One-stop early voting gets underway for the 2020 primary election today, with a high number of races and candidates on the ballot.
Early voting is open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning on Thursday, Feb. 13. The last day of one-stop early voting will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29. Early voting is held at the Highlands Rec Center, at 600 N. 4th Street.
“Voters should be aware that they do not need to show photo identification to vote in the primary, so the process will be the same as it has been for the past several elections,” Macon County Board of Elections supervisor Gary Tallent said. “Voters will come in, give their name and address and receive the ballot of the party in which they are registered.”
Unaffiliated (no party registered) voters must declare which party’s primary ballot they wish to cast prior to receiving that ballot.
While the Libertarian, Constitutional and Green parties each have primary ballots available for their voters. The only race on each of those ballots is for President of the United States.
The Republican Party and Democratic Party each have much longer ballots, featuring national, state and local races.
On the republican ledger, Bryan Rauers, Terry Bradley and Josh Young are each running for Macon County Board of Commissioners District 2. The winner will oppose the winner of the democratic primary for the same seat, between Olga Lampkin and Betty Cloer Wallace.
A second local race is featured on the republican ballot, where Kaleb Wingate, Mitch Brewer, Rich Cassidy and Jim Moore are each running for district court judge.
On the state level, NC Senate District 50, which covers Macon County, is up for grabs in 2020. Current Sen. Jim Davis is vacating the seat in order to run for Congress. Republicans Kevin Corbin and Sarah Conway will battle in the primary for the party’s nomination.
Corbin is currently the NC House District 120 representative, a seat he is vacating in order to run for Senate. NC House 120 is not on the primary ballot.
Other state races on both the republican and democrat primary ballot include governor, lieutenant governor, auditor and superintendent of public instruction.
On the federal level, both democrat and republican ballots feature primary challenges for President of the United States, US Senate and US House of Representatives District 11. Incumbent Rep. Mark Meadows, who chose not to run for reelection, will vacate the house seat.
Davis is among 12 republicans seeking to succeed Meadows. There are five democrats seeking their party’s nomination in District 11 to the general election ballot in November.
During the 17-day early voting period for the primary, any registered voter may vote at any early voting site in their county before primary Election Day, which is March 3. Individuals may also register and vote at the same time using same-day registration. During the early voting period, registered voters may update their name or address, but may not change their party affiliation.
To take advantage of same-day registration, voters must attest to their eligibility by signing a voter registration application and providing proof of residence.
“Early voting gives North Carolina voters an opportunity to vote at their own convenience, and also to register if they have not already done so,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections. “We hope voters take advantage of this opportunity in this important election year.”
North Carolina voters may also cast their ballots through absentee by-mail voting or in person on Election Day. The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the March primary is Tuesday, February 25.
Voters must submit an absentee ballot request form by mail or in person to their county board of elections.
Voters are not required to show photo ID for the March 2020 primary election due to a Dec. 31, 2019 order in federal district court, which blocked North Carolina’s voter photo ID requirement from taking effect.
The injunction will remain in place until further order of the court.