You can?t have missed them ? all those candidate signs stuck in the ground in every village up and down Highway 12.
But are you going to go to the polls on Tuesday, May 6, to vote?
Probably not. But you should.
This year?s North Carolina primaries on Tuesday and the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4, are what we call the mid-term or off-year elections. They happen two years after the Presidential elections.
Most of us do vote in Presidential election years.
North Carolina gets impressive voter turnout those years ? more than 4.3 million or 70 percent of registered voters in 2008 and 4.5 million or 68 percent of voters in 2012.
However, it?s obvious some folks vote for President every four years and then think their job is done.
In the mid-term election of 2010, only 2.7 million North Carolinians voted, which is 44 percent.
Though choosing a President of the United States is an important task for voters, the off-year elections are going to anoint folks who may well have a more direct impact on our lives and livelihoods.
For instance, this year we will be choosing members of the Boards of Education who will decide how our children are educated, a U.S. Senator, and both state senators and house members who will go to Raleigh to decide issues that matter to us, such as ferry tolls, road building, and voting requirements. Also elected this year will be members of county Boards of Commissioners who will preside over budgets and taxes and such issues as growth and development.
There will be primaries on Tuesday for the Republican, Democrat, and Libertarian parties. These contests will decide who goes forward as the party representative in the general election in November.
And you should not just assume that the candidate you favor will win. There are many interesting challengers in the primary races this year?in fact, more than usual.
For instance, U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, a Republican who has represented North Carolina?s Third Congressional District for 20 years, is facing a serious challenge from Taylor Griffin. The winner of that race will probably easily beat the Democrat in November, but your candidate may not make it that far.
In a primary, if you are registered as Democrat, Republican or Libertarian, you may vote only for the candidates of the party with which you are affiliated. You are also eligible to vote for non-partisan contests, such as the Board of Education. If you are registered as unaffiliated or ?independent? in a primary, you may choose to vote in the partisan contests of one of the parties or you may choose to vote for non-partisan contests only.
You can visit your local board of elections to confirm your party affiliation or voter registration status.
Most all candidates these days have websites and/or Facebook pages, so take some time to check them out.
The polling places in North Carolina are open Tuesday from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
And if you live in another state, be sure to contact your local board of elections to see when your primary election is scheduled.
The right to vote is the most precious right we have as U.S. citizens.
As far as I am concerned, we need to exercise it every time the doors open at the polling places.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Click here to read an article about who is running in the primary elections.
Click here for the Dare County Board of Elections Office, which can answer voters? questions.
Click here for sample Dare County ballots for the May 6 primary.
Click here for the Hyde County Board of Elections office, which can answer voters? questions about the May 6 primary.
Click here for sample ballots for the Hyde County May 6 primary.
