Mailed absentee ballots signal voting underway

Cady Davis, News-Topic, Lenoir, N.C.
·4 min read

Sep. 30—LENOIR — On Friday, Sept. 9, the Caldwell County Board of Elections began mailing absentee ballots to voters who requested them for the 2022 General Election.

This signaled the start of voting for this important mid-term election. Election Day is 38 days away — Tuesday, Nov. 8.

As of Friday, Sept. 30, there are 54,062 registered voters in Caldwell County. There are 26,283 Republicans; 10,078 Democrats; 379 Libertarians; 17,322 unaffiliated; and currently, no one has registered for the Green Party. Additionally, 394 absentee-by-mail ballots have been sent out, which is an average amount for midterm general election in the county, according to Caldwell County Board of Elections Director Chad Barnes.

Contests in this election include a U.S. Senate seat, all 14 U.S. House seats, two seats on the N.C. Supreme Court, four seats on the N.C. Court of Appeals, all 170 seats in the N.C. General Assembly, and many judicial and local seats in the county, which include:

District Attorney District 36Scott Reilly (Rep)

Caldwell County Board of Commissioners

Mike Labrose (Rep)

Donnie Potter (Rep)

Caldwell County Board of EducationWilliam (BJ) Fore (Rep)

Mark Gerson (Rep)

Elaine Setzer-Maxwell (Dem)

Joe Sims (Rep)

Teresa Branch (Rep)

Caldwell County Clerk of Superior Court

Angela Ashley Kidd (Rep)

Caldwell County SheriffAlan C. Jones (Rep)

Caldwell Soil And Water Conservation District SupervisorRusty Dellinger

Ed Spivey

For the 2022 General Election in Caldwell County, there will be three different ballot styles. Voters will be given the ballot with all contests for which they are eligible to vote.

Caldwell County is represented by two N.C. Senate seats, District 45 and District 47, and two U.S. Congressional seats, District 5 and District 10. The district a voter lives in will determine which ballot they receive.

Listed below is Caldwell County's 18 precincts and their assigned ballot:

B001 — NC Senate District 47 and US Congressional District 5

— Gamewell

— Collettsville

— Kings Creek

— West Lenoir

— Freedman

— Patterson

B002 — NC Senate District 45 and US Congressional District 5

— Oak Hill

— Lower Creek

— Whitnel

— Hibriten

— Baton

— Cajah Mountain

— Sawmills

— Lenoir

— Hudson

— Dudley Shoals

B003 — NC Senate District 45 and US Congressional District 10

— Granite Falls

— Grace Chapel

— Dudley Shoals

Dudley Shoals has two different ballots. Voters may call the Board of Elections office at 828-757-1342 or visit the public voter search tool on the N.C. State Board of Elections website (ncsbe.gov) to find their ballot.

Every voter receives a ballot with candidates from each party regardless of their political affiliation.

Sample ballots are available through the Caldwell County Board of Elections website (caldwellcountync.org/elections).

Eligible individuals may register and vote at any one-stop early voting site in the county: Shuford Recreation Center (56 Pinewood Road, Granite Falls, NC) or Caldwell County Library, Lower Level (120 Hospital Avenue, Lenoir, NC) weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. During One-Stop (Early Voting), individuals who are not registered to vote in a county may register at early voting sites during the early voting period. After registering, the newly registered voter can immediately vote at that same site.

"We want to encourage folks to vote early," said Barnes.

The N.C. State Board of Elections (NCSBE) is committed to providing voters with access to safe methods of voting.

"We at the State Board will do everything we can to ensure that the county boards of elections and county poll workers understand their authority and procedures to maintain an orderly and safe voting environment for all voters," said State Board Chair Damon Circosta in a statement issued by NCSBE. "It is our duty to the voting public to protect their right to vote, and it will be protected."

Visit the state's Board of Elections website at www.ncsbe.gov or the Caldwell County Board of Elections website at www.caldwellcountync.org/elections for more information about absentee and early voting.

Important Dates and Deadlines: 2022 General Election

— Friday, Oct. 14: Regular voter registration deadline for voters who want to vote on Election Day. Forms must be postmarked or delivered in person by 5 p.m.

— Thursday, Oct. 20: One-stop, in-person early voting begins.

— Tuesday, Nov. 1: Absentee ballot request deadline. The State Board encourages voters to request their absentee ballot as early as possible to ensure enough time to complete and return the ballot.

— Saturday, Nov. 5: In-person early voting and registration ends at 3 p.m.

— Tuesday, Nov. 8: Election Day. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters should go to their designated Election Day polling place. Absentee ballots received after 5 p.m. Nov. 8 must be postmarked by Election Day and received by mail by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14. Ballots without a postmark must be received by Nov. 8.

— Friday, Nov. 18: County canvass day; results are certified at the county level.

— Tuesday, Nov. 29: State canvass day; final results are certified statewide