Photo by Kirk Ross.

State Sen. Ellie Kinnaird and longtime County Commissioner Moses Carey squared off last Wednesday in a debate that many observers say showed more agreement and few, if any, fireworks. But there are differences between the two. Next week, The Citizen looks at the race for Senate District 23 and how the two campaigns are focused in the final stretch.

The Orange County Board of Elections will hold a demonstration of the voting process and the procedures in place at 1 p.m. on April 26.

The demonstration will be held at the Orange Enterprise Building on Valley Forge Road in Hillsborough. For more information, contact the Orange County Board of Elections at 245-2350.

Jim Neal, candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, will cast his ballot at the early-voting site at Morehead Planetraium, his campaign announced this week. Neal, an investment banker who lives in Chapel Hill, is scheduled to cast his ballot at 4 p.m. Friday.

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With interest in North Carolina’s presidential primary building, a watchdog group is calling on state and local officials to beef up preparations for a surge of voters on May 6 and at the one-stop early-voting sites that open across the state today (Thursday).

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The Peck and Artisans building at 204 West Main St. is the scene this Friday of a “vote-raiser” for the re-election of state Sen. Ellie Kinnaird. Organizer and host Tim Peck said the idea is to get younger voters out who want to support Kinnaird but don’t have funds for a contribution. Musical acts include Billy Sugarfix, The Plate Holders and Jimmy Magoo. The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m.

Nothing’s confirmed, but town is readying for a major rally and rock show May 2 at Town Commons

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

No official confirmation yet, but Carrboro officials are planning for one of the largest crowds in town history after the board of aldermen greenlighted a request by the Barack Obama campaign to hold a major event Friday afternoon, May 2 at the Town Commons.

Town Manager Steve Stewart said the event, a concert and rally for the Illinois senator and leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, would be unprecedented since it will happen during business hours, while typically large events at Town Commons are held on weekends. The Obama campaign asked for the time slot, he said, because they want to be able to encourage attendees to take advantage of the early-voting site nearby at Town Hall.

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Orange County Democrats are invited to kickoff the election season at the annual Orange County Democratic Convention on Saturday at Mt. Zion AME Church on N.C. 86.

Attendees will have an opportunity to socialize and meet the Democratic candidates, current officeholders and fellow Democrats starting at 11 a.m. A barbecue or vegetarian lunch will be offered for a $10 donation.

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Voters tune into new registration rules, new county commissioner districts and contested races from the top of the ticket to a local tax referendum

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

With news reports along the presidential campaign trail now including datelines like Raleigh, Greensboro and the UNC campus, this spring’s primary season is heating up.

Set late in the season, North Carolina’s presidential primary is rarely a factor in deciding the presidential candidate of either party. This year, though, it may have a significant impact on the race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. In turn, that race is most certainly going to have an impact on local turnout.

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Early voting begins Thursday, April 17, for the May 6 election. Unregistered but eligible voters can register at early voting sites with identification showing their name and current address. Doing this means that you can only vote at the early-voting site. Registered voters can change registration information but not party affiliation.

Vote early in Carrboro at the town hall and in Chapel Hill at Morehead Planetarium or the Robert and Pearl Seymour Senior Center during weekday business hours. The last day is Saturday, May 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hugh Harrington was elected to the Pittsboro Town Board of Commissioners in March in a special election for the Board’s last open seat.

Harrington finished six votes ahead of Michele Berger in the November elections to win the Board’s third open seat. However, 17 voters received incorrect ballots, and the State Board of Elections in December authorized the new election because the ballots could have affected the outcome of the election.

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The Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday received an update regarding the voter education effort for the May 6 referendum on the land transfer tax.

Voters on May 6 will decide whether property sellers will pay a 0.4 percent land transfer tax. If the measure passes, the county could begin collecting funds during the 2008-09 fiscal year. The board in March voted to spend as much as $100,000 on the voter education effort.

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The registration deadline for those who want to vote in the May 6 election falls on April 11. To vote, you must be:

• a U.S. citizen and resident of North Carolina and this county for 30 days before the election;
• at least 18 years old on or before the next election;
• not registered and not voting in any other county or state;
• if convicted of a felony have voting rights restored.

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The Orange County Board of Elections will hold a demonstration of the voting process and the procedures in place at 1 p.m. on April 26.

The Board hopes to ensure that all voters of Orange County have complete confidence in the voting system.

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A reminder that regular registration is coming to a close, the early voting period is about to begin and there’s a complicated election ahead. Oh, and our Democratic presidential primary counts this year.
We’ll have a look at these and the races in this week’s Citizen.
Registration deadlines and other info and links after the jump and on our Elections & Politics site. More »

The Orange County Board of Elections released sample ballots for the May 6 Primary. The ballots for the Carrboro district will have the following choices.

Democratic Primaries

Presidential Preference
Hillary Clinton, Mike Gravel, Barack Obama, none

US Senate
Kay Hagan, Duskin C. Lassiter, Jim Neal, Howard Staley, Marcus W. Williams

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