Early voting continues through Saturday
Voters in North Carolina hoping to visit the polls before the Election Day rush have just a few more days to do so, but they should be able to look forward to a short, smooth trip — especially in Haywood County.
Chief Election Judge Carroll Holder said that so far, One Stop voting was “going great” and that the crowds were “phenomenal.”
The county’s been averaging close to 900 voters per day, according to Holder. The first few days, a 20-minute wait was common, but with plenty of staffers and plenty of voting machines, lines at polling sites usually aren’t long and move quickly.
Holder also said that he hadn’t yet run in to any technical, mechanical or logistical issues, although some voters have apparently complained about sensitive touch screens misinterpreting their votes.
As far as best times to vote, Holder couldn’t say.
“It’s been erratic,” he said. “There’s really no way to tell.”
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Even if there is a line out the door at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center — like there was at times during the first few days of One Stop voting — Haywood County voters can also vote at the Canton Public Library or the Clyde Municipal Building, both of which have seen fewer votes cast than the county office.
Haywood County as a whole, however, still appears to be on pace to surpass turnout in the 2012 Presidential Election. With 71.5 hours of early voting complete in the county (as of 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 31) there were 12,709 votes cast, or about 178 each hour.
With 37.5 hours remaining and if turnout doesn’t diminish, there could end up being more than 19,000 early voters all in all, which suggests a total turnout near 35,000 — well above the roughly 28,000 that voted in the Obama/Romney contest in 2012.
Early voting ends at all locations at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5. For more information on voting in North Carolina, visit www.ncsbe.gov.
By the numbers
One Stop totals by county and party affiliation through close of business Monday, Oct. 31.
Haywood County
Democrats: 5,608
Republicans: 3,883
Unaffiliated: 3,194
Libertarian: 24
Jackson County
Democrats: 3,268
Republicans: 1,875
Unaffiliated: 2,231
Libertarian: 29
Macon County
Democrats: 2,243
Republicans: 3,265
Unaffiliated: 2,146
Libertarian: 12
Swain County
Democrats: 1,096
Republicans: 633
Unaffiliated: 698
Libertarian: 8
All data courtesy respective county boards of elections.
