Early voting is keeping pollworkers busy in Columbus, as 6,011 Columbus residents had cast ballots by close of business Monday.
Statewide, more than 1.3 million ballots have been cast. Republican and unaffiliated voters are taking advantage of the early option this year. Columbus County has more than 37,000 registered voters, including 13,377 Democrats, 11,474 Republicans, and 12,270 unaffiliated registrants.
State and national political observers have noted that President Donald Trump may be playing a role in the national trend of increased early voting this year. In 2020, Trump dissuaded Republicans from using early polls and absentee by mail ballot, due to the possibility of tampering. During this election cycle, Trump, gubernatorial Mark Robinson and other prominent Republican candidates have encouraged early voting.
“You know I don’t like early voting,” Robinson said at an event in Whiteville recently, “but it’s here. We need to use it.”
Voters on both sides of the aisle have been following that advice in Columbus County.
In 2022, an off-year election, 1,100 early votes were cast for the entire period. In 2020, the last presidential election, 17,082 voters went to the early polls, while 2,116 mail-in absentees were recorded. Election Day saw just over 7,000 voters at the traditional polls.
So far this election, daily totals show big turnouts at the county’s five early voting stations. On Thursday, 1,946 voters were at the polls for opening day. Friday saw 3,568, Saturday 4,304, and Sunday, 6,011.
Short lines have been reported at some early polls in Columbus County during peak times. Few voters have had long wait times, according to elections Supervisor Ashley Collins.
Columbus County has five early voting locations: the county board of elections office; Chadbourn municipal annex; Fair Bluff Fire and Rescue; Ransom Center; and Tabor City courthouse.
Any registered voter may cast an early ballot at any location during this period. If you wait until Election Day, you may only vote in your home precinct. You need an approved ID to cast a ballot. If you do not have an approved government issue ID, Free voter ID cards are available at the board of elections until Nov. 2. Voters who do not have an ID may fill out an exemption form.
• Signs about Voter ID at some area polls have drawn complaints and questions from voters. Democracy NC has opposed the state’s Voter ID law since its first trip to the legislature. Their website says the non-profit is concerned about “money in politics,” community organizing, voting and voter rights, and “ethics reform.” The group calls the state’s ID law “anti-voter,” and generally supports Democrat policies such as amnesty for illegal immigrants, Medicaid expansion, and the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program.
Volunteers with Democracy NC have erected signs at some polling places with a toll-free number voters can call to learn how to vote “with or without Voter ID.” The state allows voters to use exception forms if they lack approved identification. Untruthfully filling out the forms is against the law.
While the signs prompted calls to elections officials, they are not illegal as long as they follow the same distance rules as other political signs near polling places.
• If you want to take a selfie with your ballot, you might soon be able to legally do so.
A federal judge has ruled against Wake County election officials in their attempts to prosecute Susan Hogarth. Officials filed charges against Hogarth when she posted a photo of herself with her completed ballot.
It’s against state law to photograph or video a ballot, since digital images could be used as proof in “pay to vote” schemes. The federal judge ruled that Hogarth did not photograph anyone else’s ballot, and has a first amendment right to share images of her ballot. The prosecution and lawsuit may eventually lead to a change in state law, but the time being – ballot selfies are still illegal.
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