5 things to know before voting Tuesday

Kevin Ellis, The Gaston Gazette
·6 min read
Early voting began Thursday morning as people filled out their ballots at the Gaston County Board of Elections on West Franklin Boulevard.
Early voting began Thursday morning as people filled out their ballots at the Gaston County Board of Elections on West Franklin Boulevard.

Election Day arrives Tuesday, which means political TV advertisements, candidate text messages and campaign emails end Wednesday.

Why vote? "Voting is crucial to choosing leaders in both local, state, judicial and federal races.  Every contest on the ballot is important and those elected leaders will shape local and federal policies for years to come.  Plus, it’s part of being an informed, engaged citizen to vote in each election," said Adam Ragan, director of Gaston County Board of Elections.

But before heading to the polls on Tuesday, here are five things to know about local voting:

When and where

Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Jesse Caldwell IV to serve as a Superior Court judge for Gaston County. He replaces his father, Jesse Caldwell III, who was a Superior Court judge in Gaston County for 28 years before retiring in May after hitting the mandatory retirement age of 72.
Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Jesse Caldwell IV to serve as a Superior Court judge for Gaston County. He replaces his father, Jesse Caldwell III, who was a Superior Court judge in Gaston County for 28 years before retiring in May after hitting the mandatory retirement age of 72.

Election Day falls on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in the month of November. This year, that day falls on Tuesday, Nov, 8.

Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and voters in line by 7:30 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

Josh Crisp
Josh Crisp
Glenn Bratton, a candidate for the Dallas township of the Gaston County Board of Education will hold a meet and greet on Saturday, April 23.
Glenn Bratton, a candidate for the Dallas township of the Gaston County Board of Education will hold a meet and greet on Saturday, April 23.

Contested local races

Jeff Jackson kicks off congressional campaign in Gastonia by stopping by Rankin Lake Park to speak to and greet people Monday evening, March 28, 2022.
Jeff Jackson kicks off congressional campaign in Gastonia by stopping by Rankin Lake Park to speak to and greet people Monday evening, March 28, 2022.

Quick answers to quick questions

Republican Patrick Harrigan hopes to represent part of Gaston County in the new 14th U.S. House District, which also includes part of Charlotte. Here, Harrigan, meets with supporters on Friday, Aug. 18, 2022, at Sammy's restaurant in Belmont.
Republican Patrick Harrigan hopes to represent part of Gaston County in the new 14th U.S. House District, which also includes part of Charlotte. Here, Harrigan, meets with supporters on Friday, Aug. 18, 2022, at Sammy's restaurant in Belmont.

  • Voter safety? "No complaints of voter intimidation reported to our office," Ragan said. "The police have been called several times by campaigners outside of the Board of Election early voting site. Our office protects voters from harassment and intimidation but any issues between campaigners would be handled by law enforcement."

  • Voter turnout: "We’re a little ahead of where we were for the 2018 General Election for early voting (almost 20,000 through Wednesday)," Ragan said. "We had 49.17% turnout for that 2018 election and I’ll think we’ll be closer to the 50-55% turnout for this election." Note: Early voting continues through 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5.

  • Will my vote count? "All allowable votes will be counted. Provisional ballots are a fail-safe method if there is any issue with a voter not being able to vote a regular ballot. Our office researches all provisional ballots and will count those that are approved. If a voter is properly registered in Gaston County their should be no issue with voting. If there is an issue the voter can complete a provisional ballot and we will do the research to investigate the issue," Ragan said.

  • Election Day problems? "If a voter has any issues they can either contact the Chief Election Judge at the polling place or call the Board of Elections office (704-852-6005) and we’ll assist in any way we can," Ragan said.

  • How long will it take? "Voter wait times will vary depending on the time of day the voter is voting and their polling location. Generally, first thing in the morning, lunchtime and the end of the workday will be the most busy but I don’t anticipate any wait time over 30 minutes at any polling place on Election Day," Ragan said.

  • Photo ID required? A Sept. 17, 2021, court decision means voters are not required to show photo ID in elections in North Carolina.

Where to vote?

Here are the place to vote by precinct, place and address. The ALL CAPS indicates name of precinct.

  • 1 YORK CHESTER Adult Recreation Center, 519 W. Franklin Blvd, Gastonia

  • 2 VICTORY Phillips Community Center, 2031 Echo Lane, Gastonia

  • 3 PLEASANT RIDGE Elementary School, 1260 Floyd Lane, Gastonia

  • 4 FOREST HEIGHTS First Assembly of God, 777 S. Myrtle School Road, Gastonia

  • 5 HEALTH CENTER Highland Health Center, 609 N. Highland St., Gastonia

  • 6 MYRTLE T. Jeffers Center, 121 N. Hartman St., Gastonia

  • 7 HIGHLAND Erwin Center, 913 N. Pryor St., Gastonia

  • 8 WOODHILL Bradley Community Center, 1200 N. Modena St., Gastonia

  • 9 GRIER Middle School, 1622 E. Garrison Blvd. Gastonia

  • 10 SHERWOOD Elementary School, 1744 Dixon Road, Gastonia

  • 11 ARMSTRONG County Schools Office, 943 Osceola St., Gastonia

  • 12 FLINT GROVES Brookside Elementary School, 1925 Auten Road, Gastonia

  • 13 RANLO Warlick Academy, 1316 Spencer Mountain Road, Gastonia

  • 14 GARDNER PARK Covenant Baptist Church, 3131 Erskine Drive, Gastonia

  • 15 ROBINSON #1 National Guard Armory, 2100 Robinwood Road, Gastonia

  • 16 GASTON DAY Robinson Elementary School, 3122 Union Road, Gastonia

  • 17 ROBINSON #2 First Baptist Church of Gastonia, 2650 Union Road, Gastonia

  • 18 ASHBROOK High School, 2222 S. New Hope Road, Gastonia

  • 19 SOUTH GASTONIA Ridge Baptist Church, 3818 Old York Road, Gastonia

  • 20 BESSEMER CITY #1 First Baptist Church of Bessemer City, 107 E. Washington Ave., Bessemer City

  • 21 BESSEMER CITY #2 Allan Farris Community Center, 220 S. 14th St., Bessemer City

  • 22 CROWDERS MOUNTAIN Pisgah ARP Church, 3600 Linwood Road, Gastonia

  • 23 BELMONT #1 Belmont Central Elementary School, 310 Eagle Road, Belmont

  • 24 BELMONT #2 Gaston College Kimbrell Campus, 7220 E. Wilkinson Blvd., Belmont

  • 25 BELMONT #3 Goshen Presbyterian Church, 380 Woodlawn Road, Belmont

  • 26 CATAWBA HEIGHTS Crossroads Church, 101 Beaty Road, Belmont

  • 27 SOUTH POINT First United Methodist Church, 807 South Point Road, Belmont

  • 28 CRAMERTON First Baptist Church of Cramerton, 235 Eighth Ave., Cramerton

  • 29 NEW HOPE Elementary School, 137 Stowe Road, Gastonia

  • 30 MCADENVILLE West Cramerton Baptist Church, 5006 Wilkinson Blvd., Gastonia

  • 31 UNION W.A. Bess Elementary School, 4340 Beaty Road, Gastonia

  • 32 LOWELL Presbyterian Church of Lowell, 207 E. First St., Lowell

  • 33 TRYON Tryonota Volunteer Fire Department, 2577 Tryon Courthouse Road, Bessemer City

  • 34 LANDERS CHAPEL Methodist Church, 1205 Long Shoals Road, Lincolnton

  • 35 CHERRYVILLE #1 Community Building, 108 S. Jacobs St., Cherryville

  • 36 CHERRYVILLE #2 Second Baptist Church, 201 Houser St., Cherryville

  • 37 CHERRYVILLE #3 First Presbyterian Church, 107 W. Academy St., Cherryville

  • 38 HIGH SHOALS St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 531 Hardin Road, Dallas

  • 39 ALEXIS Baptist Church, 118 Alexis Church Road, Dallas

  • 40 DALLAS #1 Holy Communion Lutheran Church, 103 W. Church St., Dallas

  • 41 DALLAS #2 Dallas Baptist Church, 402 W. Trade St., Dallas

  • 42 LUCIA New Covenant United Methodist Church, 14514 Lucia Riverbend Highway, Mount Holly

  • 43 STANLEY #1 Christ’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 203 S. Main St., Stanley

  • 44 STANLEY #2 Springfield Baptist Church, 2920 Dallas Stanley Highway, Stanley

  • 45 MOUNT HOLLY #1 Tuckaseegee Community Center, 105 Sports Lane, Mount Holly

  • 46 MOUNT HOLLY #2 Cornerstone Family Worship, 709 Rankin Ave., Mount Holly

Running without opposition

These candidates do not have opposition.

  • Dot Cherry, at large school board seat (incumbent)

  • Lee Dedmon, Gastonia Township school board seat (incumbent)

  • A.M. Stephens III, Riverbend Township school board seat (incumbent Kevin Collier did not run)

  • Roxann Rankin, clerk of Superior Court (incumbent)

  • Cathy Cloninger, Dallas Township seat on County Commission (Tracy Philbeck did not run)

  • Tom Keigher, Gastonia Township seat on County Commission (incumbent)

  • Chad Brown, Riverbend Township seat on County Commission (incumbent)

  • Republican Rep. John Torbett, 108th House (incumbent)

  • Republican Rep. Kelly Hastings, 110th House (incumbent)

  • Republican Brad Overcash, 43rd Senate (Kathy Harrington did not run)

  • Republican Chad Hawkins, sheriff (Alan Cloninger did not run)

  • Republican Sen. Ted Alexander, 44th Senate (incumbent)

Bonus

The Omegas of Gastonia will be offering free rides to the voting places on Nov. 8.

The base of operations will the Omegas of Gastonia Community Resource Center located at 220 N. Highland Ave., Gastonia.

This service will be provided free of charge to the public. Hours of operation will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Individuals who would like to take advantage of this service should call The Omegas of Gastonia Community Resource Center directly at 704-215-5127 or contact Brother Smitty Davis at 704-231-7285.

"We look forward to serving you and remember that your 'vote creates change,'" stated a release from The Omegas.

You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-201-7016 or email him at Kellis@gastongazette.com. Support local journalism by subscribing here.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston County elections take place Tuesday