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9,423

That’s the number of registered voters in Pamlico County a month before the presidential election.

Since January of this year, more than 670 people have joined those rolls — 200 unaffiliated, 195 Republicans and 276 Democrats.

If you’d like to join their ranks and vote next month, here’s some information that may be helpful.

Registering To Vote By October 10
In order to cast a ballot at the polls on November 4, Pamlico County’s Elections Supervisor LIsa Bennett says you have to be registered to vote by 5pm Friday, October 10.

One-Stop Voting Starts October 16 For those who want to get their voting out of the way early, the “One-Stop Voting” arrangement begins October 16 and goes on until November 1.

That means going to one of two sites — the Board of Elections office at the county courthouse in Bayboro and at Grantsboro Town Hall — asking for what is in effect an absentee ballot and filling it out on the spot. The two sites will be open Monday-Friday from 8am to 5pm and on Saturday, November 1 from 8am-1pm.

One-Stop and Registration Combined
One-stop voting also offers an opportunity for those who may have missed the October 10 deadline to register. Bennett says that under North Carolina’s new law allowing same day registration, Pamlico County residents who did not register to vote by the October 10th deadline may still register and vote at either One-Stop location.

Those who opt for that route, have to vote right then and there too. According to the Board of Elections, “Registering at a One-Stop site does not make the voter eligible to vote on Election Day. They must vote while at the One-Stop site.”

Lisa Bennett adds that, “They must also provide some type of identification to register and vote at a One-stop location.” Ideally, that would be your drivers’ license. The ID has to show your name and current residential address in Pamlico County. “We will even accept a utility bill or banking statement,” says Bennett, “but it must show the residential address, not a PO Box.”

If would-be voters coming to register and vote at a One-Stop location do not have such ID, then a provisional ballot will be given to them to fill out. Bennett says that for the provisional ballot to be counted, the voter will have to provide proof of residency in the county by November 1, the end of the One-Stop voting period.

Bennett notes that this is the first General Election in which the new NC law on “same-day registration “ is being used.

Absentee Ballots
Meanwhile, the old fashioned absentee ballots are still an option for those who won’t physically be in the county on November 4 and who can’t or don’t want to vote One-Stop. Requests for absentee ballots have to be received by the Board of Elections office Friday October 28 and must be returned by 5pm on November 3 at 5pm.

On Election Day, the fire station on Straight Road is where Oriental area voters cast their ballots.

Voting on Election Day Proper
And for those who are planning to vote on election day, the polls will be open from 6:30am to 7:30pm. Oriental area voters cast ballots at the volunteer fire station on Straight Road.

Bottom Line
Bottom line to all this is: if you want to vote at the polls on Election Day, be registered to vote by October 10. If you miss that deadline, you can register at the same time you cast a “one-stop” vote and you can do that up until November 1.

If you have further questions, contact the Pamlico Elections office at 745-4821.

Posted Thursday October 2, 2008 by Melinda Penkava