ROCKINGHAM — Two Richmond County polling locations have changed and several candidates are hoping to win a seat by write-in during Tuesday’s municipal elections.
According to Elections Director Connie Kelly, voters in both Mineral Springs precincts will have to go somewhere different than where they’re accustomed to.
The polling location for Mineral Springs No. 1 has been moved from Town Hall to the fellowship hall of First Methodist Church, 2281 Main St., Ellerbe.
Up the road in Norman, the Mineral Springs No. 2 location has been moved from the Community Center to Norman Methodist Church, 118 W. Moore St.
A list of other locations is located at the bottom of this article.
Nancy Paxton and Renata Mann are both write-in candidates for the Norman Town Council.
With Tonia Collins running for mayor against Adrian Robson — current mayor Kenneth Broadway is not seeking re-election — her seat on the council was left open. Two other seats, those held by Stephen Cranford and Cynthia Ingram, are both up for re-election. Cranford filed, as did newcomer Cindi Murray. Ingram, however, did not.
Down in Hamlet, former councilman David Lindsey is also running as a write-in candidate.
Lindsey resigned from the council in February and was replaced by Maurice Stuart.
The late Joe Robinson was appointed in June to fill the spot left open by the resignation of Johnathan Buie.
Both of those seats, along with the one held by Wendy Massagee, are up for re-election.
While Massagee declined to run again, both Stuart and Robinson filed in July. However, Robinson passed away in August.
Two other candidates will be on the ballot: Oscar Sellers and former Hamlet Police Chief Terry Moore.
In the county seat, Camerine Wright-Hairston and John Carter are vying for one of the three seats currently held by incumbents John Hutchinson, Anne Edwards and Bennett Deane.
Hamlet Mayor Bill Bayless, Rockingham Mayor Steve Morris and Hoffman Mayor Tommy Hart are all running unopposed, as are all of Hoffman’s town council members: John Taylor, Daniel Kelly, Cynthia Northcutt, Rory Jones and Riccardo (Ricky) Anderson.
Ellerbe Councilman Fred Cloninger was the only candidate to file for mayor, after Lee Berry said he wouldn’t seek re-election.
If/when Cloninger becomes mayor, the council will have to appoint someone to fill out the rest of his term, the elections director said in July.
Two seats on the town’s council, currently held by Elsie Freeman and Jeremy McKenzie, are also up for grabs. Aside from the two incumbents, Joe Grooms is also on the ballot.
According to the elections board, 514 voters participated in early voting.
Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections, urged all eligible voters who did not vote early to cast their ballot on Tuesday.
“Municipal elections have a tremendous impact on our everyday lives,” Brinson Bell said. “Those elected on Tuesday make decisions about our police and fire services, parks, water systems, sidewalks and more. Yet municipal elections often have low voter participation, meaning these races are often decided by slim margins.”
The State Board of Elections offers the following nine tips for Election Day voters:
- Registered voters who reside in a municipality with elections may vote on Election Day. To find out if you are eligible and to view a sample ballot, go to the State Board’s Voter Lookup tool here: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/.
- Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters in line at 7:30 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot.
- Find your Election Day polling place here: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/PPLkup/
- Same-day voter registration is not available on Election Day.
- Voters who need assistance or accommodations at the polls must request it. Individuals who are unable to enter the polling place may vote curbside.
- Voter photo identification is not required in any North Carolina election in 2019. It will be required to vote in 2020, with exceptions.
- If you present to vote and your name is not on the voter list, you may request a provisional ballot. No voter will be turned away.
- The State Board asks that all voters respect the right of others to participate in the election. Intimidating any voter is a crime. Voters who feel harassed or intimidated should notify an election official immediately.
- Election results will begin posting after 7:30 p.m. on the State Board website here: https://er.ncsbe.gov/
The other Richmond County polling locations are:
Rockingham No. 1
City of Rockingham Parks & Recreation (Browder Park), 1311 Rockingham Road
Rockingham No. 2
Leath Memorial Library (Calvin Little Room), 412 E. Franklin Street
Rockingham No. 3
Northside Fire Department, 209 Bear Branch Road
Wolf Pit No. 1
East Rockingham Senior Center, 135 Safie 6th St.
Wolf Pit No. 2
Community Church Recreation Building, 193 Mill Road
Wolf Pit No. 3
Cordova School, 194 Church St.
Wolf Pit No. 4
Ellerbe Grove Baptist Church, 162 Ellerbe Grove Church Road
Marks Creek No. 1
First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 300 Charlotte Street, Hamlet
Marks Creek No. 2
First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 200 Rice Street, Hamlet
Beaver Dam No. 1
Fletcher’s Chapel United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 108 McCoy Drive, Hoffman
Beaver Dam No. 2
Mt. Zion United Church of Christ Fellowship Hall, 986 Ledbetter Road
Steeles No. 1
Mangum Community Building, 5838 Grassy Island Road
Steeles No. 2
Concord United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 316 Concord Church Road
Black Jack No. 1
Mount Pleasant Community Building, 876 Grassy Island Road
