Every vote counts: What to know as primary elections start across the Cape Fear region
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Early voting in New Hanover County runs from April 28 through May 14. Election Day is May 17.
As early as this week, voters in the Cape Fear region can head to the polls to cast their ballots for candidates running in primary elections for school board, sheriff, county-level boards, judgeships and U.S. Congress.
What day does early voting start?
The early voting period begins April 28 for this year’s primary election.
That means registered voters can head to one-stop early voting sites across New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties to cast their ballot ahead of the May 17 Election Day.
Who are these primary elections for?
Primary elections are held to narrow the field of candidates ahead of the general election, which is scheduled for November 8.
In New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties, voters will cast ballots to fill open spots on their county’s board of commissioners, board of education and the positions of clerk of superior court and sheriff.
Voters in all counties will also vote in races for representatives in the state legislature, U.S. Congress and for district court judgeships.
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In races with for boards with multiple open seats, same number of Democratic and Republican candidates will move on to the general election as the number of open seats.
For instance, two open seats on the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners means the top two Democratic and top two Republican vote-getters will move onto the general election.
Which ballot will you get?
In primary elections, voters receive different ballots based on the party they’re affiliated with. Party-affiliated voters will be given a ballot listing candidates affiliated with the same party. Unaffiliated voters can choose to fill out the ballot of any party holding a primary, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
In this election, the Democratic and Republican parties are holding the only primaries. If you need to look up your voter affiliation, the N.C. State Board of Elections website offers a voter lookup tool.
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What about absentee ballots?
Those who want to have a ballot mailed to them can request an absentee ballot up until May 10. Registered voters can make their ballot request online.
Absentee ballots must be received by the county’s board of elections by 5 p.m. on Election Day or postmarked on or before that date, if sent through mail.
Where can early votes be cast?
Voters can cast their ballots in-person ahead of Election Day at any one-stop early voting center in the county where they’re registered. This N.C. State Board of Elections website lookup tool is useful.
When casting a ballot on Election Day, however, voters must vote in their assigned precinct.
Early voting in New Hanover County runs from April 28 through May 14. Election Day is May 17.
Early voting runs through May 14, and the voting times and sites are listed on the websites of the board of elections in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties or on the N.C. State Board of Elections website.
Voters can still register and vote on the same day at early voting sites if they have the required documents to prove their eligibility and place of residence. More details about same-day voter registration is available on the N.C. State Board of Elections website.
New Hanover County early voting sites:
Cape Fear Community College – Health Sciences Learning Resource Center located at 415 2nd St. N. in Wilmington
Carolina Beach Municipal Building located at 1121 Lake Park Blvd. in Carolina Beach
Cape Fear Community College – North campus located at 4500 Blue Clay Road in Castle Hayne
New Hanover County Board of Elections Office located at 1241 Military Cutoff Road in Wilmington
Senior center located at 2222 S. College Road in Wilmington
Brunswick County early voting sites:
Brunswick Center at Shallotte located at 3620 Express Drive in Shallotte
Cooperative Extension located at 25 Referendum Drive N.E. in Bolivia
Leland Cultural Arts Center located at 1212 Magnolia Village Way in Leland
Southwest Brunswick Branch Library located at 9400 Ocean Highway W. in Calabash
The Brunswick Center at Southport located at 1513 N. Howe St. in Southport
Pender County early voting sites:
Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated?
Currently, there are 176,798 registered voters in New Hanover County alone, including 51,438 registered Democrats, 53,860 Republicans and 69,996 voters who are unaffiliated.
There are 122,061 registered voters in Brunswick County, including 27,280 registered Democrats, 48,858 Republicans and 45,255 voters who are unaffiliated.
In Pender County, there are 46,354 registered voters, including 11,386 registered Democrats, 18,452 Republicans and 16,119 voters who are unaffiliated, according to the N.C. State Board of Elections.
Reporter Emma Dill can be reached at 910-343-2096 or edill@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Primary voting starts in the Cape Fear: Here’s what to know