Early voting starts Thursday. Here’s what you need to know.

Rebecca Walter, Hendersonville Times-News
·4 min read
Early voting officially kicks off Thursday, Oct. 20 for the upcoming general election
Early voting officially kicks off Thursday, Oct. 20 for the upcoming general election

Early voting officially kicks off Thursday, Oct. 20 for the upcoming general election. Voters in Henderson County can expect to see federal, state and local races on their ballots.

All three Henderson County Board of Commissioners’ races feature unopposed incumbents, ensuring the board remains occupied by Republicans across the board. The N.C. House District 113 also only has one candidate, incumbent Rep. Jake Johnson. District Attorney Andrew Murray also will not face a challenger on the ballot, and neither will Henderson County Sheriff Lowell Griffin.

Nine candidates are in the running to fill the three seats available on the Henderson County Board of Education. The seats currently held by Dot Case, Jay Egolf, and Amy Lynn Holt are up for grabs. Case and Egolf are running for re-election.

In addition to Henderson County races, voters will also have a hand in selecting the next U.S. Senator for North Carolina and the 11th District House member. Voters will also help decide who will sit on the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Voters can cast ballots one of three ways: by absentee ballot, early in-person voting, and voting on Election Day. No photo ID is needed to vote.

Early voting locations

Henderson County has four early voting locations. For more details on early voting, call 828-697-4970 or email hcelections@hendersoncountync.gov.

  • Board of Elections, 75 E. Central St., Hendersonville

  • Etowah Library, 101 Brickyard Road, Etowah

  • Flat Rock Village Hall, 110 Village Center Drive, Flat Rock

  • Fletcher Town Hall, 300 Old Cane Creek Road, Fletcher

Early voting dates, hours

  • Oct. 20-21, 24-28, 31: 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

  • Nov. 1-4: 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

  • Nov. 5: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Voting on Nov. 8

Registered voters can vote the day of the election at their designated polling places on Nov. 8.

To learn more about where to vote, go to www.hendersoncountync.gov/elections/page/voters and select "Where Do I Vote?"

Absentee ballots, voter registration

A voter can fill out an absentee ballot request at votebymail.ncsbe.gov or by filling out a request form provided by the Board of Elections. The request must be received through the website or by the Henderson County Board of Elections by 5 p.m. Nov. 1.

The voter registration deadline for this election was Oct. 14. Eligible individuals who were not registered by that deadline may register and vote at any early voting site during the early voting period. New registrants will be required to provide documentation of their residence, according to the Board of Elections.

Any North Carolina registered voter qualified to vote in an election may request and receive a mail-in absentee ballot for any election in which absentee voting is allowed. All registered voters may request an absentee ballot. No special circumstance or reason is needed to receive and vote a mail-in absentee ballot.

For more information, go to www.hendersoncountync.gov/elections/page/absentee-voting-information

The ballots

Exact ballots vary based on where the voter resides.

U.S. SENATE

  • Matthew Hoh, Wake Forest, Green Party

  • Cheri Beasley, Raleigh, Democrat

  • Shannon W. Bray, Apex, Libertarian

  • Ted Budd, Raleigh, Republican

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, DISTRICT 11

  • David Adam Coatney, Fletcher, Libertarian

  • Chuck Edwards, Flat Rock, Republican

  • Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Asheville, Democrat

NC SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE, SEAT 03

  • Richard Dietz, Raleigh, Republican

  • Lucy Inman, Raleigh, Democrat

NC SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE, SEAT 05

  • Sam J. Ervin IV, Morganton, Democrat

  • Trey Allen, Hillsborough, Republican

NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, SEAT 08

  • Julee Tate Flood, Holly Springs, Republican

  • Carolyn Jennings Thompson, Oxford, Democrat

NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, SEAT 09

  • Brad A. Salmon, Sanford, Democrat

  • Donna Stroud, Garner, Republican

NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, SEAT 10

  • John M. Tyson, Fayetteville, Republican

  • Gale Murray Adams, Fayetteville, Democrat

NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, SEAT 11

  • Darren Jackson, Raleigh, Democrat

  • Michael J. Stading, Charlotte, Republican

NC STATE SENATE, DISTRICT 48

  • Jay Carey, Hendersonville, Democrat

  • Tim Moffitt, Hendersonville, Republican

NC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 113

  • Jake Johnson, Columbus, Republican

NC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 117

  • Michael Greer O’Shea, Mills River, Democrat

  • Jennifer Capps Balkcom, Hendersonville, Republican

NC DISTRICT COURT JUDGE DISTRICT 29B (NEW SEAT)

  • Abe Hudson, Republican

DISTRICT ATTORNEY DISTRICT 42

  • Andrew Murray, Republican

HENDERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS DISTRICT 01

  • J. Michael Edney

HENDERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS DISTRICT 03

  • Bill Lapsley

HENDERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS DISTRICT 04

  • Rebecca McCall

HENDERSON COUNTY CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT

  • J. Tyler Ray, Republican

HENDERSON COUTNY REGISTER OF DEEDS

  • Lee King, Republican

HENDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF

  • Lowell S. Griffin, Republican

HENDERSON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION (Non-partisan)

  • Dot Case

  • Shelia Dale

  • Jay Egolf

  • Mary Ellen Kustin

  • Vance Mccraw

  • Alyssa Norman

  • Eric Parlow

  • Aaron Purcell

  • Heather Sowry Ray

HENDERSON SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT SUPERVISOR (Non-partisan)

  • Jerred Nix

  • Drew Brannon

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Early voting starts Thursday. Here’s what you need to know.