Early voting for the Nov. 3 election begins Oct. 15 in Columbus County.
Any registered voter may cast a ballot at any early poll, regardless of home precinct. On Election Day, voters must go to their home polling places.
Early polls will be at the Columbus County Board of Elections; Chadbourn Municipal Annex; Ransom Event Center; Tabor City Courthouse; and Fair Bluff Fire and Rescue.
Early polls will be open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. until 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.
A photo ID is also required for the election. Acceptable forms of identification include a driver’s license, some state and local school ID, and others. A Social Security card is not considered valid for use. Free voter IDs are available at the Board of Elections office in Whiteville.
Several races were decided in the spring primaries, after both Democrat and Republican parties failed to nominate a candidate in some races.
Republican Sheriff W.A. “Bill” Rogers is unopposed, as is District Attorney-elect J.K. Somers and Clerk of Superior Court Jess Hill. Republican Jeanne McPherson defeated veteran Commissioner Rickey Bullard for the District 6 seat and is unopposed by a Democrat candidate. Democrat Barbara Featherson does not have a challenger in District 1. Incumbent Republican Scott Floyd faces a challenge from Democrat Jeff Register for the District 7 commission seat.
Democrat Beatrice Addison is up against incumbent Republican Ronnie Strickland in the District 2 county school board race. Republicans Irvin Enzor and Chris Worley are unopposed in their reelection bids to the District 3 and 4 county school board seats.
In the city schools race, Byron Fisher and Alan Squires are vying for the at-large seat, while incumbents David Flowers and Anna Richardson are unopposed.
Four candidates are on the ballot for three Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor seats. Incumbents Lanny Formyduval, Jimmy Malpass, and Frank Galloway and challenger Latoya Beatty are in the running for those posts.
In state and national races, incumbent Republican Representative Brenden Jones will face Democrat Brittany Newton. Incumbent Republican State Sen. Bill Rabon – the Fair Bluff native who lives in Southport – is being challenged by Democrat Rick Combes of Ocean Isle and Libertarian Tim White of Bolivia.
Congressman David Rouzer, a Republican, will face Kimberly Hardee of Wilmington for the Seventh District U.S. House seat.
In one of the most-watched races in the country, former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is facing Republican Michael Whatley for the U.S. Senate seat being left by Republican Tom Tillis. Whatley is former chair of the state Republican party, and has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. Tillis, an avowed opponent of Trump, did not run for reelection. Green Party candidate Michael Dublin and Libertarian Shannon Bray are also running for the U.S. Senate seat.
Columbus County residents will also be asked to vote on referenda for a one-quarter cent sales tax as well as beer, wine and mixed-drink sales in the county.
A number of local and state judicial races are also on the ballot. Look for these in a story later this week on CCN.
Statewide, voters will be asked to approve or disapprove constitutional amendments to require photo ID for voting; lower the maximum state income tax rate to 3.5 percent; and limit local government’s ability to raise property taxes without legislative action.
Voter registration deadline is Friday at 5 p.m. Unregistered voters who miss the deadline will be allowed to vote a provisional ballot during early voting only.
