Ready for Election Day
By Steve Herring
Published in News on November 3, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Wayne County Board of Elections Director Rosemary Blizzard, on the phone with a local voter, tries to help find that person's correct voting precinct location for Tuesday's midterm election.
There are only a handful of local races to be decided when Wayne County voters go to the polls for Tuesday's mid-term election. By the end of 10 days of early voting Saturday afternoon, 17,140 people had cast their ballots at the county's five early-voting sites.
It is the tight U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Kay Hagan and Republican Thom Tillis, state House speaker, that has commanded most of the attention.
The polls will be open Tuesday from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at all of the county's 30 polling locations. People who are in line at 7:30 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
Of the 17,140 early voters, 8,631 were Democrats, 6,174 Republicans, 2,316 unaffiliated and 19 Libertarians.
Wayne County GOP Chairman Bob Jackson said he believes that Republicans will gain control of the U.S. Senate, but that the unknown factor is how the unaffiliated voted.
In local races, Jackson said he believes Republicans will take both the races for sheriff and district attorney. But he admits that the district attorney contest could be too close to call.
"I think (turnout) is a good sign for us," he said. "I think it is, so to speak, our turn. Normally off-year elections go against those in office."
Jackson said he believes more people are paying attention to what is going on in the country and that, as always, people vote their pocketbook.
Democratic Party Chairman Gene Britt could not be reached for comment prior to press time this morning.
The race to replace retiring District Attorney Branny Vickory pits co-workers Republican Matthew Delbridge and Democrat Terry Light, both of Goldsboro, against each other.
Sheriff Larry Pierce, a Republican who was appointed following the death of Sheriff Carey Winders, is being challenged by Democrat Glenn Barnes. Both are from Goldsboro.
There are two nonpartisan races for the Wayne County Board of Education. Longtime District 4 school board member John Grantham of Grantham is being challenged by Jennifer Strickland of Goldsboro. District 1 board member Chris West of Pikeville faces Phillip J. Sexton of Goldsboro.
School board members Arnold Flowers of Seven Springs, District 5, and Rick Pridgen of Goldsboro, District, 6 are unopposed in their re-election bids.
With one exception, all of the local candidates for the General Assembly are unopposed. That exception is state Senate District 7 where Sen. Louis Pate, a Mount Olive Republican, is being challenged by Democrat Erik Anderson of Winterville. The district includes portions of Wayne, Lenoir and Pitt counties.
Unopposed are District 5 Sen. Don Davis, Democrat; District 4 Rep. Jimmy Dixon, Republican; District 10 Rep. John Bell IV, Republican; and District 21 Rep. Larry Bell, Democrat.
Also unopposed are Wayne County Clerk of Court Pam Minshew, Democrat, of Princeton, and 8th Judicial District Judge Beth Heath of Kinston.
Wayne County Commissioners Ed Cromartie, Democrat, District 2, and Joe Gurley, Republican, District 4, are unopposed.
Cromartie was appointed to the board following the death of J.D. Evans, and Gurley was appointed to fill the seat left vacant when Steve Keen resigned to take an office in the governor's administration.
Both seats will be back up for election along with the rest of the board in 2016.
Running for a seat as Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor are Ronald Parks of Mount Olive and Philip Yelverton of Fremont.
Pikeville voters also have a local referendum that would permit the off-premises sale of beer.
Statewide, voters also will decide a constitutional amendment "providing that a person accused of any criminal offense for which the state is not seeking a sentence of death in superior court may, in writing or on the record in court and with the consent of the trial judge, waive the person's right to a trial by jury."
There are numerous races for the state Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. Those races are nonpartisan.
There are two U.S. House races as well.
First District Congressman G.K. Butterfield, a Democrat, is facing Republican Arthur Rich of Garland. And District 13 Republican Congressman George Holding is being opposed by Democrat Brenda Cleary.