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Little remains undecided in Cherokee County’s local election races, but that hasn’t stopped a strong showing of early voter turnout. With Election Day less than a week away, local early voting numbers appear to be trending slightly higher than at this same time four years ago.
“In 2018, we voted about 5,500 people early,” Director of Elections Leighsa Jones said Monday afternoon. “We’re at 3,100 right now, so we may be just a tad ahead of what we did four years ago.
“Most of the local races are unopposed. There’s the (U.S.) Senate seat and then the District 1 commission seat that both have opposition, so that may just be what’s made the turnout a little bit heavier.”
In the District 1 race, Commissioner Cal Stiles is seeking a fourth term in office. He drew late opposition from write-in candidate Jeana Conley, who officially retired as Cherokee County Schools superintendent on Monday.
Meanwhile, the matchup for one of North Carolina’s two U.S. Senate seats features Democrat Cheri Beasley, the former chief justice of the N.C. Supreme Court, against Republican Ted Budd, a gun store owner who has served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District since 2017. The two candidates are aiming to replace retiring Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who is not seeking a fourth term.
According to a Marist North Carolina poll published Oct. 26, Beasley (44 percent) and Budd (44 percent) are tied among the state’s registered voters. Budd (49 percent) edges Beasley (45 percent) by four points among those who say they definitely plan to vote in this November’s election. A notable 10 percent are undecided.
Cherokee County residents will also help decide the race for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District. Republican Chuck Edwards and Democrat Jasmine Beach-Ferrara are vying for the seat in a district that encompasses most of western North Carolina. Edwards defeated U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn in the Republican primary.
Marist’s poll indicates that a majority of voters prefer early voting. Forty-six percent of registered voters statewide said they plan to vote before Election Day, while 37 percent reported that they intend to vote on Election Day. Seven percent said they have already voted at an early voting location, while 5 percent reported they voted by mail.
As for the most important issues, 38 percent of North Carolina adults in the Marist poll said inflation is the topic most on their minds when thinking about Tuesday’s election. Preserving democracy (22 percent), abortion (16 percent), health care (8 percent), crime (7 percent) and immigration (7 percent) followed.
Early voting continues this week at the Cherokee County Board of Elections office, from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. each weekday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The office is at 40 Peachtree St., Suite B, in downtown Murphy.
The board of elections office will not be used as a voting precinct on Election Day. Local residents should use their regular precinct on Election Day, when polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.