Early voting ends Saturday

Early voting ends at 1 p.m. Saturday and anyone who has not yet marked a ballot will have to wait until May 2, primary election day.

Nearly 400 votes had been cast by late Thursday afternoon, a number Lenoir County Elections Director Dana King called "pretty good" for an election of this type.

King was referring to the lack of national races on the ballot. Voters are being asked to choose a county commission candidate in a Democrat primary, a Republican state representative in House District 10, state judicial candidates and a near-$70 million school bond issue.

The school bond question has not brought people out to vote early, as many thought it would. King said that from the conversations she's overheard, voters believe if they stay home the referendum will fail. Whether that strategy works won't be known until after the polls close May 2.

Voters have been receptive to the new touch-screen voting machines, King said. They're pleased by how quick and easy the process is.

"Everybody's loving them," she said.

Residents who have not registered can sign up after the primary election. Registration will continue until Oct. 13.

The only thing that could postpone registration would be if a run-off is needed for the primary vote. The deadline for requesting a second primary is noon on May 11. A second primary, if needed, would be on May 30, and registration would begin again after that day.