Editor’s note: As part of its continuing effort to keep listeners and readers up-to-date on local issues, WIZS Radio will be sending candidates a list of questions in an effort to gather responses to be included in a special elections project that will be published and aired before the early voting period begins.
Campaign signs are popping up along roadsides and in people’s yards, indicators that early voting for the upcoming Henderson municipal elections are not far off. Registered voters can cast ballots during the early-voting period at 500 N. Beckford Drive beginning Thursday, Sept. 18. Early voting continues Sat. Oct. 4.
Tuesday, Oct. 7 is the official Election Day, when voters will determine four seats on the eight-member City Council.
The Council Ward 1 at-large seat includes not one, but two incumbents – Council member Sara Coffey is seeking re-election, and Council member Geraldine Champion, who has the Ward 1 seat until the 2027 elections, has added her name as an at-large candidate. Newcomer Kenia Gomez-Jimenez and Clementine “Tina” Hunter also filed as candidates for the at -large seat.
Ward 2 at-large Council Member Lamont Noel is seeking to defend his seat against challengers Benjamin Buckner and George Mayo.
In the contest for the Ward 3 seat, incumbent Garry Daeke faces former Council Member Jason Spriggs and Deryl “Ms. Dee” vonWilliams.
And in the Ward 4 contest, incumbent Ola Thorpe-Cooper faces challengers Catherine “Kitty” Gill and Fred Robertson.
Anyone who lives in the city and still needs to register to vote has until 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12 to do so.
The N.C. State Board of Elections has issued a press release with details and requirements about voter registration.
“To vote in a municipal election, you must be a resident of the municipality. Working within city, town, or village limits does not make a voter eligible to vote in municipal elections. Similarly, while a voter’s postal address may indicate a municipality, that does not always mean their residence is within the incorporated boundaries of the municipality,” the press release stated.
Eligible individuals who miss the regular registration deadlines may register and vote at the same time during the in-person early voting period at any early voting site in their county.
Eligible individuals have many options to register to vote, including the following:
- Individuals with a North Carolina’s driver’s license or other NCDMV identification may submit a voter registration application online. Learn more at Complete Your Registration Online Through the DMV. Eligible individuals may also register in person at DMV offices.
- Eligible individuals may also register to vote when applying for services at a number of state agencies. Learn more at National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).
- Any eligible resident can complete a Voter Registration Application in English or Spanish on paper and return it to their county board of elections office by 5 p.m. the day of the deadline:
There are 450 voters living throughout Vance County who need to provide additional information to the N.C. State Board of Elections to complete their voter registration, according to information from the SBE’s Registration Repair Project.
Individuals with incomplete voter registrations have received, or will receive, letters stating that they need to provide additional information – their driver license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number – to update their registration.
This can be done in several different ways, including by mail, in person at their county Board of Elections office or by visiting the NCDMV secure website payments.ncdot.gov. There is no fee associated with the online method and updating twill not be made over the phone.
Check to see if your name is on the list at ncsbe.gov/registrationrepair.
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