Election 2022: How to avoid long lines when voting early in Wilmington
Early voting is underway for the Nov. 8, 2022 midterm elections, and tens of thousands have already cast their ballots.
More than 12% of registered voters across Brunswick, New Hanover, and Pender Counties have already voted, with the highest turnout so far in Brunswick County.
As of Wednesday, Brunswick County, which has 125,912 registered voters, recorded 20,588 ballots received; New Hanover, with 179,911 registered voters, recorded receiving 20,314 ballots; and Pender County, at 47,551 registered voters, recorded 4,548 ballots received.
Election Day 2022: What to know about Wilmington-area races
Wilmington area voters who don’t want to wait until Election Day to cast their ballots can mail in or drop off an absentee ballot or cast their vote in person during the One-Stop Early Voting period, which began Oct. 20 and ends Nov. 5.
Of course, people can always hold off until Election Day, Nov. 8, to vote at their designated polling place. But if you're not a procrastinator, here’s what you need to know about voting early in this election.
How to avoid the lines
Though there have been some reports of long lines at some early voting sites, officials say that's typical at the beginning and end of the early voting period. The best times to drop off ballots are during normal work hours.
In New Hanover and Brunswick Counties, voters can check out the wait times in real-time using interactive map applications.
According to Pender Board of Elections Deputy Director Theressa Lewis, there's no real-time app for Pender County voting sites and while there have been lines so far, wait times haven't been an issue there.
Wilmington-area 2022 elections: Read more on candidates
How it works
Unlike on Election Day, during early voting registered voters can cast their ballots at any of several early voting sites in their county instead of in their designated precinct. It's a little different than voting on Election Day as voters will be required to sign an absentee request application before casting their ballots.
Residents who receive an absentee ballot by mail can also drop their ballot off at an early voting site.
Is there still time to register?
Voters who aren't registered to vote in their county can still register and vote the same day at early voting locations as long as they complete an application and show proof of residence in the county.
When and where to vote early
In Wilmington, early voting sites are open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, except on Nov. 5 when sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
David E. Paynter Room1241 Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington, NC 28405
CFCC Downtown Campus- Health Sciences Building415 N. 2nd Street, Wilmington, NC 28401
CFCC North Campus- McKeithan Center, BB&T Auditorium4500 Blue Clay Road, Castle Hayne, NC 28429
Carolina Beach Town Hall- Police Training Room1121 Lake Park Boulevard, Carolina Beach, NC 28428
NHC Senior Resource Center- Multipurpose Room2222 S. College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403
In Pender County, early voting sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays. Sites will be closed on Oct. 29, will open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 30, and will open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 5.
Pender County NC Cooperative Extension Auditorium(In Lieu of Office Site)801 S. Walker Street, Burgaw NC 28425
Pender County Annex Building15060 US Hwy 17, Hampstead, NC 28443
Atkinson School Gym200 N. Town Hall Avenue, Atkinson, NC 28421
In Brunswick County, the government center's early voting site will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. It is closed on the weekends except for Nov. 5, when it will open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Government Center LocationBrunswick County Cooperative Extension25 Referendum Drive NE, Building N, Bolivia, NC, 28422
Brunswick County satellite locations will be open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekends. They will open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 29, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 30, and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 5.
Leland Cultural Arts Center1212 Magnolia Village Way, Leland, NC, 28451
Brunswick Center at Southport 1513 N Howe Street, Southport, NC, 28461
Brunswick Center at Shallotte 3620 Express Drive, Shallotte, NC, 28470
Southwest Brunswick Branch Library9400 Ocean Highway West, Calabash, NC, 28467
Reporter John Orona can be reached at 910-343-2327 or jorona@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: What to know about early voting in Wilmington this election
