Fewer than 20 percent of the county’s registered voters who were eligible to cast a ballot in Tuesday’s municipal elections went to the polls this year.
No write-in candidates won, but Mickey Mouse, My Dog, and other write-in candidate names were found on ballots Tuesday, including some that may been considered protests or commentary.
Every municipality in the county had seats on the ballot for mayor or governing board. State figures show 19.1 percent, or 1,738 of the 9,089 municipal voters, took advantage of the early polls or turned out on Election Day. Off-year municipal races are typically among the lowest turnout.
Of the ballots cast, 33 were provisional ballots. Provisionals are cast when a voter’s information cannot be verified. Under the new state Voter ID law, voters without a valid photo ID are allowed to cast a provisional ballot, which is then counted during the county canvass Nov. 17. Election results are not official until after the canvass. When the absentees and provisionals have been counted, Elections Supervisor Ashley Collins said, candidates with a one percent difference in vote tallies may ask for a recount.
Based on just the ballots that have been counted, Collins said, some candidates in Bolton and Chadbourn could ask for a recount.
“That won’t be for certain until the canvass,” she said.
Tuesday’s municipal elections were a mixed bag for incumbents and newcomers.
Among the contested local races, unofficial results for governing board races in Bolton and Chadbourn could lead to at least a recount request.
In Chadbourn, Tony Jordan took first place in the hot town council election, with 168 votes, followed by Danny Clewis with 166 and Tootie Faulk with 164. Antonio Ashley earned 158.
Controversial Town Councilman James Green came in last with 152. Three seats were on the ballot in Chadbourn this year.
Write-in votes in Chadbourn included Tuclan Ward, Derita Graham, William Schalk, Christopher Rector and Shanna Williamson with one each. Mickey Mouse also received two write-in votes in Chadbourn.
Green had been targeted by critics after receiving a major contract to renovate the town park, then falling through on the project and not repaying the full amount.
Incumbent Chadbourn Mayor Phillip Britt came out on top in a hard race with Myles Cartrette, 168 to 133, with Ruth Hayne earning 34 votes.
Bolton’s board of aldermen also had three seats open. Incumbent Ruth Waddell earned 61, while Cynthia Mitchell received 56 votes, Randolph Pringle 48, Eugene Neal 47, and Jimmy Bowen 37.
Bolton Mayor Shawn Maynor was unopposed and got 81 ballots, but former mayor Frank Wilson, Gary Graham, Nathaniel Gibbs, and Donald Foreman all received one write-in vote each for mayor.
In Whiteville, Josh Harris handily won a district one seat on city council, scoring 223 votes to secure first place in a field of five competing for two seats. Incumbent Kevin Williamson took 159 votes for second place. Fellow incumbent Emory Worley came in third with 135, followed by Alex Meeks with 67 and Shaq Davis with 60.
District Two Councilman Jimmy Clarida and Mayor Terry Mann were unopposed. Clarida received 75 votes, while Davis received one write in vote for that seat. Mann Gathered 363 votes. For mayor, J.E. Thompson got three write-ins, while Franklin Thurman, Jesse Hill, Josh Harris, John Kennedy, Hillary Melvin, Bo Shaw, and sitting Councilman Tim Collier each received one write-in. Another write-in was listed as going for “Some,” with no full name.
Sandyfield Mayor Garry Dixon held his seat with 88 votes, with former Mayor Perry Dixon receiving one write-in for the town’s top job. Randolph Keaton, Joe Brown and Azalie Graham were reelected, with 84, 66, and 57 votes each. Write-ins for Sandyfield included Larry Webb with 17, Pam Hudson with two, Jackie Brown with one, and one blank.
In Tabor City, Royce Harper was unopposed for mayor, but “My Dog” received a vote as a write-in, along with Roman, New Person, Bugs Bunny and another blank. Adrian Hughes received three write-in votes, David Keyes two, and single write-ins went to Todd Lovett, Timothy LaRue Fowler, Nathan Broce and Emory Cox, who was running for town council. Kelly Beck and David Mincey won the two open seats there, with 233 and 227 votes, comfortably defeating Emory Cox with 62 and Nelson Lee with 174.
Shirley Moore and Jason Elleby earned two seats on the Brunswick town board, with 68 and 66 votes respectively, defeating Jackie Williams-Rowland with 44 and Everlene Davis with 49. Ricky Mason defeated Curtis Hill 69-56 for the unexpired term on the board.
In Cerro Gordo, Mayor David White received 23 votes. Brenda McKenzie won the open seat there with 17 votes, followed by David Prince with 14 and Pamela Specht with eight.
At Lake Waccamaw, West Ward Commissioner Terry Littrell received 96 percent of the vote for his incumbent run, gathering 107 votes. Single write-ins were recorded for Paul Pope, Berry Nye, Jason Young, and Robert Lewis. In the Lake’s east ward, Karl Bracey received 93 votes, followed by single write-ins for Nancy Ricks, Dan E. Smith, David Scott, Kelly Edens, Rosemary Dorsey (who resigned from the board last year), and Anthony Martin. Another Blank write-in was recorded.
Spruell Britt was voted back in as mayor of Fair Bluff, with 94 votes versus a blank write-in. Kathy Horne Ashley and Ralph Daniel McCoy were reelected to the town board, with 93 votes each, followed by Rob Taylor with seven and a write-in for Nathan Jarvis.
