Canvass results in minor changes
By Steve Herring
Published in News on May 21, 2018 5:50 AM
There were only a few minor changes as the result of Friday's canvass of the May 8 primary, but not enough to change the outcome of any of the three races before Wayne County voters.
Just 3,324 out of the 54,696 (6.08 percent) of the eligible Wayne County voters cast ballots in the primary that decided two Democratic races and one nonpartisan race.
In the nonpartisan Wayne County Board of Education District 6 race, incumbent board member Rick Pridgen of Goldsboro and Wade Leatham of Goldsboro garnered enough votes to advance to the Nov. 6 general election.
Raymond Smith of Goldsboro defeated Eugene Pearsall of Faison to claim the Democratic nomination in N.C. House District 21.
In the only other primary, Dr. Kyle Horton of Kure Beach had a 2-to-1 advantage over Grayson Parker of Goldsboro for the Democratic nomination for U.S House District 7.
"There were a couple of little votes that were adjusted for a couple of unqualified voters, but overall everything stayed the same," said Dane Beavers, Wayne County elections director.
"We canvassed, and it is a done deal. There are no surprises."
Preparations are underway now for the Nov. 6 general election, but several unknowns remain, he said.
"We are still waiting to see what they (state) are going to do about the judicial races," Beavers said. "They would have filed in January with everybody else, but I don't even know what the plan is now.
"The only filing period I know for sure we have is in July. We open up for three weeks for the soil and water conservation district seats."
Beavers said he has not had any official notice about the judicial races, but that it was his understanding candidates would file and there would be no primary prior to the general election.
"Of course, they all file in Raleigh," he said. "So it doesn't have a really big effect on us locally."
In the school board race, Pridgen had 434 votes (43.27 percent) to 432 (43.07 percent) for Leatham. They will square off against one another in the Nov. 6 general election.
Joe Brown of Dudley received 137 votes (13.66 percent).
Smith defeated Pearsall 1,511 votes (53.17 percent) to 1,331 (46.83 percent) to win the nomination for N.C. House District 21.
Smith, 54, the at-large member on the Wayne County Board of Education, will face Republican Robert Freeman of Goldsboro in November.
Smith had 1,249 votes (59.48 percent) to 851 (40.52 percent) for Pearsall in Wayne County.
Pearsall carried his home county of Sampson with 851 votes (64.69 percent) to 262 (35.31 percent) for Smith
The seat is currently held by longtime Democratic Rep. Larry Bell of Clinton, who did not seek re-election.
Horton had 21,494 votes (67 percent) to 10,587 (33 percent) for Parker.
Horton will challenge incumbent Republican Rep. David Rouzer in the Nov. 6 general election.
Parker carried Wayne County 1,391 votes (50.55 percent) to 1,361 (49.45 percent) for Horton.
He also carried Johnston County 693 (54.18 percent) to 586 (45.82 percent) and Sampson County 1,406 (51.82 percent) to 1,307 (48,18 percent).
Horton carried Bladen County, 762 (75.52 percent) to 247 (24.48 percent); Brunswick County, 3,467 (82.98 percent) to 711 (17.02 percent); Columbus County, 2,050 (54.56 percent) to 1,707 (45.44 percent); Duplin County, 1,824 (50.47 percent) to 1,790 (49.53 percent); New Hanover, 8,781 (81.52 percent) to 1,991 (18.48 percent); and Pender County, 1,356 (67.56) to 651 (32.44 percent).