Primary Day is tomorrow across Columbus County.
Early voting wrapped up Saturday, with 2,202 of the county’s 36,170 registered voters casting a ballot.
On the ticket are several county commissioners seats, the Democrat nomination for sheriff, state and U.S. House and Senate nominees, and the mayor and three council seats in the city of Whiteville.
Polls open at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow in all precincts and are open until 7:30 p.m.
Statewide, more unaffiliated voters than usual are requesting Republican ballots over Democrat, the State Board of Elections said. Columbus County currently has more Republican and Unaffiliated voters than Democrats, following the national trend that began in the 2016 election year. During the 2018 races, Columbus put a Republican majority on the county commissioners board for the first time.
Columbus County currently has 15,283 registered Democrats, along with 10,088 Republicans and 10,696 unaffiliated voters. There are also 105 Libertarians registered here.
On the ballot are party nominees for County Commissioners races in Districts One and Seven, the Democrat nominee for the sheriff’s race, U.S. House and U.S. Senate, and several judgeships.
A total of four council seats are on the Whiteville municipal ballot. Incumbent Mayor Terry Mann and District Two Councilman Tim Collier are unopposed, and Emory Worley is unchallenged for the unexpired seat for District One.
There is a four way race between Helen Holden, Vickie Pait, J.E. Thompson and Guillame Slama for two District One seats. Holden and Pait are currently serving on the board, having been appointed to fill vacancies. One of those seats was previously held by Tim Blackmon, who did not file for reelection.
Incumbent Republicans Rep. Brenden Jones and Sen. Bill Rabon face no challengers in the primary, and will be the only candidates for their posts on the November ballot. Rabon will represent Columbus and Brunswick, due to the new redistricting maps. He is a native of Fair Bluff.
District Attorney Jon David and Clerk of Superior Court Jess Hill, both Republicans, face neither a primary challenger nor Democrat opposition in the fall.
Republican incumbent Sheriff Jody Greene will go up against Jason Soles or Victor Jacobs in the fall. Jacobs and Soles are vying for the Democrat nomination for sheriff.
There’s a three-way race for the Democrat nomination for District One on the county commission. Incumbent Jerome McMillian is being challenged by Marcus Norfleet and Barbara Featherson. No Republicans filed a primary bid in District One.
District Six Republican incumbent Ricky Bullard has no challenge in the primary, nor will there be a Democrat challenger on the November ballot.
Edward Squires filed a Democrat bid for the District Seven seat. He will face the winner of the three-way primary race between Republicans Ronald Gore, Scott Floyd and Mike Richardson. That seat is currently held by Charles McDowell, who did not seek reelection.
