The lines have been long at times at the early-voting site in Wake Forest, the Wake County Northern Regional Center on East Holding Avenue, but the additional northern Wake site at New Bethel Baptist Church in Rolesville should shift some of the burden when it opens tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 27.
All Wake early voting sites, nine which opened on Oct. 20 and the 11 opening tomorrow, will have hours of 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. On Saturdays the hours are 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sunday hours are 1 to 5 p.m. There are two Sundays on this schedule, Oct. 23 and 30, and three Saturdays, Oct. 23, Oct. 30 and Nov. 5.
Unofficial numbers for the voters in Wake Forest through Tuesday, Oct. 25, show 6,065 people have cast ballots. There were 1,179 voters Thursday, Oct. 20; 1,209 on Friday, Oct. 21; 712 on Saturday, Oct. 22; 577 on Sunday, Oct. 23; 1,245 on Monday, Oct. 24; and 1,249 on Tuesday, Oct. 25. In Wake County the total voters through Tuesday was 64,251. The daily count across the county is available after 8 p.m. each day at the Wake County Board of Elections website.
The Wake County Election Board’s prediction that voting would be heavier at the end of the two-week period may be wrong for this election; in earlier elections there were few voters in Wake Forest during the first week.
It is a long ballot and the General Assembly did away with the option of straight-ticket voting when it passed the 2013 voting law which has been mostly overturned by a federal appeals court. You must – or could – mark the ballot for 39 candidates and one question if you vote for those running unopposed. Without straight-ticket voting, it takes longer for everyone to vote.
Voters will choose a president and a governor, a U.S. senator and representative, all the council of state offices, a host of judges, a member of the county soil and water district and whether to approve a half-cent sales tax for the Wake County Transit Plan.
County and state officials are saying there have been no incidents involving “volunteer” or unofficial poll watchers urged on by one of the presidential candidates. And though the ballots are long, they are paper, meaning there will be a trail investigators can follow if there is any question about the election. North Carolina elections have trained election judges at each polling location and trained volunteers helping him.
Wake residents may vote at any of the early voting sites; they are not restricted to voting in their precinct. They may also register to vote during early voting by providing a proof of residence such as a rent receipt, utility bill, mortgage receipt or N.C. driver’s license. You do not have to show a photo ID to vote.
In addition to the sites in Wake Forest and Rolesville, there are also early voting locations in Zebulon at the Eastern Wake Regional Center, 1002 Dogwood Drive, and in Wendell at the Wendell Community Center, 601 West Third Street. The Zebulon location will be open 17 days on the same schedule as the Northern Wake Regional. The Wendell location will be open for 10 days, Oct. 27 through Nov. 5. You can find other early voting locations, your precinct, and other voting information at www.wakegov.com/elections.
Voters can also choose to use absentee ballots without giving a reason for the use of that ballot but the last day to request an absentee ballot is Nov. 1 and your completed ballot must be delivered to the Wake Board of Elections by 5 p.m. Nov. 8. Go to www.ncsbe.gov for details and to order the absentee ballot. You must fill out the form and mail it, fax it or email it to the Wake County Board of Elections, which will send you the appropriate ballot for your precinct. The board of elections is at PO Box 695, Raleigh, NC27602 and 337 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27601, 919-856-6240.
