134 cast ballots in second primary early voting
by Kellen Moore and Anna Oakes
As anticipated, a small percentage of registered voters in
Watauga County have turned out to cast ballots in early voting for the second primary election thus
far, with 134 people voting as of midday Thursday, Watauga Elections Director Jane Hodges
said.
Early voting in the second primary, which features runoff races for statewide executive offices but no local candidates in Watauga, continues until Saturday, July 14, at 1 p.m. at the Watauga County Courthouse.
Election day is from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 17, at all 20 precinct polling locations in the county.
All registered Democrats, Republicans or unaffiliated voters can vote in the second primary election; however, if they voted in the first primary on May 8, they must select the same party ballot during the second primary as they did in the first primary.
Those who voted on nonpartisan or Libertarian ballots in the first primary are not eligible to vote on the Democratic or Republican ballots in the second primary.
On the Republican ballot will be runoffs between Dan Forest and Tony Gurley for lieutenant governor; Richard Morgan and Mike Causey for insurance commissioner; Kenn Gardner and Ed Goodwin for secretary of state; and John Tedesco and Richard Alexander for superintendent of public instruction.
Marlowe Foster and John C. Brooks face off to be the Democratic Party's candidate for commissioner of labor in November.
Under General Statutes 163-111, the second highest vote-getter in a primary election can request a second primary if no candidate receives more than 40 percent of the total votes cast.
For more information, call (828) 265-8061.
Soil & Water Conservation District
No one in Watauga County filed for the one open seat on the Soil and Water Conservation District Board before the filing deadline at noon Friday, Hodges said.
That office will now appear as a single write-in space on the November ballot, and the highest vote-getter will be declared elected, she said.
Hodges said she was not aware of another time in Watauga County when no one filed for a Soil and Water seat.
Tracy Taylor, whose seat is up for a vote, said she does intend to run as a write-in candidate after encountering problems that prevented her from filing by the deadline.
Taylor, who owns a landscaping company and tree farm, said she also has served as membership chairwoman for the N.C. Christmas Tree Association and has served on the Watauga County Christmas Tree Association.
The Soil and Water Conservation District Board serves to assist and educate local landowners about best practices and resources to maintain the quality of soil and water, Taylor said.
"There's a lot out there that we can definitely benefit from," she said. "It's just a matter of educating and bringing that information to people in our community."
The Soil and Water Conservation District board meets once a month and attends district meetings twice a year, as well as state meetings once a year.
Three of the board members are elected to four-year terms, while the other two are appointed at the state level. Board members are reimbursed for travel costs, but do not receive any other compensation, Chairman Denny Norris said.
UPDATE: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that only those who voted on Democratic or Republican ballots during the first primary election May 8 will be eligible to vote in the second primary. All registered Democrats, Republicans or unaffiliated voters could vote in the second primary election; however, if they voted in the first primary on May 8, they were required to select the same party ballot during the second primary as they did in the first primary. We regret the mistake and apologize for any confusion it may have caused.
Early voting in the second primary, which features runoff races for statewide executive offices but no local candidates in Watauga, continues until Saturday, July 14, at 1 p.m. at the Watauga County Courthouse.
Election day is from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 17, at all 20 precinct polling locations in the county.
All registered Democrats, Republicans or unaffiliated voters can vote in the second primary election; however, if they voted in the first primary on May 8, they must select the same party ballot during the second primary as they did in the first primary.
Those who voted on nonpartisan or Libertarian ballots in the first primary are not eligible to vote on the Democratic or Republican ballots in the second primary.
On the Republican ballot will be runoffs between Dan Forest and Tony Gurley for lieutenant governor; Richard Morgan and Mike Causey for insurance commissioner; Kenn Gardner and Ed Goodwin for secretary of state; and John Tedesco and Richard Alexander for superintendent of public instruction.
Marlowe Foster and John C. Brooks face off to be the Democratic Party's candidate for commissioner of labor in November.
Under General Statutes 163-111, the second highest vote-getter in a primary election can request a second primary if no candidate receives more than 40 percent of the total votes cast.
For more information, call (828) 265-8061.
Soil & Water Conservation District
No one in Watauga County filed for the one open seat on the Soil and Water Conservation District Board before the filing deadline at noon Friday, Hodges said.
That office will now appear as a single write-in space on the November ballot, and the highest vote-getter will be declared elected, she said.
Hodges said she was not aware of another time in Watauga County when no one filed for a Soil and Water seat.
Tracy Taylor, whose seat is up for a vote, said she does intend to run as a write-in candidate after encountering problems that prevented her from filing by the deadline.
Taylor, who owns a landscaping company and tree farm, said she also has served as membership chairwoman for the N.C. Christmas Tree Association and has served on the Watauga County Christmas Tree Association.
The Soil and Water Conservation District Board serves to assist and educate local landowners about best practices and resources to maintain the quality of soil and water, Taylor said.
"There's a lot out there that we can definitely benefit from," she said. "It's just a matter of educating and bringing that information to people in our community."
The Soil and Water Conservation District board meets once a month and attends district meetings twice a year, as well as state meetings once a year.
Three of the board members are elected to four-year terms, while the other two are appointed at the state level. Board members are reimbursed for travel costs, but do not receive any other compensation, Chairman Denny Norris said.
UPDATE: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that only those who voted on Democratic or Republican ballots during the first primary election May 8 will be eligible to vote in the second primary. All registered Democrats, Republicans or unaffiliated voters could vote in the second primary election; however, if they voted in the first primary on May 8, they were required to select the same party ballot during the second primary as they did in the first primary. We regret the mistake and apologize for any confusion it may have caused.