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Voters should head to polls on Tuesday
The middle of summer is not the typical time to have an election, but that’s when the North Carolina primary will be held.
We hope voters won’t let the unusual schedule, caused by a Republican court challenge to legislative redistricting, keep them away from the polls Tuesday, July 20.
While the election is a primary for most races, it will serve as the general election for two seats on the Jackson County Board of Education. Mary Jane Dillard and James Roper, 12-year board veterans, are not running for re-election creating two open seats. There’s nothing more important for the future of Jackson County than the education of our children, and board members elected Tuesday will help set educational policy that will have an impact for years to come.
Just two years ago, Ken Henke won his school board seat by only 15 votes, so don’t think each vote doesn’t make a difference.
For the first time in some 30 years, we have a contested race for a District Court judgeship. Voters shouldn’t miss this rare opportunity to shape our court system at the level that directly impacts more citizens than any other.
Alan Thornburg, a Jackson County native, is on the ballot for a seat on the N.C. Court of Appeals, bringing a local flavor to a state race.
While the school board and judicial races are non-partisan, there are some important races on the ballot in both party primaries. Typically, the most competitive primary races in North Carolina involve Democrats, but that’s not the case this year.
The Republican primary for governor, which features six candidates, is the most high profile race on the ballot. GOP voters should have an added incentive to get to the polls this year.
Although Rep. Richard Burr is expected to easily win his party’s primary for the U.S. Senate, Republicans will also have primaries for lieutenant governor, attorney general, auditor, commissioner of insurance, commissioner of labor and superintendent of public instruction.
Gov. Mike Easley and Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue face only token opposition, but there are still plenty of reasons for Democrats to head to the polls. The party will pick nominees for the 11th Congressional District seat as well as commissioner of agriculture, secretary of state and superintendent of public instruction.
Voting is not only a right, it’s a privilege, and we hope all registered voters will go to the polls Tuesday or take advantage of early one-stop voting through Saturday at the Board of Elections office. We can think of no better way to show support for members of our military deployed in Iraq and around the world than to exercise the most basic freedom we have – choosing our leaders.
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