SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Election Day has arrived for some municipalities in the southeastern North Carolina region. The polls open at 6:30 a.m. and will close at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Anyone in line by 7:30 p.m. will be able to vote.
Before heading to the polls, readers should run down the voter checklist to:
- Determine if you’re registered to vote and if it’s inactive or current; you cannot register on Election Day. Registration closed 25 days ago.
- Check out a sample ballot ahead of time (after searching and finding your name, scroll halfway down the page to access your sample ballot).
- Find your Election Day polling place
An ID is not needed to cast a ballot in the 2021 municipal elections.
One-stop early voting closed Oct. 30; however, registered voters who cannot make it to the polls because of sickness or other reasons may still be eligible to cast an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots can be tracked through BallotTrax. Statistics of the absentee voters can be viewed in the One Stop Totals on the State Board of Elections website; however the stats are unofficial. Results are officially canvassed after Election Day when all votes are cast.
The board of elections will meet Tuesday afternoon to continue counting absentee ballots from across the county. A late application will limit the number of poll watchers in use by the local Republican Party, which mistakenly submitted its filings two hours after the 10 a.m. Nov. 1 deadline, said party chair Will Knecht. Having poll watchers around town — able to view places of voting and precinct operations while not encroaching on anyone’s privacy — is usual protocol for the party, he said.
The state board of elections’ legal team denied the party’s appeal (they appear to be sticklers for deadlines, Knecht said, regardless of political affiliation). The GOP will still be left with seven “at large” volunteers who can travel from site to site, he said.
Municipal elections are nonpartisan, and though they traditionally garner less interest compared to even-numbered election years, these elections can be more impactful to the immediate and local decisions made in one’s home region. The State Board of Elections reported more than 630,000 North Carolina votes in at least one municipal election in 2019. So far in 2021, more than 11,300 voters have cast ballots.
All results can be followed on the N.C. State Board of Elections website, and other questions and answers can be found here in regards to voting.
Individuals who need transportation on Election Day can access normal bus routes from Wave for free or make appointments for RideMICRO and Paratransit services; learn more here.
All candidate interviews from Carolina Beach, Wilmington, Leland and Wrightsville Beach are available below, and have been edited for grammatical and spelling errors only. Port City Daily dropped the paywall on candidate interviews to help voters make informed decisions ahead of casting a ballot.
Carolina Beach Town Council and Mayor
Leland Town Council
Wilmington City Council and Mayor
Wrightsville Beach Mayor
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