Murphy – Anyone who wants to cast their vote in the primary election before Tuesday has until 3 p.m. Saturday to do it.
On March 3, voters will have to report to their precinct location to vote in the primary. Through Feb. 29, the Cherokee County Elections office in downtown Murphy is the only one-stop early voting location in the county.
One-stop early voting started Feb. 13, with a handful of people making their decisions for the primaries in the first half hour. As of Monday afternoon, 914 people had voted in Cherokee County. While there were no lines, voters were steadily coming in to make their decisions.
Martin Barros, who voted on the first day of early voting, said he almost always votes early.
“It’s the best way to do it,” he said. “It’s easy, and it avoids the rush on Election Day.”
Barros added that it was an excellent experience because of the staff and the way they gave instructions on how to operate the machines.
Director of Elections Leighsa Jones said there’s usually a 30-40 percent turnout for primary elections, and Fridays are usually
the busiest days for one-stop voting.
The elections office is open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every week day through Friday for one-stop voting, as well as 8 a.m to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Volunteers are available to transport people to voting locations. Anyone needing transportation may contact Susan Landis with Tri County Democratic Women at 837-1906, or Cherokee County Republican Party Chairman Bennie Jo McKinnon at 837-3528 or email benniejomckinnon@yahoo.com.
Voters do not have to show an identification to vote. The N.C Court of Appeals ordered a preliminary injunction of the state’s voter ID law on Feb. 18 until a final decision is made in an ongoing lawsuit.
In its opinion, the court said evidence shows “discriminatory intent remained a primary motivating factor” behind the law, not the directive of the voters.
State voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2018 that requires identification to vote.
Voters head to polls Tuesday
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