Today is primary election day in North Carolina, and with the intense presidential race blasting on all media fronts the other races may have gotten short shrift.
Those races are just as important, and with the polling place open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department on Irvin Garrish Highway anyone who still needs to research the candidates has time to do so.
Voters have many elected offices for which to choose candidates today. Those voters who still need information about candidates can check the following websites:
www.Ballotpedia.org has a lot of good information, but is lacking in some statewide and local candidate information.
The Raleigh News&Observer has information on the statewide candidates, including some stories, at their Newsobserver.com website. Click on the voter’s guide. Another website in which to vet candidates is www.politicsnc.com.
We also have several other sites listed here.
Pundits and pollsters might do well to study Ocracoke because it is a community that’s interested in politics.
Almost 82 percent of Ocracoke residents are registered to vote and a big percentage of them turn out to exercise their rights.
This is gleaned from the 2010 census, which shows a 948 total population for Ocracoke.
Voter statistics from the Hyde County Elections Office shows that Ocracoke has the highest number of voters in the seven precincts in the county.
As of Feb. 26, according to Viola Williams, election board director, the total number of Ocracoke voters is 775.
This total increased by 11 from the figures Williams had reported at the end of December, which showed that the total in the county was 3,395, with Ocracoke having 768.
Of the 11 newly added voters, seven are in Ocracoke.
At the end of December, Engelhard had the next highest with 601. After that, the December number show the following breakdown of total voters: Swan Quarter, 534; Lake Landing, 491; Sladesville, 367; Fairfield, 346; and Burgess Mill, 288.
Of these December totals, 2,150 of all Hyde County voters are Democrat; 493 are Republican; 10 are Libertarian and 742 are Unaffiliated.
As for gender, the county-wide breakdown of the December totals (or 3,395) shows 1,580 males, 1,783 females and 32 undesignated.
As for race, the breakdown is as follows: 836 black; 2,486 white; 3 Indian; 6 listed two or more races; 21 listed “other, and 43 were undesignated.
The total county number of voters is 3,406 while the 2010 census tallied 5,810 total souls in Hyde County, or about 59 percent of the total Hyde County population is registered to vote.
So what percentage of total souls are of voting age?
That’s a great question. Thank you! Digging deeper into the census figures, the census website says that as of 2014, the Ocracoke population is 556 (while the 2010 report said 958). Very curious, but as for that total, the census says 87 percent of the 2014 figures are 18 and over, or about 484 that are eligible to vote.
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