reed shows a sample ballot and explains how one-stop voting is done. To see what your ballot will look like, go to NewsArgus.com.
One-stop voting for the Nov. 2 general election will get under way Thursday morning at three locations in Wayne County and will continue through Oct. 30.
The sites will be located at the Wayne County Public Library, 1001 E. Ash St. Goldsboro, Woodmen of the World building, 3733 U.S. 117 North, Goldsboro, and on the former Carver High School campus, 612 S. Breazeale Ave., Mount Olive.
The dates and times will be:
* Oct. 14 and 15, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
* Oct. 18-22, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
* Oct. 25-29, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
* Oct. 30, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sample ballots are available on the News-Argus website, NewsArgus.com.
One difference that voters will notice on the ballot is the new instant runoff or alternate vote that will be used for selecting a state Court of Appeals judge from a field of 13 candidates. The voting system eliminates the need to postpone announcing a winner and of holding a costly and traditionally low turnout runoff election.
Officials say the procedure is simple: Voters will mark their first choice just as they have done in previous elections. They may also select their second and third choices for the seat in order of preference. Only the first choices are tallied in the initial count.
If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the initial count and are certified as the winner at the vote canvass then no further counting will be required.
If no candidate receives enough first-choice votes to reach the majority threshold (more than 50 percent), the first two candidates move into the instant runoff. The winner is determined by adding any second- or third-choice to their initial vote totals.
Following the counting, the candidate with the most first- and second-round total votes wins the election.
Along with voting at a one-stop site, registered voters may update their address and change information on an existing registration record and new voters may complete a voter registration form and vote. However, they can vote only at a one-stop site in the county of registration during the one-stop voting period and not on Election Day.
To register, a person must go to a one-stop voting site in their county of residence during the one-stop voting period and complete a voter registration application. They must provide proof of residency by showing identification with their current name and current address.
Acceptable forms of identification with current address include:
* North Carolina driver's license
* utility bill
* telephone or mobile phone bill
* electric or gas bill
* cable television bill
* water or sewage bill.
Also acceptable are documents with the person's name and current address from a local, state or U.S. government agency, such as:
* passport
* government-issued photo ID
* U.S. military ID
* license to hunt, fish, own a gun, etc.
* property or other tax bill
* automotive or vehicle registration
* certified documentation of naturalization
* public housing or Social Service Agency document
* check, invoice, or letter from a government agency
* birth certificate
* student photo ID along with a document from the school showing the student's name and current address
* paycheck or paycheck stub from an employer or a W-2 statement
* bank statement or bank-issued credit card statement.