On Tuesday, Nov. 5, Wake Forest voters – or those who turn out at the polls – will elect three Wake Forest town commissioners, a majority of the five-person board. Who you elect does make a difference.
Wake Forest town elections are nonpartisan. The people running for the three open seats on the town board are Gregory Bartholomew, Jim Dyer, Heather Holding, Commissioner Anne Reeve, Chad Sary, Sean Sullivan and Adam Wright. They have all answered a series of questions in September and October published in the Wake Forest Gazette and all participated in the candidate forum sponsored by the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce which is being rebroadcast on Channel 10 at noon and 6 p.m.
The eight polling places for Wake Forest voters open at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7:30 p.m. It may be 11 p.m. or later before the voting totals are available on local television stations because voting officials have to carry the vote totals from each precinct to the Wake County Board of Elections for tabulation; they cannot transmit them electronically because of danger of interference.
All registered voters in the town, 29,457 of them, are eligible to vote. The largest number of voters, 10,761, is unaffiliated. Of those who choose a party affiliation, 9,930 are Republicans, 8,524 are Democrats and 218 are Libertarians. The town population is close to 45,000.
Town voters registered a recent high in participation in the 2017 election – a mayor and two commissioners on the ballot – with 3,982 voting out of 26,463 eligible voters, 15 percent turnout. Mayor Vivian Jones won a fifth four-year term and newcomers Bridget Wall-Lennon and Liz Simpers won their first terms.
However, in 2015 when three commissioner seats were last on the ballot, only 7 percent of voters went to the polls. Commissioner Brian Pate won his first term and Commissioners Greg Harrington and Anne Reeve were re-elected.
Fifteen percent of 29,457 voters is 4,418. That would be a new high numerically for Wake Forest, but can’t we do better? Why not try for 20 percent, 5,891?
The eight Wake Forest precincts are listed below with their addresses. Your precinct is listed on your voter registration card, but if you are unsure of where you should vote you can call the Wake County Board of Elections at 919-856-6240.
19-03 – Wake Forest Church of God at 155 East Cedar Avenue, Wake Forest
19-05 – Wake Forest Presbyterian Church at 12605 Capital Boulevard, Wake Forest
19-07 – J.B. Flaherty Park Community Center at 1226 North White Street, Wake Forest
19-09 – New Bethel Baptist Church at 605 East Young Street, Rolesville
19-11 – Wake Forest Community House at 133 West Owen Avenue, Wake Forest
19-12 – Heritage Middle School at 3400 Rogers Road, Wake Forest
19-13 – Wakefield Middle School, 2300 Wakefield Pines Drive, Raleigh
19-14 – North Forest Pines Elementary School at 11501 Forest Pines Drive, Raleigh
19-15 – Wakefield North Ninth-Grade Center at 931 Durham Road, Wake Forest
19-16 – Harris Creek Elementary School at 3829 Forestville Road, Raleigh
19-17 – Raleigh Fire Station #28 at 3500 Forestville Road, Raleigh
19-18 – Jones Dairy Elementary School at 1100 Jones Dairy Road, Wake Forest
19-19 – Sanford Creek Elementary School at 701 Granite Falls Boulevard, Rolesville.
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