NC State Board of Elections

County Boards Of Elections Set To Begin Sending Absentee Ballots Jan. 12

/by

 – from the N.C. State Board of Elections

On Monday, Jan. 12, North Carolina’s 100 county boards of elections will begin sending absentee-by-mail ballots to registered voters who requested a ballot for the 2026 primary election.

This marks the start of voting for North Carolina’s March 3 primary election. Voters who have already requested absentee-by-mail ballots should receive them in the coming days. In North Carolina, any eligible voter can request, receive, and vote an absentee ballot by mail. Find more information at Vote By Mail.

The absentee ballot request deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 17. Election officials urge voters who wish to vote by mail to request their ballot as early as possible to ensure there is time to receive it and then send it back to their county board of elections so that it is received no later than 7:30 p.m. on Election Day – March 3.

State law previously provided for a grace period if your ballot was postmarked on or before Election Day and received up to three days after the election. That is no longer the case. The ballot must be at the county board office, not in the mail, by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.

In the primary election, voters will select nominees for a political party to move on to the Nov. 3 general election. In primaries, voters affiliated with a political party will be given a ballot of candidates for their party. Unaffiliated voters may choose the ballot of any one party that has a primary (Democratic or Republican) or a nonpartisan ballot, if available in their jurisdiction. The Green Party and Libertarian Party do not have N.C. primaries in 2026.

Find out more at Upcoming Election.

Sample ballots are available for individual voters by locating their voter record in the State Board of Elections’  Voter Search link.

Scroll down to the “Your Sample Ballot” section and click on the link(s).  Note: Unaffiliated voters will have at least two ballot styles listed, and may have three ballot styles if they are eligible to vote in a non-partisan contest, such as a referendum. When requesting an absentee ballot or presenting to vote in person, unaffiliated voters will choose which ballot they wish to vote.

By-mail voters must have two individuals or a notary witness that the voter completed their ballot. The witnesses must sign the ballot return envelope where indicated. By-mail voters also will be asked to place a photocopy of an acceptable photo ID in the sleeve on the back of their ballot envelope. The photocopy does not have to be a color copy, but election officials must be able to read it. Absentee voters who are unable to provide a copy of a photo ID should complete the Photo ID Exception Form that is included with their absentee ballot materials, and place that form in the sleeve indicated for photo ID.

2026 Primary Dates and Deadlines

Here are key dates and deadlines for the 2026 primary election in North Carolina:

  • 12:  County boards of elections begin mailing absentee ballots to eligible voters who have submitted an absentee ballot request
  • 6:  Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.)*
  • 12:  In-person early voting begins; same-day voter registration available
  • 17:  Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.)*
  • 28:  In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.)
  • March 3:  Primary Election Day
  • March 3:  Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.)*
  • March 13:  County boards of elections primary canvass meetings (11 a.m.)

The asterisk * indicates that there are different deadlines for military and overseas citizen voters.

Local Guardian ad Litem Training Begins Jan. 13, 2026

/by

The local Guardian ad Litem program is a statewide program designed to place trained volunteers to serve as advocates for neglected or abused children going through the court system.

The next six-week training session begins on Jan. 13, 2026. Area Supervisor Samantha Branch, who serves the five-county region that includes Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin and Person counties, is seeking additional volunteers who want to become advocates for this very important program.

Formed in 1983, the Guardian ad Litem program serves in all 100 counties in North Carolina and is a division of the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts.

According to information on its website, when a petition alleging abuse or neglect of a juvenile is filed in district court, the judge appoints a volunteer GAL advocate and an attorney advocate to provide team representation to the child.

Program staff in each county work with the GAL child to provide support – legal and advocacy – to children as they go through the court process.

Advocates protect and promote the best interests of juveniles in abuse and neglect court proceedings, as well as report the child’s wishes to the court. They also could contribute to independent investigations to determine the facts, the needs of the child and identify resources appropriate to each case.

Learn more about the program at https://www.nccourts.gov/programs/guardian-ad-litem.

If you think you’d like to become a trained Guardian ad Litem advocate, call 252.430.5121 or visit volunteerforgal.org.

(Information above originally posted Dec. 17, 2025)

Click Play!

TownTalk: Around Old Granville – National Registry of Historic Places in Old Granville, Franklin & Warren

/by

 

Anyone interested in historical architecture and preservation of homes, businesses or other structures that have been around a really long time surely would have a field day in the four-county area. Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties are replete with buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which operates under the auspices of the National Parks Service.

If you’ve ever wondered how these homes, churches and other buildings get on “the list,” WIZS’s Bill Harris can provide a firsthand account: His family home is set to be included on the National Register in 2026.

Harris and local historian Mark Pace ran through a list of properties in Franklin and Warren counties on Wednesday’s Around Old Granville segment of TownTalk.

One of the newest additions to the Warren County list is All Saints Episcopal Church, officially included in August 2025.

The church served the African American community in the Warrenton area beginning in the 1910’s. The famous Delany sisters – known for their longevity – have a connection to the stone veneer church; their father was pastor there in the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Like so many of the historic structures you’ll find on “the list,” All Saints is still standing today. But, as Pace pointed out, “just because a house is on the national register doesn’t mean it will be preserved forever.”

The Little Manor is one such example of a home still listed but is now in ruins.

According to Pace, Warren County has 228 total structures listed on the National Register – 27 individual buildings and 202 included in the Warrenton historic district. Franklin County has 240 structures – 213 of which are situated in Louisburg’s historic district.

A structure must be nominated for inclusion on the National Register, so there needs to be an advocate of some sort to fill out and submit the paperwork that’s involved.

According to information on the National Parks Service website, a property must meet the National Register Criteria for Evaluation that includes the property’s age, significance and integrity.

For all you Baby Boomers out there, don’t be shocked: a structure can be considered historic if it’s at least 50 years old.

But, Pace said, the list includes more than just homes or other structures that have been around for centuries. For instance, the Wheless home in Louisburg was built in the mid 1950’s.

It meets the age criteria – barely – but it’s the style of architecture – reminiscent of the legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright – that put this relatively young home among other homes that have graced the landscape for centuries.

Franklin County has many entries on “the list,” but there are many more located in northern Franklin County than in the southern part of the county, Harris said.

One of the newer additions is the Pearce-Massey-Stallings in southern Franklin County. It was nominated about five years ago and Harris described it as a “handsome” house built in a couple of different sections, the older back part dating back to about 1820.

The front was added about 1910, but the property is also significant because of the large number of outbuildings that are still standing. It’s also remains in the family, Pace said.

Another example of generations of ownership by the same family of a historic property is Cassine, near Louisburg. Descendents of the original members of the Perry family retain ownership of this historic property, which dates back to the 1760’s.

Want to check out some of these examples of historic architecture? Arm yourself with a list available at https://www.hpo.nc.gov/ or bring along the county’s architectural survey and chances are you’ll wend your way by a good number of homes, churches – and if you’re in the Inez area of Warren County – even a fire tower, all considered worthy of inclusion on that NPS’s National Register of Historic Places.

Just remember to drive by – don’t trespass, Pace reminds.

“Most of us are proud of our old houses,” Harris said. So if you happen to see someone out in the yard when you’re driving by, it could be worth a try to stop in and say hello. You might end up getting a tour.

 

CLICK PLAY!

NC State Board of Elections

State Board Of Elections Completes Random Process To Determine Order Of Candidates’ Names On 2026 Ballots

/by

— information from the N.C. State Board of Elections

State elections officials on Friday afternoon completed a two-step random process to determine how names of the upcoming ballots would appear. State law requires that the State Elections Board determine the order that names will appear on the ballots.

First, a ball was selected out of a bingo machine, with the letter on the ball corresponding with the first letter of the last name of the candidate to be listed first on the ballot. Second, a coin was flipped, with the side facing up corresponding to whether the candidates will be listed in alphabetical order (“heads”) or reverse alphabetical order (“tails”).

The letter on the ball selected from the bingo machine was the letter “F,” meaning candidates whose last names begin with the letter “F” will appear first in contests in the primary and general elections. The subsequent coin flip showed “tails” facing up, meaning that additional candidates will follow in alphabetical order as follows: F, E, D, C, B, A, Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T, S, R, Q, P, O, N, M, L, K, J, I, H, G

This ballot order drawing applies to all 2026 primary and general election contests except for municipal contests. Candidates for municipal office are listed in strict alphabetical order beginning with A, according to state law.

The ballot order selection process was streamed live on Webex.

The 2026 primary election is March 3. The general election is Nov. 3.

 

Nash County Man Gets 20-Year Federal Prison Term For Selling Meth

/by

— information courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced a Nash County man to 20 years in federal prison for selling more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. On February 14, 2024, Kenneth Orlin Simmons, Jr., age 36, pleaded guilty to these crimes.

“Drug dealers flood our communities with deadly methamphetamine and arm themselves with guns to violently carry out their trade. Criminals like this Big Shark Bad Boy pose a serious threat to public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “This sentence sends a clear message: if you poison our communities and endanger the lives of our children and families, you will sit in a federal prison for a long time. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to shut down these operations, clean these villains off our streets, and protect the citizens.”

“Drugs destroy lives and tears apart communities, and when traffickers arm themselves, the danger only grows. I’m proud of the work our team put into holding this individual accountable and ensuring he can no longer victimize our citizens. A sincere thank you to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, DEA, and the ATF for their hard work with this case,” said Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, in July 2022, Simmons sold over a kilogram of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Nash County. The Nash County Sherriff’s Office along with the DEA later obtained a search warrant for Simmons residence. During that search, law enforcement seized 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly 1,000 grams of marijuana, a stolen Glock .40 caliber handgun, a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun, an AR-15 rifle, a 29-round magazine with 22 .40 caliber rounds, and a 96-round drum magazine.

Simmons was previously convicted of felonies including two counts of felony abduction of children, and also of two counts of sexual battery.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Aria Q. Merle prosecuted the case. The Nash County Sheriff’s Office, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, the DEA, and the ATF investigated the case.

 

Warren County Gets More Than $1M From Golden LEAF To Extend Water Line To U.S. 1 Industrial Site

/by

Warren County has been awarded $1,087,460 in SITE funding to extend a waterline to the Hwy 1 Industrial Site from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The money will be used for construction, engineering, due diligence and potential environmental remediation, county officials said.

According to Warren County Community and Economic Development Director McKinley Perkinson, this award will fund a crucial water extension that will allow future development to occur at a faster rate.
“Having access to water along our entire industrial site increases our site competitiveness because it reduces the length of time and cost for a business to build on our site,” explained Perkinson. “We are thankful to Golden LEAF for awarding us the funding to increase our Hwy 1 Industrial Site’s competitiveness by limiting the amount of time an interested company can get to market.”

Golden LEAF accepts applications from organizations in all counties, but prioritizes awards within counties that have been persistently economically distressed (as demonstrated by County Tier status determined by the N.C. Department of Commerce) and in economically distressed, rural, and tobacco-dependent communities.

The Warren County award is part of $7.5 million in funding from the foundation. The Board awarded $1.2 million to support two projects through the Open Grants Program and another $1,222,460 to support three projects through its SITE Program. The Board also awarded additional funds for Hurricane Helene relief, the Disaster Recovery Grant Program, and the Shell Building Pilot Program.

“Today, the Board awarded funding for projects that will increase workforce preparedness, strengthen agriculture, help increase industrial site preparation and the availability of shell buildings, along with funding for hurricane and disaster relief efforts, all supporting rural communities across North Carolina,” said Scott T. Hamilton, Golden LEAF president and chief executive officer.

For more information about the Hwy 1 Industrial Site, email Perkinson at mckinleyperkinson@warrencountync.gov

For more information about Golden LEAF, visit GoldenLEAF.org.

Dec. 18 Groundbreaking For New Warren County Farmers Market

/by

— Information courtesy of Warren County government

Come out to the site of the new Warren County Farmers Market on Thursday, Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. for a groundbreaking ceremony, which county leaders say marks a major step forward in supporting local growers, strengthening agritourism, and expanding economic opportunities for residents and visitors.

The ceremony will be held at 429 W. Ridgeway St in Warrenton.

“Warren County is experiencing a remarkable season of momentum,” said Warren County Manager Crystal Smith. “This new farmers’ market will create a hub for local commerce, community events, and agricultural education. We are grateful for the support of our state partners, and we are excited to celebrate this milestone with the people who call Warren County home.”

The project, made possible through major investments from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission and the North Carolina Department of Commerce, brings together local and state commitment to rural economic development. The new market will play a pivotal role in Warren County’s growth, leaders say, that will help to ensure local farmers have a vibrant, modern space to market their goods and that families have a welcoming, community-centered destination to shop, gather, and enjoy Warren County’s agricultural heritage.

The new facility will feature covered vendor areas, enhanced parking and accessibility, and space designed to accommodate future events and programs that support local businesses and promote healthy food choices for all residents.

Community members, local farmers, business owners, and regional partners are invited to join in and stay for a while as Warren County breaks ground on a project that celebrates its agricultural heritage while planting seeds for future economic growth.

 

 

Warrenton, Oxford Christmas Parades Rescheduled

/by

Local officials have rescheduled a couple of Christmas parades that got postponed because of the threat of bad weather last week.

The parade in Warrenton will take place on Saturday, Dec. 13, beginning at 5 p.m.

The Oxford Parade will take place on Friday, Dec. 19, according to information from city officials. Activities begin downtown at 5 p.m. with live music, local vendors and a kids’ zone. The Lighting of the Greens takes place at the courthouse square at 6:30 p.m. to mark (although a couple of weeks later than usual) the official countdown to Christmas.

The parade rolls through downtown beginning at 7 p.m., featuring marching bands, decorated floats and ol’ Santa himself perched atop a shiny red fire engine.

Phase 2 Of Operation ‘Robocall Roundup’ Expands Crackdown On Illegal Calls

/by

— information courtesy of the office of N.C. Attorney General

N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson kicked off Phase 2 of Operation Robocall Roundup, expanding the crackdown on illegal robocalls to include four of the largest voice providers in the country. As part of an ongoing investigation, the bipartisan Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, led by Jackson, has directed Inteliquent, Bandwidth, Lumen, and Peerless to stop transmitting suspected illegal robocalls across their networks. The letters to the companies are available here.

In a statement Thursday, Jackson said “Phase 2 of Robocall Roundup is about the larger companies that are knowingly pushing through millions of scam robocalls. “We’re giving them thirty days to clean this up. If they don’t, we’re prepared to use every tool we have. The scale of this abuse is outrageous and we’re not going to tolerate it.”

In August, Jackson sent warning letters to 37 smaller voice providers that were allowing suspected illegal robocalls onto the U.S. telephone network. This next phase targets companies with far larger footprints in the U.S. telecom ecosystem. The four companies are continuing to transmit hundreds of thousands – and in some cases, millions – of suspected illegal robocalls.

In 2022, 51 attorneys general joined forces to create the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force, which is led by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. The Task Force investigates and takes legal action against companies responsible for significant volumes of illegal and fraudulent robocall traffic routed into and across the United States.

Phase 1 of Robocall Roundup included sending warning letters to 37 companies, with positive results:

  • 13 companies were removed from the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database, meaning no provider in the United States may accept their call traffic.
  • 19 companies stopped appearing in any traceback results, indicating they ceased routing suspected illegal robocalls.
  • At least four providers terminated high-risk customer accounts identified as transmitting illegal traffic.

Jackson said the changes demonstrate that enforcement is working. “But to protect the public, the largest carriers must meet the highest standards,” he said.

 

Warren Educator Receives Award For Innovations In Classroom Instruction, Student Engagement

/by

A Warren County educator has received a statewide honor for innovative approaches to classroom instruction and student engagement.

Dr. Acela Recentes was recognized by the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce in North Carolina and the North Carolina House of Representatives with the Innovator in Education and Workforce Development Award, according to information from Warren County Schools.

The honor highlights Recentes’ recent instructional innovation, which blends culinary arts, research and STEM to make mathematics more meaningful and accessible for students. By merging these disciplines, she has helped learners deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts and connect them to real-world applications.

She credits her involvement in several professional educational organizations as a key factor in her continued growth. These affiliations, she noted, have expanded her opportunities for collaboration, professional learning, and elevating the quality of instruction she provides.

Recently recognized as the Warren Early College High School Teacher of the Year and a Champion for Children in Warren County, Recentes said she remains committed to modeling excellence and innovation on behalf of her school. Her goal is to inspire students to pursue their highest potential—both academically and beyond the classroom.

She said the award reflects not only her personal dedication to innovative teaching, but also the broader mission of her institution to foster creativity, relevance and excellence in education.