By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
One-stop early voting begins this week ahead of the March 3 partisan primary election, with many local, state and federal races on the primary ballots.
The county will open two sites as one-stop early voting locations. The Board of Elections Office, located at 227 North Main Street in the Pratt Building, and the Rockfish Community Center, located at 2749 Lindsay Road, will open for early voters beginning Thursday at 8 a.m.
The early voting period will run from February 13 until Friday, February 28. During that time the polling sites will be open Monday-Friday, from 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Weekend voting will be available Saturday, February 15 and Saturday, February 22 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sunday, February 23 from 2 p.m.-6 p.m.; and Saturday, February 29 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
People who aren’t registered to vote may register during the one-stop early voting period. Registrants signing up to vote using the same-day registration must attest to
their eligibility and provide proof of residence.
The Saturday before the election is the last day to vote during the one-stop early voting period. Only the Board of Elections and Rockfish locations will be open during early voting.
The partisan primary election is set for Tuesday, March 3. All of the county’s polling places will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on March 3.
As of the start of early voting, voters will not have to present photo identification to vote. In December, a federal district court issued an injunction against North Carolina’s voter I.D. requirement and kept it from taking effect. The injunction is in place until “further order of the court,” according to the Board of Elections.
Races and candidates
Voters will cast ballots in several local primary contests. In some cases, the primary election will likely decide the race, as only candidates from one party filed to seek office. In other races, the winners from the primary will go on to face candidates from another political party in the General Election in November.
Local races on the primary ballot include:
District Attorney District 29 (Hoke-Moore Counties)
Arthur Donadio, Republican
Mike Hardin, Republican
Hoke County Board of Commissioners (Two seats available)
Robert Wright, Democrat (Incumbent)
Lonnie Baldwin, Democrat
James Leach, Democrat (Incumbent)
The two winners of the Democratic primary election will go on to face Republican candidates David Frump and Christopher Holland in the November election.
Hoke County Register of Deeds (One seat available)
Camille Hurst, Democrat (Incumbent)
Obie Smith, Democrat
N.C. District Court Judge 19D Seat 4 (One seat available)
Steve Bibey, Republican (Incumbent)
Marissa Curry, Republican
There are two local races that will not be on the primary ballot because the seats are part of non-partisan boards. Filing for the Hoke County Board of Education and the Soil and Water Conservation Board will open in summer. The school board seats occupied by incumbents Hank Richards and Rosa McAllister-McRae are up for election this year.
In state races, Hoke County Commissioner Allen Thomas, a Democrat, is one of six Democrat candidates and nine Republican candidates seeking the office of N.C. Lieutenant Governor. Thomas was most recently elected to the commission in 2018 and his four-year term does not expire until 2022. If Thomas is elected, the sitting commissioners will select someone to serve the remainder of his term.
N.C. Lieutenant Governor (One seat available)
Allen Thomas, Democrat
Bill Toole, Democrat
Terry Van Duyn, Democrat
Chaz Beasley, Democrat
Yvonne Lewis Holley, Democrat
Ron Newton, Democrat
John L. Ritter, Republican
Mark Robinson, Republican
Scott Stone, Republican
Andy Wells, Republican
Buddy Bengal, Republican
Deborah Cochran, Republican
Renee Ellmers, Republican
Greg Gebhardt, Republican
Mark Johnson, Republican
N.C. Governor (One seat available)
Roy Cooper, Democrat (Incumbent)
Ernest Reeves, Democrat
Daniel Forest, Republican
Holly Grange, Republican
Other state races on the partisan primary ballots include N.C. Treasurer (Democrat), N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction (Democrat and Republican), N.C. Secretary of State (Republican), N.C. Commissioner of Labor (Republican), N.C. Commissioner of Insurance (Republican), N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture (Democrat), N.C. Auditor (Democrat and Republican) and N.C. Attorney General (Republican).
Multiple federal races, including the presidential primary election, are up for voting on the primary ballot March 3. Hoke County Commission Vice Chairman Harry Southerland is one of four Democrats and one Republican incumbent seeking election to Congress in the newly-redrawn House District 9, which includes Hoke County.
U.S. House of Representatives District 9 (One seat available)
Harry Southerland, Democrat
Cynthia Wallace, Democrat
Marcus Williams, Democrat
Clayton Brooks, Democrat
The winner of the Democratic primary will go on to face incumbent Dan Bishop, a Republican, in the General Election in November.
U.S. Senate from North Carolina
Erica Smith, Democrat
Steve Swenson, Democrat
Cal Cunningham, Democrat
Trevor M. Fuller, Democrat
Atul Goel, Democrat
Thom Tillis, Republican (Incumbent)
Paul Wright, Republican
Larry Holmquist, Republican
Sharon Hudson, Republican
For a full list of candidates, visit the North Carolina Board of Elections website at https://www.ncsbe.gov/index.html, or the Hoke County Board of Elections website at https://www.hokecounty.net/235/Elections. Call the Hoke County Board of Elections with questions on registering to vote or other election-related matters at (910) 875-9062.
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