Leaders of the political parties in the Twin Counties are making voters aware of the option to be able to cast an absentee ballot, but given that the coronavirus pandemic has passed, opinions differ on the urgency of asking voters to choose candidates for president on down by the early mail-in voting method, as masses of voters did in the 2020 election.
Nash County Republican Party Chairman Mark Edwards, in a text message Wednesday evening, said that he and his fellow county GOP leaders are encouraging people to go to the website protectthevote.com and sign up to find out how to be able to vote.
“Our main focus is getting voters to vote as early as possible during early voting,” Edwards said.
Edwards also said that when campaign volunteers are knocking on doors asking voters to confirm their support for former President Donald Trump for president and Laurie Buckhout for Congress, the app they are using gives them the ability to log in who plans to vote using the absentee method.
“That way our volunteers can follow up with those voters later this month and in October to remind them to get those absentee ballots submitted by Election Day,” he said.
Trump is pitted against Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential contest, and North Carolina is considered a battleground state that will be pivotal in deciding the next president.
Nash County Democratic Party Chairwoman Cassandra Conover, in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon, said that she and her fellow county Democratic leaders have been announcing in churches and at events and festivals about the availability of absentee ballots and how to request them.
Conover also said that she and her fellow county Democratic leaders have asked churches, if need be, to be able to print a copy of a voter’s photographic identification, which is needed to be able to cast an absentee ballot.
Conover also said that she and her fellow county Democratic leaders have done much to educate everyone they see about the importance of being able to vote absentee, including students at N.C. Wesleyan University.
“Every vote is going to be important in this one,” she said of the 2024 general election contest. “We have to make sure that everybody knows all of their options for how to vote.”
Friday marked the start of county boards of elections officials mailing out absentee ballots to voters who had requested them. Oct. 29 is the deadline for one to be able to request an absentee ballot.
The ballot must arrive at the respective county board of elections office by 7:30 p.m. the day of the Nov. 5 general election.
The in-person early voting period is set to start Oct. 17 and extend to Nov. 2.
Edgecombe County Republican Party Chairman Jason Dilday, in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon, said that he and his fellow county GOP leaders have not been pushing absentee voting like when the coronavirus pandemic was a bigger issue.
Dilday said that he and his team have been seeing national trends toward more people wanting to go vote in person and that he and his team have subsequently been focusing on making contacts with those who vote in person.
“COVID, rightfully so, scared a lot of people and they figured the best thing to do is to vote by mail, but folks aren’t scared of COVID anymore — and I think they’re coming out,” Dilday said.
Edgecombe County Democratic Party Chairwoman Alfreda Perkins, in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon, said that she and her fellow county Democratic leaders are emphasizing voters cast ballots as early as possible, either by mail or in person, rather than wait until the Nov. 5 general election day.
Perkins emphasized that on that day, “You don’t know what the weather looks like. ... You don’t know if you’re dependent on someone to come and pick you up and take you to the polls if they’re going to be available or not.”
In addition to the presidential contest and the District 1 race pitting incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Davis, D-1st District, against the Republican nominee and a Libertarian candidate, North Carolina voters will also be picking a new governor. Gov. Roy Cooper, a Nash County native, is term-limited. Voters will decide between Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee, and N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein, the Democratic nominee, in the gubernatorial contest.
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