Arrr, me hearties! Set sail for early votin' in the North Carolina primary runoffs, lest ye be walkin' the plank!
2024-04-25
Avast ye mateys! The voting hath begun in the land of North Carolina for the upcoming elections. Arrr, there be battles ahead in the Republican primaries for a congressional seat and two statewide positions. Ready yer cannons and set sail for the voting booth!
Arrr, me hearties! Early in-person voting set sail on Thursday across North Carolina for next month's runoff elections, including one ferocious congressional and two statewide scallywag contests. Voters be choosin' this fall's Republican nominees for lieutenant governor, state auditor, and the 13th Congressional District seat. These May 14 runoffs, also known as "second primaries," happened because the candidate with the most booty in the March 5 primaries for these races failed to plunder more than 30% of the vote. The second-place buccaneer had to formally ask for a runoff.The lieutenant governor's GOP showdown be between Hal Weatherman and Jim O’Neill, while the nomination for state auditor be between Jack Clark and Dave Boliek. Kelly Daughtry and Brad Knott be seekin' the 13th District nomination. The winners will face Democratic sea dogs — and in some cases Libertarian Party scallywags — in the fall.These GOP primary runoffs be open to all registered Republicans in the state, or in the case of the congressional race, registered Republicans within the 13th District. Unaffiliated voters who either didn’t vote or voted Republican in the March primaries also can participate, the State Board of Elections said in a news release.Early voting in all 100 counties be continuin' through May 11. Generally, most counties have just one early-vote site for the runoffs. A GOP primary runoff be also happenin' for a Gaston County commissioner's seat. And there be a race to fill a seat on the nonpartisan Orange County Board of Education that had different runoff rules.Same-day registration be unavailable during early voting because the registration of new voters be not permitted between the first and second primaries. But people who become eligible to vote during the two primaries can both register and vote on May 14, the state board said. Traditional mail-in absentee voting for the runoffs began in late March when county boards started sendin' ballots to those who requested them.