By Peter Vankevich
A special primary election primary to fill the remaining term of the late Rep. Walter Jones in North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District will be held tomorrow, April 30.
On Ocracoke, voting will take place from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Ocracoke Fire Department, 822 Irvin Garrish Hwy.
Voters can only vote in the primary that corresponds with their registered party affiliation. Those registered as unaffiliated ask for the ballot of whatever party they choose.
According to Viola Williams, Hyde County’s election director, 57 voters at the Hyde County Board of Elections office in Swan Quarter and 35 at the Ocracoke site on April 18 participated in early, one-stop voting.
Twenty-six candidates are vying for the chance to represent 17 counties of the eastern North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives which Jones held from 1995 until his death on Feb. 10. The ballot includes 17 Republicans, six Democrats, two Libertarians and one Constitution Party candidate.
If the winners for each party receive at least 30 percent of the vote, the election will be held July 9.
If the winners for each party do not receive 30 percent of the vote, a primary runoff will be needed and a runoff between the top two finishers will be held July 9 and the general election will then be pushed to Sept. 10.
Here are the candidates and their party affiliation:
Constitution: Greg Holt
Democrat: Richard Bew, Ike Johnson, Gregory Humphrey Dana E. Outlaw, Ernest T. Reeves and Allen Thomas
Libertarian: Shannon W. Bray, Tim Harris
Republican: Kevin Baiko, Paul Beaumont, Graham Boyd, Celeste Cairns, Gary Ceres, Chimer Davis Clark Jr., Don Cox, Francis X. De Luca, Phil Law, Jeff Moore, Greg Murphy, Michele Nix, Mike Payment, Joan Perry, Eric Rouse, Phil Shepard and Michael Speciale.
The candidates have set up websites and Face Book pages. Ballotpedia and the North Carolina Board of Elections have compiled the list of candidates.
Two candidates, Thomas Allen and Richard Bew, visited Ocracoke and met with voters during the campaign season.
As of March, Ocracoke has 747 registered voters: 378 Democrats, seven Libertarians, 99 Republican and 263 unaffiliated.
Persons with questions about registration, polling places, early voting, absentee ballots, a Multipartisan Assistance Team visit to a facility or other election matters may call the Hyde County Board of Elections Office at 252-926-4194.
