Officials: Turnout low for off-year vote
By Steve Herring
Published in News on November 4, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Chief Judge Vickie Oman and laptop support Jerome Brooks check the list of materials being turned in by Oman from Precinct 29 Tuesday night at the Board of Elections warehouse.
For the first time in more than a decade Goldsboro will have a new mayor, but that is not the only change from Tuesday's municipal election -- four of the six-member City Council will be new as well.
Veteran District 5 Councilman Chuck Allen easily turned back challenges from Myelle Thompson, and a write-in campaign by D.A. Stuart, who also lost in the Oct. 6 primary, to win the mayor's office.
Allen won in all precincts garnering 1,695 votes (66.19 percent) to Thompson's 722 (28.19 percent).
There were 144 write-in votes (5.62 percent), but who those votes are for won't be known until later in the week.
All totals are unofficial until the vote canvass is conducted Tuesday morning at the Wayne County Board of Elections office at 209 S. William St.
Of the 42,717 registered voters countywide eligible for the municipal and sanitary district elections on the ballot only 3,956 (9.26 percent) cast ballots.
The 2,561 votes cast in the mayor's race reflect the overall turnout of about 10 percent. There were 22,054 eligible voters for that race.
"It was a fairly routine day," Wayne County Elections Director Dane Beavers said this morning. "Like I had expected, the weather probably played a factor (in the low turnout)."
Beavers said the only real problem Tuesday was explaining district to voters and why they received the ballots that they did.
"I was a little surprised that people with Goldsboro addresses thought they could vote for mayor even though they did not live in the city limits," he said. "Other than that things went pretty well."
Nine provisional and one supplemental absentee ballots were cast and will be counted during the canvass on Tuesday.
A voter is allowed to cast a provisional ballot when there is a question about their eligibility.
Supplemental absentee ballots are properly executed absentees received in person on election day or postmarked by 5 p.m. on Election Day and received by the Board of Elections no later than the Friday following the election.
Only two of the five City Council incumbents running for re-election retained their seats.
In District 2, Councilman Bill Broadaway had 420 votes (76.92 percent) to Troy Mitchell's 118 (21.61 percent). There were 8 write-ins (1.47 percent).
Gene Aycock handily turned back Linda Harper by 332 votes (62.29 percent) to 198 (37.15 percent) to retain his District 6 seat. There were 3 write-ins (0.56 percent).
Incumbents did not fare as well in three other districts.
Antonio M. Williams defeated District 1 Councilman Michael Headen. Williams had 167 votes (59.22 percent) to 110 (39.01 percent). There were 5 write-ins (1.77 percent).
Mark A. Stevens had 164 votes (47.26 percent) to win the District 3 seat. Van Arthur Anderson had 31 votes (8.93 percent). Incumbent William Goodman ran a write-in campaign. There were 152 write-in ballots cast (43.80 percent), but who actually received those votes will not known until Thursday.
Bevan J. Foster defeated District 4 Councilman Charles J. Williams by 230 votes (55.69 percent) to 170 (41.16 percent). There were 13 write-ins (3.15 percent).
David Ham, who was unopposed in District 5 (Allen's current district), had 287 votes (92.58 percent). There were 23 write-ins (7.42 percent).
The new City Council members will be sworn in on Monday, Dec. 7.
It will be Thursday at the earliest before the unofficial outcome of several races in Eureka, Seven Springs and Pikeville will be available because they are being decided by write-in candidates.
No one filed for the three board seats up for election in Eureka, but 62 write-in votes were cast.
In Seven Springs, Commissioner Karla Griffin, who had 15 votes (24.19 percent) was the only candidate to file for one of the three open board seats.
There were 47 write-in votes (75.81 percent).
Stephen Potter, who was unopposed for mayor, had 25 votes.
Two unexpired terms were on the ballot in Pikeville, but Commissioner Lyman G. Galloway was the only candidate.
Galloway had 33 votes (84.62 percent). There also were 6 write-ins (15.38 percent).
MOUNT OLIVE
Goldsboro's board isn't the only one that will be changing -- two new members will be joining the Mount Olive Town Board.
At-large Commissioner Ray Thompson, who has served on the board since 1999, lost his re-election bid to newcomer Jerry L. Harper.
Harper pulled in 188 votes (54.81 percent) to Thompson's 155 (45.19 percent).
Harlie Jr. Carmichael defeated Danny King 63 votes (63 percent) to 36 (36 percent) in District 2. Incumbent Commissioner Jerry Armstrong did not seek re-election.
Mayor Ray McDonald Sr., who was unopposed, had 286 votes (97.61 percent). There were 7 write-ins (2.39 percent).
Commissioners Kenny Talton, District 1, Tom Preston, District 3 and Joe Scott, District 4, were all unopposed.
Talton had 84 votes.
Preston, who was appointed to the board in July to complete the unexpired term of George Fulghum, who died in February, had 64 votes.
Scott had 66 votes (97.06 percent). There were 2 write-ins (2.94 percent).
FREMONT
There will be one change on the Fremont board where five of the six board members were unopposed.
In the only contested race, Joyce Monica Artis defeated District 4 Commissioner Harold Cuddington 40 votes (57.97 percent) to 29 (42.03 percent).
Mayor Darron Flowers topped Keith L. Spivey by 155 votes (75.24 percent) to 51 (24.76 percent).
District 1 Commissioner Al Lewis had 23 votes (92 percent). There were 2 write-ins (8 percent).
District 2 Commissioner Leon Mooring had 36 votes (92.31 percent). There were 3 write-ins (7.69 percent).
In District 3, Commissioner W.T. Smith received 34 votes (97.14 percent). There was 1 write-in (2.86 percent).
District 5 Commissioner Joyce C. Reid got 9 votes (81.82 percent). There were 2 write-ins (18.18 percent).
And in District 6, Commissioner Annie Lewis received 17 votes.
PIKEVILLE
Commissioner Charles Hooks III (37 votes, 34.91 percent), Robert Hooks (33 votes, 31.13 percent) and Steve West (32 votes, 30.19 percent) were unopposed. There also were 4 write-ins (3.77 percent).
WALNUT CREEK
Cyndi Fallin Dupuy, Danny Jackson (who is currently serving as mayor) and incumbent Greg Ricker were the only three candidates for the three open seats.
Ms. Dupuy led with 86 votes (35.25 percent) followed by Ricker with 78 (31.97 percent) and Jackson with 77 (31.56 percent). There were 3 write-ins (1.23 percent).
SANITARY DISTRICTS
Fork Township: The two at-large seats were won by Andy G. Hartley (incumbent) with 144 votes (25.90 percent) and Beverly Perkins Keen with 140 (25.18 percent). Other candidates were David Jackson (incumbent), 135 votes (24.28 percent); Sherwood E. Daily, 75 (13.49 percent); Russell Lee Wiggins, 34 (6.12 percent) and Jane Lee Williford, 28 (5.04 percent).
Northwestern Wayne: Four of the five at-large seats were won by David Pittman, 42 votes (22.95 percent); Danny Tillman, 40 (21.86 percent); Walter Fred Bridgers, 39 (21.31 percent); James S. Kirby, 39 (21.31 percent) -- all of whom are incumbents. There were 23 write-in votes (12.57 percent) that will fill the fifth seat.
Southern Wayne: The three at-large seats were won by Kevin Jones, 101 votes (25.90 percent); Efton Sager, 91 votes (23.33 percent) and Marty Shaw (incumbent), 91 votes (23.33 percent). Scott T. Ingram had 90 votes (23.08 percent) and Jesse Jernigan, 17 votes (4.36 percent).
Southwestern Wayne: The five at-large seats were won by David A. Bennett, 57 votes (19.93 percent); Jimmy B. Cox, 57 votes (19.93 percent); Daryll E. Overton, 57 votes (19.93 percent); Alan Lumpkin, 56 (19.58 percent) and Ruby Gail Minchew, 50 (17.48 percent), all of whom are incumbents. There were 9 write-ins (3.15 percent).