Early voting starts Thursday for two elections that likely are under the radar for most voters: The Republican second primary for North Carolina lieutenant governor, and the GOP second primary for North Carolina auditor.
The first primary was March 5. North Carolina holds second primaries — commonly called run-off primaries — when none of the candidates in the first primary win more than 30% of the vote.
The winners of the second primaries will advance to the general election in November.
Election day is May 14, and early voting runs April 25 to May 11.
There are second primaries in several other parts of North Carolina, but none of those involve Cumberland County.
For those who participate, here are details of the run-off primaries underway:
Who are the candidates for lieutenant governor?
Jim O’Neill and Hal Weatherman are running for lieutenant governor. In the March GOP primary, Weatherman got 19.59% of the votes, while O’Neill received 15.84%, in a field of 11 candidates.
The winner will face Democrat Rachel Hunt and Libertarian Dee Watson in the November election.
And who is running for state auditor?
Longtime Fayetteville lawyer Dave Boliek (who has moved to Durham) faces Jack Clark in the run-off primary. In March, Clark led Boliek 23.24% to 22.1% out of six candidates.
Democrat Jessica Holmes and Libertarian Bob Drach are on the November ballot.
Where and when can you early vote?
Early in-person voting for the second Republican primary will be held at the Cumberland County Board of Elections office, at 225 Fountainhead Lane in Fayetteville.
Dates and hours are:
Note: There is no same-day voter registration and voting available during the early voting period. However certain voters will be allowed to register to vote on the election day, May 14, if they meet certain criteria. (See below.)
Can you vote by mail?
Mail-in balloting is underway. Ballots must be delivered to the county Board of Elections office by 7:30 p.m. May 14.
Click here for more details on obtaining a mail-in ballot and returning it to the Board of Elections.
Who can vote in the second primary? Not everyone.
This election is only open to:
Examples of people who would be considered newly eligible and allowed to register to vote and cast ballots on the May 14 election day, according to a county news release:
The primary is open only to voters who register as Republicans or register as unaffiliated.
Is photo ID required to vote? Yes, but…
Voters are to present a photo identification when they vote in person, or submit a copy when they vote by mail. A variety of IDs are accepted. Click here for details.
The law has exceptions to the photo ID requirement, such as if someone’s ID was lost or stolen, or is lacking for some other reason. The voters must fill out a form to state why they don’t have an ID.
People who don’t have ID can get a free one from the county Board of Elections.
Click here for more information on getting a free ID.
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710 and pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
This story was made possible by contributions to CityView News Fund, a 501c3 charitable organization committed to an informed democracy.
