Voter registration deadline for primary approaches

    Murphy – Those who wish to vote in the March primary have until Friday to register. Anyone wishing to change their political party affiliation must provide notification to the Cherokee County Board of Elections by then, too.
    Tuesday, March 3, is the presidential primary for North Carolina. It’s also the primary for all contested federal, state and local elections.
    As of Monday, there were 21,412 registered voters in Cherokee County, an increase of 226 since Dec. 20. Haley Rose, deputy director of elections, said the county has seen a lot of party changes, too, with a majority changing their affiliations to either Republican or unaffiliated.
    Registration forms are available at the Board of Elections Office. Forms may also be found at public libraries, the N.C. Works Career Center, Cherokee County Department of Social Services and online at ncsbe.gov.The N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles in Andrews has electronic registration available. Forms must be returned or postmarked by Friday.
    To vote in a primary, a person must be a registered member of the party. Three parties – Democrat, Libertarian and Republican – have opened their primaries to unaffiliated voters. Participation in a primary will not affect an unaffiliated voter’s status.
    The early voting period for the primary is Feb. 13-29. Voters may visit the elections office from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to cast their vote. The only Saturday the elections office will be open for one-stop voting is Feb. 29 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The last day to request an absentee ballot by mail is Tuesday, Feb. 25.
    Photo identification is not required to vote. The Board of Elections Office is in the Courthouse Annex, 40 Peachtree St. downtown.