LUMBERTON — Early voting began statewide on Oct. 15 and will run through the month’s end.
Robeson County Board of Elections Director Jessica Davis said voting attendance has been high this election, with about 2,500 voters casting ballots in the first two days at the end of last week.
“I haven’t been able to run the statistics yet for our elections specifically,” Davis said, “but according to staff who’ve been here for similar elections as well, they feel like this has been a larger turnout, especially these first couple of days.”
Polling sites will be open from 8 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Friday through Oct. 30; polls will also be open Sunday, Oct. 25 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Early voting is available at these locations:
— Lumberton: Pine Street Gym, 801 North Pine Street
— Fairmont: Fairmont Fire Hall, 421 South Main Street
— Pembroke: Pembroke Public Library, 413 Blaine Street
— Maxton: Gilbert Patterson Public Library, 210 North Florence Street
— Red Springs: Red Springs Community Building, 122 Cross Street
— St. Pauls: National Guard Armory, 705 North Old Stage Road
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Those who did not vote during early voting must vote at their assigned precinct on Election Day. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
For those with accessibility issues, the county offers the ExpressVote voting machine upon request.
“You can use headphones or adjust the volume; it will speak to you and say the candidates’ names,” Davis said. “It’s a touchscreen where you’ll tap where you want to vote. And then once you’ve done that, it will print on a specialized piece of paper that’s your ballot and that will go into our tabulator machine, and it will be counted just like a regular ballot.”
Who’s on the ballot?
The following races are on the ballot countywide:
Robeson County Sheriff
Burnis Wilkins (D-inc.)
Dakota Dimery (R)
Robeson County District Attorney
Matt Scott (D-inc.)
District Court Judge Seat 1
Krystle Melvin (D-inc.)
Ethan Clewis (R)
District Court Judge Seat 2
Leah Britt Lanier (R-inc.)
District Court Judge Seat 3
Angelica Chavis McIntyre (D-inc.)
District Court Judge, Seat 4 (unexpired term)
Graham Gurnee (D)
Mark Simeon Brooks (R)
Robeson County Clerk of Superior Court
Shelena Smith (D-inc.)
Robeson County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors (nonpartisan; vote for two)
Michael Herndon
Gilbert Lewis Jr.
U.S. Senator
Roy Cooper (D)
Michael Dublin (G)
Shannon W. Bray (L)
Michael Whatley (R)
N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice
Anita Earls (D-inc.)
Sarah Stevens (R)
N.C. Senate District 24
Catina Hamm (D)
Danny Earl Britt Jr. (R-inc.)
N.C. Court of Appeals Seat 1
John S. Arrowood (D-inc.)
Michael C. Byrne (R)
N.C. Court of Appeals Seat 2
Tobias (Toby) Hampson (D-inc.)
George Cooper Bell (R)
N.C. Court of Appeals Seat 3
Christine Marie Walczyk (D)
Craig Collins (R)
N.C. Constitutional Amendment to require limits on property tax increases by local governments
For
Against
N.C. Constitutional Amendment to cap state income tax at 3.5%
For
Against
N.C. Constitutional Amendment to expand photo ID requirements for voting to include absentee and mail-in voting
For
Against
The following races are on the ballot in their respective districts encompassing part of the county:
Robeson County Board of Commissioners District 2
Melvin Ellison (D)
Robeson County Board of Commissioners District 4
Faline Locklear Dial (R-inc.)
Harry Warriax (unaffiliated)
Robeson County Board of Commissioners District 6
Ray Cox (D)
David Edge (R-inc.)
Robeson County Board of Commissioners District 8
Mike Ferguson (D)
Lance Herndon (R-inc.)
N.C. House of Representatives District 46
Brittany Newton (D)
Brendan Jones (R-inc.)
N.C. House of Representatives District 47
Eshonda Hooper (D)
John L. Lowery (R-inc.)
U.S. House of Representatives District 7
Kimberly Hardy (D)
Maad Abu-Ghazalah (L)
David Rouzer (R-inc.)
U.S. House of Representatives District 8
Colby Watson (D)
Bo Whitehead (G)
Mark Harris (R-inc.)