Turnout high on first day to vote
By Steve Herring
Published in News on March 4, 2016 1:46 PM
More than 1,200 voters cast ballots Thursday during the first day of one-stop voting for the March 15 primary.
Democrats accounted for 639 of the voters, while 563 Republicans cast ballots. There were eight unaffiliated ballots and two Libertarians cast.
Whites outvoted blacks by well over a 2-to-1 margin, 803 to 373, and more women voted than men, 638 to 569.
The most votes cast Thursday were at the Goldsboro Worship Center, 407, followed by the Board of Elections office, 385, Little River Shopping Center, 279, and Mount Olive train depot, 141.
If voting continues at the same pace over the next nine days of one-stop, the turnout for the March 15 primary could hit 40 percent or higher, Wayne County Elections Director Dane Beavers said this morning.
And despite also being the first time that voters had to provide a photo ID, fewer than five of the 1,212 voters had to vote provisional ballots because of ID issues.
"It was a great turnout -- definitely ahead of any other primary," Beavers said. "We were expecting a little extra. It was a nice day. The weather was nice and people got out to vote.
"We are open this weekend and it would be a good chance to vote."
Several people took advantage of same-day registration and voting Thursday.
People can bring an electric bill, a government paycheck, phone bill or anything else that has their current address on it, and they will be able to register and vote the same day during early voting only.
One-stop voting continues through Saturday, March 12, at four locations: Board of Elections office, 209 S. William St.; Little River Square Shopping Center, 1310 W. Grantham Road; Goldsboro Worship Center, 900 W. New Hope Road; and the old train depot on West Main Street in Mount Olive.
The dates and times will be:
* March 4 and 7 to 11, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
* March 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
* March 6, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
* March 12, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Anyone can vote at any one-stop location.
All county polling locations will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on March 15.
Beavers said that most voters showed up with a photo ID in hand.
"There was a very low number of problems," he said.
Nor were any voters upset about having to furnish a photo ID, he said.
The few that did have issues providing a valid photo ID were allowed to vote a provisional ballot, he said.
"Everybody got a ballot," Beavers said. "As a reminder to voters this is a primary election and you get a ballot based on your party affiliation."
Some people wanted to vote for a specific candidate even though that person was not on their ballot, he said. Beavers also reminds voters to complete both sides of the ballot since the flip side on many ballots is where the vote is for a $2 billion statewide bond issue.
Also, he is also reminding people to vote in any congressional race that is on their ballot despite the state's recent court-ordered redrawing of district lines.