The often discussed countdown to Election Day might have, for some prospective voters, placed sight beyond another very important date: the registration deadline.
It’s Friday.
At 5 p.m. on Oct. 12, boards of elections will cease to honor applications for new registrations, or updates to current ones on file, for the Nov. 6 general election—with one notable exception.
The one-stop voting period—in which unregistered but eligible residents can sign up and vote all in one visit—will begin Thursday, Oct. 18, and expire Nov. 3, the Saturday before Election Day. That means persons can register and vote, early, even if the deadline has passed.
Officials said it’s difficult to know whether the public’s knowledge of the one-stop opportunity has affected the traditional voter-registration rate, but specialist Gina Herring at the New Hanover County Board of Elections said registration numbers in the past couple months did not seem as heavy as in past years.
“It’s still heavy,” she said.
New Hanover County Elections Director Marvin McFadyen estimated roughly 1,700-1,800 new signups during September. The figure does not account for updates to registrations already on file.
“Obviously we encourage people to get that done as early as possible,” McFadyen said of those updates, whether for a change of address, party affiliation or other status that could affect one’s voting.
Click here for more information about one-stop voting, and here to learn about absentee voting by mail (related story).
Voter registration forms are available here.
Voter stats
According to the N.C. State Board of Elections, New Hanover County as of Oct. 6 had 155,259 registered voters. More than 35 percent were Democratic, 33 percent were Republican, and half a percent were Libertarian. Nearly 31 percent of the county’s voters were not affiliated with any party.
In Brunswick County, the 81,924 voters on file broke down to 33.5 percent Democratic, 37 percent Republican, 0.2 percent Libertarian, and 29.4 percent unaffiliated.
In Pender County, the 35,544 voter total was 39 percent Democratic, 35.4 percent Republican, 0.3 percent Libertarian, and 25.45 percent unaffiliated.
Females were the voter majority by roughly the same margin in each county: 52 percent in Brunswick and Pender and 53 percent in New Hanover.
Contact Ben Brown at [email protected] or (910) 772-6335. On Twitter: @benbrownmedia
