Politics

Early voting ends at 1 p.m. Saturday

Jessica Allison, 25, of Hendersonville, makes a selfie after voting at the Board of Elections on Tuesday.

By Bill Moss, Published: November 3, 2016

Female voters outnumbered male voters by 3,159 after 10 days of early voting in Henderson County, election figures show, and more Republicans had voted than Democrats and independents.

Through mid-morning on Tuesday, 27,712 Henderson County voters had cast ballots either by absentee mail-in or at one-stop polling places in the county. The breakdown was 15,290 women and 11,998 men, or 55 percent female. That was slightly ahead of the women’s advantage in registration, which is 53.6 to 46.4 percent. Republicans were outvoting Democrats and unaffiliated voters, 11,318 to 6,666 to 9,654, respectively.
“I hope to vote 30 to 35,000 before Election Day,” said Elections Director Beverly Cunningham. “We’d like to get as many voted beforehand as we can.”
In 2012, 30,137 Henderson County voters cast ballots before Election Day. The county appears to be on a pace to exceed that this year.
It ought not surprise that voters are fired up and turnout is high. North Carolina is among a handful of swing states both presidential candidates are fighting for to the end. It’s home to perhaps the most closely watched gubernatorial election in the nation and the U.S. Senate race could decide the balance of power in that body.
Cunningham reminded voters that they can check the county Board of Elections website to find out where to vote (go to hendersoncountync.org/elections/ and click Search Statewide Voter Registration in the left-hand column and type in your name to see your precinct).
“We’ll have 300 people show up here on Election Day and swear this is where they voted last time,” Cunningham predicted. While they may have voted at the Board of Elections office in the last election they did not vote there on Election Day. Although it’s a one-stop voting site, the Board of Elections has never been a polling place on Election Day.
“Don’t wait till Election Day to find out where you’re going to vote,” Cunningham added. “Look it up now or call us now.”
The elections office is keeping up with people’s desire to document their lives in the age of social media. While photographs are not allowed in a voting booth, the Board of Elections set up a selfie photo area complete with props voters can use to make their own picture after they’ve voted.

One-stop voting sites

One-stop voting ends at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Henderson County Board of Elections office, 75 East Central St., off Spartanburg Highway; Etowah Library, 101 Brickyard Road, Etowah; Flat Rock Village Hall, 110 Village Center Drive, Flat Rock; and Fletcher Library, 120 Library Road, Fletcher. Same-day registration is allowed during one-stop voting but not on Election Day.
One-stop voting hours at the Henderson County Board of Elections office:
• Oct. 31-Nov. 4: 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Saturday: Nov. 5: 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
One-stop voting hours at Etowah Library, Flat Rock Village Hall and Fletcher Library:
• Oct. 31-Nov. 4: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 5: 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Polls are open on Election Day from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters don’t need a photo ID to vote; that requirement in state law was struck down by a federal appeals court.