Extremely low turnout affects race
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on October 7, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Goldsboro's mayoral race front-runner and current Mayor Pro-Tem Chuck Allen hugs his mother, Kay, as he tracks polling numbers that report his wide lead in the race throughout the night. Allen received 68.97 percent of the popular vote in the primary election.
News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Myelle Thompson sits in the McDonald's on Berkeley Boulevard late Tuesday as he learns that he will move on to Goldsboro's Nov. 3 mayoral election. Thompson is 21 years old, making him the youngest candidate running to be elected for any city office.
Current Mayor Pro-Tem Chuck Allen and 21-year-old contender Myelle Thompson will battle it out to become Goldsboro's next mayor on Nov. 3 after Tuesday night's primary election revealed the two candidates as the front-runners by popular vote.
Official polling numbers arrived at the Wayne County Board of Elections just after 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, revealing that Chuck Allen received 1,178 votes, Myelle Thompson received 218 votes, Henry Jinnette received 157 votes and D.A. Stuart received 155 votes, from a total of 1,727 ballots that were cast.
These counts will not be finalized until Oct. 13, when the remaining absentee ballots and provisional ballots are added to the count.
Jinnette and Stuart were in the board of elections' office when the official polling numbers were announced, combing over a printout provided to them by elections specialist Anne Risku-Smith.
After the men realized they had not moved on to the final election, they refused to provide a comment about the results other than they would both be waiting to see the voting numbers that are released on Oct. 13 after final counts for absentee ballots and provisional ballots are added to the totals.
"Doesn't mean a thing 'til it's final," Jinnette said. "The ballgame ain't over 'til it's over."
Any absentee ballot postmarked by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6, will be eligible to be counted in the primary election. Provisional ballots -- the legitimacy of which will be decided by the board of elections after they are reviewed -- will also be included in the final count.
About 30 people were gathered at the Lantern Inn Tuesday night, where Allen tracked the polls with the help of District 6 council member Gene Aycock, Mayor Al King and the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce's Director of Marketing and Events Lara Landers.
When reached by phone Tuesday night after the official primary numbers were released, Allen said he wanted to thank every person in the city who came out and voted in the primary election, as well as his team of supporters.
"I think people voted for me because of my experience on the (Goldsboro) city council, and because they know I am very passionate about my community and this city," Allen said.
Allen also commended the campaign tactics employed by the competition he will face in the final election, the 21-year-old Thompson, saying he was glad to be running against someone who ran a clean campaign.
"To my knowledge, Myelle Thompson did not run any smear campaigns during this (primary) election," Allen said. "And I can tell you that the other two (candidates), Jinnette and Stuart, both ran very unkind and slanderous campaigns."
Thompson was sitting in the McDonald's on North Berkeley Boulevard at 9:45 p.m., after attending a church service earlier in the evening, when he learned of the primary election results for the first time.
"I'm very excited, and I couldn't have it any other way," Thompson said. "I didn't doubt myself. There were moments that were tough, that left me scratching my head. But I pulled through. Now that I'm here, I'll continue to push forward."
Thompson said he intended to continue to get out and campaign as the city moves toward the general election on Nov. 3.
"I'll continue to show my face more and let people see me and hear my voice," Thompson said. "Now I just have to keep pushing. And I want people to know that no matter what, win or lose, I will continue to support my community."