Republican primary features local races
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Murphy – Early voting for the March 3 primaries starts Thursday in a mid-term election that has far-reaching impacts from Murphy to Washington.
Competitive elections include three seats out of five on the board of commissioners, four seats out of seven on the school board and two candidates for sheriff – not to mention state and federal legislative and judicial seats. Registered Republicans and Democrats will each get their own ballots, with unaffiliated voters able to choose which of the two ballots they wish to use.
The Republican ballot is far more robust, with two or more candidates running for most local seats. The Democratic Party ballot has three races – U.S. Senate, U.S. House and N.C. Court of Appeals judge seat 3.
Other Republicans and Democrat candidates running unopposed in the primary, as well as any independents, will appear on the Tuesday, Nov. 3, general election ballot.
Another important point involves board of commissioners and school board. Aside from a school board at-large position, commissioners and school board members represent districts but are elected county-wide.
Three candidates who appear on the ballots dropped out before the ballots could be adjusted. They are:
- Tim O’Leske, who had been running for District 4 commissioner but dropped out and is backing another candidate;
- Dustin Smith, who resigned as sheriff Friday and is no longer running for re-election;
- Margot Dupre, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, who was ruled ineligible because of not meeting residency requirements.
Early voting
Early voting times are:
- Monday through Friday starting Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday Feb. 28, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. is the last day for early voting.
- Early voting will take place at the Cherokee County Board of Elections office, 40 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy.
- Election Day is Tuesday, March 3, at assigned voting precincts from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Registration repair
Fifty-four local residents should have received a letter from the Cherokee County Board of Elections alerting them that they need to provide additional information for their voter registration to be valid. Based on a review of county records, officials have not been able to confirm that they provided their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when they registered.
“Please provide our office with your N.C. driver’s license number, or if you don’t have one, the last four digits of your Social Security number,” according to the letter. “If you don’t have either of these numbers, please let us know and we will update your record to reflect that. If you don’t provide this information, you may have to cast a provisional ballot the next time you vote.”
Details: Visit ncsbe.gov/registrationrepair.
O’Leske out, backs Killian
“When no one initially challenged the field, many
of you reached out and encouraged me to step up
so our community would have a choice and a voice. That encouragement meant a lot to me, and it’s why I entered the race,” Tom O’Leske said in a Facebook post on Jan. 2.
“Since then, I spent time with Barry Killian talking about what people in our community are asking for and how we can bring people together around the issues that matter most in Cherokee County. Because I don’t want to divide support and risk changing the outcome in the wrong direction, I’ve decided to step aside and support Barry Killian for District 4 commissioner,” he said.
“This decision is about unity and doing what’s right for the community, not about politics or ego. I’m grateful to everyone who supported me, offered advice and shared their concerns with me. I’ll continue to stay engaged and help make your voices heard.”
Details: View sample ballots at cherokeecounty-nc.gov/466/Sample-Ballot.