There are several ways to cast your vote in the upcoming November general election – all well before the first Tuesday in November.
In-person early voting begins next Thursday, Oct. 17, at two polling sites in Vance County – the former Eaton Johnson gym on Beckford Drive and Aycock Rec Center on Carey Chapel Road.
Early voting continues on weekdays through Nov. 1, and concludes with Saturday voting on Nov. 2, according to information from the Vance County Board of Elections. The polling sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. each weekday through Nov. 1 and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2.
County residents who still need to register to vote have a couple of options – if you want to vote on Election Day – Nov. 5 – you need to register by 5 p.m. this Friday – Oct. 11.
Tuesday, Oct. 29 is the deadline to request an absentee ballot from the board of elections. All absentee ballots must be received by the board of elections no later than 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5.
Same day registration is available at the early-voting sites as well.
Elections officials remind voters that whether they vote in person early, by mail or on Election Day, poll workers will ask voters for a photo ID. For many voters, this will be a driver’s license, but there are other acceptable forms as well, including a free ID available from the county board of elections office or NCDMV. Voters without ID can still vote by filling out a form explaining why they can’t show ID, or by casting a provisional ballot and showing their ID at their county board of elections office by 5 p.m. Nov. 14, according to state board of elections officials.
In addition to the high-profile national and statewide races, Vance County voters have a couple of contested races that will be decided, including one seat on the board of county commissioners.
District 1 incumbent Democrat Carolyn Faines faces Republican challenger William Heitman; the other three commissioners – District 2’s Valencia Perry, District 5’s Leo Kelly, Jr. and District 6’s Yolanda Feimster are running unopposed.
Tune in to WIZS TownTalk at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9 to hear separate interviews with Faines and Heitman.
Three members of the Vance County Board of Education face no opposition in the upcoming election – District 3’s Dorothy Gooche and District 5’s Linda Cobb are running for re-election. District 4’s Ayana Lewis, appointed to the seat in Feb. 2024, seeks her first election to the board.
Incumbent State Rep. Frank Sossamon, a Republican, is seeking a second term for the District 32 seat that includes Vance and Granville counties. He faces opposition from Democratic challenger Bryan Cohn, a former Oxford Town Commissioner, and from Libertarian candidate Ryan Brown.
A portion of Vance County is in House District 7, which has Republican incumbent Matthew Winslow facing two challengers in the upcoming election – Democrat Jesse Goslen and Libertarian Party candidate Gavin Bell.
In the District 11 State Senate race, State Sen. Lisa Stone Barnes faces off against Democratic challenger James Mercer.
In a judicial race with local interest, incumbent Carolyn J. Thompson seeks to retain her seat on the N.C. Court of Appeals. She faces challenger Tom Murry in this race. WIZS will air recorded interviews with Thompson and Murry on Thursday’s TownTalk at 11 a.m.
When voters enter the voting booth with their ballots, poised to exercise their Constitutional right, there may be some down-ballot races that include candidates whose names don’t ring a bell.
The N.C. State Board of Elections website offers a wealth of information for registered voters, including a voter guide to judicial races and even a sample ballot for voters to preview.
Visit www.ncsbe.gov to access all this information and more.
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