School incumbents ran unopposed, re-elected March 5

The three incumbents on the Perquimans Board of Education were re-elected to new four-year terms on Tuesday, March 5.

Russell Lassiter, Leary Winslow and Arlene Yates ran unopposed in the nonpartisan election. Lassiter garnered 968 votes or 39.25%, Winslow collected 857 or 34.75%, and Yates finished with 603 votes or 24.45%. There were also 38 write-in votes.

Under Perquimans County’s single-shot voting system, voters can vote for only one candidate on the ballot. And although the race is nonpartisan, candidates for county school board in Perquimans run in the primary election.

Nearly 26% of Perquimans’ 10,306 voters cast ballots in the March 5 primary, which chose nominees from the state’s major parties to run in the November general election.

In several races of note, about three times as many Perquimans voters cast a ballot in the Republican primary for president as the Democratic primary for president. Former President Donald Trump got better than 83% of the vote in the GOP primary, collecting 1,700 votes to now former rival Nikki Haley’s 294 votes, or 14.3%. Five other candidates split roughly 44 votes. Twelve Republican voters cast their ballot for “no preference.”

In the Democratic primary, President Biden’s was the lone name on the ballot. He received 472 votes, 82% of the ballots cast. Ninety-eight Democrats voted “no preference.”

In the Republican primary for the 1st U.S. House District won by Laurie Buckhout, the retired U.S. Army colonel from Edenton outpolled her opponent Sandy Smith by 378 votes, winning 59.3% of the vote to Smith’s 40.63%. Buckhout will face U.S. Rep. Don Davis, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, in the November general election.

In the Democratic primary for governor, Attorney General Josh Stein outpolled his nearest opponent, former N.C. Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan, 316 votes to 116 votes in Perquimans. Stein finished with 56.9% to Morgan’s 20.9%. Three other candidates split the remaining 125 votes cast in the race.

In the Republican primary for governor, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson also outpolled his two opponents, Dale Folwell and Bill Graham. Robinson collected 1,367 votes, or 68.15%, to Folwell’s 443 votes, or 22%, and Graham’s 196 votes, or 9.7%.