Voter turnout numbers high
By Melinda Harrell
Published in News on November 5, 2016 10:17 PM
As early voting came to a close Saturday, a better picture developed of how many voters have been casting ballots in Wayne County.
The overall voter turnout in the county amounted to 33,769 out of the 75,768 total register voters Saturday afternoon, which accounts for a little more than 44 percent of the county's electorate.
The overall percentage reflects party support as well, with 46 percent of Democrats in the county casting ballots (15,439 of the 33,375) and a bit more than 50 percent of the county's Republicans (12,189 of the 24,091).
In true swing-voter fashion -- which has garnered increased campaigning in the county and the state as a whole-- the Wayne County electorate is also populated with unaffiliated voters that could vote Republican, Democrat or mix their ballot, making the outcome of the county leanings unpredictable, and with nearly 24 percent of the county registered as unaffiliated, predicting a strong leaning to the left or right is not likely to be accurate.
Six thousand and sixty-five out of 18,031 unaffiliated voters cast ballots during the early voting in the county and only 76 of the 271 registered libertarians voted so far.
Demographically, whites turned out the highest, casting 20,779 ballots, with blacks voting at a little more than half that total, casting 10,881 ballots.
One-hundred and fifty-six registered Asian voters used early voting as well as 132 multi-racial voters and 61 American Indians, with the remaining undetermined or other race voters casting 1,760 ballots.
On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 30 polling places across the county will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
WHO'S ON
THE BALLOT
With polling places being open across Wayne County voters will be choosing who will serve on the Wayne County Board of Education in the at-large seat, which is a race between Raymond Smith Jr. and Ven Faulk. In Wayne County School District 3 voters will have a choice between Trebor Jackson or Patricia Burden. The school District 2 race is uncontested with Len Henderson as the only candidate.
All the members of the Wayne County Board of Commissioners will be on the ballot, but all face no opposition. The same is true of the register of deeds position and a soil and water conservation district supervisor seat.
Voters will choose between incumbent district court judge Annette Turik, who was appointed to fill the term of the late Tim Finan, and challenger Curtis Stackhouse. The race is nonpartisan.
County voters also will also be weighing in on the North Carolina governor's race between incumbent Republican Pat McCrory, Democratic challenger Roy Cooper and Libertarian Lon Cecil; the North Carolina lieutenant governor's race with incumbent Republican Dan Forest, Democratic challenger Linda Coleman and Libertarian Jacki Cole; as well as the state attorney general's race, which was vacated by Cooper, with Republican Buck Newton and Democrat Josh Stein vying for the seat.
The only challenge in the North Carolina General Assembly race on the ballot in Wayne County is the House District 10 post, with incumbent Republican Rep. John Bell being challenged by Democratic candidate Evelyn Paul.
Wayne County voters will also be asked to choose their next representative in the United States House, which is the District 7 race between David Rouzer, the Republican incumbent, and J. Wesley Casteen, the Democratic challenger.
Voters will also be casting ballots to decide who will serve as one of two U.S. senators, a race between incumbent Republican Richard Burr and Democratic challenger Deborah Ross, as well as the presidential race between Republican Donald Trump, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Libertarian Gary Johnson.