On election day: Photo ID, who has the money, and other things you need to know

Heading into Tuesday’s election day for the 2024 primaries, the Fayetteville area’s candidates for the legislature and the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners have been out in force to get on the November general election ballots.

As the final voters make their final choices, here are some key facts and stats to know.

What is on the ballot?

In addition to the Super Tuesday presidential preference election, voters are nominating candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and seven other statewide offices in the executive branch. There are also primaries for a justice seat on the N.C. Supreme Court and a judge seat on the N.C. Court of Appeals.

Locally, voters are choosing among eight Republicans and four Democrats for the three seats in Dist. 2 on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners. There is a hot Democratic primary for state House Dist. 42, and a Libertarian primary for state House Dist. 44. There is a Republican primary for the 9th Congressional District.

Early voting is over

In-person early voting started Feb. 15 and ended at 3 p.m. Saturday. In Cumberland County, early voters cast 13,873 ballots, the county Board of Elections office said.

For comparison, in 2020, the last presidential election year, 18,025 people voted early, the office said.

Voting on Tuesday

• The polls are open until 7:30 p.m.
• If you are in line when the polls close at 7:30 p.m., you will be allowed to vote.
• Photo ID is required to vote.
• If you don’t have an ID, you can still cast a ballot. Voters without ID will be asked to fill out a reasonable impediment form explaining why they don’t have ID. “County boards of elections must count provisional ballots with properly completed ID Exception Forms,” the state Board of Elections website says.
• If you are voting with an absentee ballot, the ballot must be brought to the county Board of Elections office at 227 Fountainhead Lane by 7:30 p.m., or it won’t be counted.
• Cumberland County has 77 election-day polling locations. Click here for a list. Voters are encouraged to cast their ballots at their assigned polling locations. Click here to look up your voting precinct, or call 910-678-7733.

Will there be a run-off election?

Candidates must receive at least 30% of the vote to win a partisan primary election. This means that if there are four or more people in a primary, it is mathematically possible for there to be a run-off election.

The run-off primary vote, also called a second primary, if it is needed, is scheduled for May 14.

Several of the statewide races have four or more people on the ballots. And two of the four Democratic candidates vying for the N.C. House 42 nomination could also face a run-off.

A runoff primary is also possible in the primary for the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners election.

N.C. 42 House race attracts cash

The retirement of Democratic state Rep. Marvin Lucas from N.C. House Dist. 42 has four Democratic candidates seeking to replace him. They have been raising campaign cash as they seek to get the edge over their opponents.

House Dist. 42 has a large population of voters who tend to prefer Democratic candidates, meaning the winner of Tuesday’s primary will likely win the general election in November. The Democratic candidates are Naveed Aziz of Spring Lake, Fayetteville City Councilwoman Courtney Banks-McLaughlin, Mike Colvin of Fayetteville and former state Rep. Elmer Floyd of Fayetteville.

The winner will face Republican Leonard L. Bryant of Fayetteville.

According to the candidates’ most recent campaign finance reports, which detailed donations and spending through Feb. 17, plus a few additional documents submitted recently to election officials:

• Aziz had raised $35,300 and spent $20,080.81 through Feb. 17. The Lillian’s List Political Action Committee gave her another $1,000 on Feb. 20. Lillian’s List backs candidates who support abortion access rights. Aziz has given $10,000 to her own campaign and made loans to her campaign that total $40,000.
• The Feb. 17 report for Banks-McLaughlin was not available on the state Board of Elections website on Monday afternoon. She told CityView on Monday she has turned it in.
• As of Feb. 17, Colvin had raised $24,823.50 and spent $19,942.23. Colvin’s revenue included $12,000 that he lent to his campaign. On Feb. 26, he received $1,000 from Lucas’ political campaign fund. Lucas has endorsed Colvin to fill his seat.
• Floyd as of Feb. 17 had raised $34,435 and spent $19,043.58. He has lent his campaign $40,419.06.

No traditional ballroom gathering for the election returns

In the “olden days” before internet access was ubiquitous and in the palm of people’s hands, the county elections staff collected and added up election returns in a local ballroom. It was filled with candidates, their supporters and local news reporters.

The candidates and their entourages stood by in anticipation while election office staffers ran back and forth to update results written on whiteboards that ringed the space. Cheers erupted when one side or another saw they had winning totals.

But now the results get posted online. While the county in recent years has had an “elections gathering” ballroom for some elections, the crowds have shrunk. It’s not opening one for Tuesday’s primary, Elections Director Angie Amaro said on Monday.

Note: This article has been corrected to reflect that a run-off primary is possible  in the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners election.

Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710 and pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.

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