Story co-reported with Ruby Annas and Giovanni Ricciardi
(story updated and corrected at 3 p.m.)
Election day in Jackson County so far is going smooth. By noon over 315 votes were casted at the Board of Election voting place in Sylva and in Culluwhee Rec Center around 140 people voted by 11 a.m.
So far, the BOE site had a good problem – lack of parking spots so staff members were asked to park on the gravel in the additional parking next to the site. The director of the BOE, Lisa Lovedahl Ries, mentioned that some of their printers and computers are giving them problems but nothing more than usual.
At the Rec Center few people wanted to register and vote at the same time, so they had to vote as provisional votes. Chief judge at the Rec Center, Roy Osborn, said that in the few hours of site being opened they had eight provisional votes. Same day registration and voting is allowed only during early voting period but not on the election day.
“It was running like a clock,” Osborn said.
Osborn also mentioned that the site was a bit slow because they are not seeing WCU students being bussed to the site for voting. At the time of the reporting there were no busses from WCU. In the email from Nov. 3 the administration informed students who are registered in Jackson County they will provide transportation to the Rec Center to vote.
This year there are observers from both parties present at the voting places. Lovedahl Ries said that in the past that was not happening, but she is happy that they are present and are able to observe the voting process. During the morning the democratic observer at BOE said that the republican representatives are purposefully blocking the information tables with a Penske truck.
The parking lot at both places were like a hang out spots where candidates, campaign representatives and voters could banter and chat or get in a debate. Our reporter at the BOE site reported that Al Platt, democratic candidate for the N.C. 119 District, got in a heated debate with a voter who was asking is it possible to be a “Christian and a Democrat at the same time.”
At the Rec Center the Jacksons County Commissioners Linda Woody (D) and Boyce Deitz (D) were outside and chatting with voters. They will be visiting every polling place in the Jackson County during the day.
Both Deitz and Woody have a goal to preserve the natural landscape and a clean environment.
Some of the voters our reporters talked about their choices for candidates and why them.
“I don’t believe a woman should be a slave to a rapist or the state,” said Marry Rock, resident of Sylva, adding that this elections she is voting outside of her normal party for women’s rights.
Some of the republicans who were around the Republican tent at BOE said that they are hoping for a republican victory so they could see some lower gas prices adding “we gotta stop blaming Putin for it the White House did that.”
WCJ will continue our coverage of the elections in Jackson County throughout the day. Starting at 7:30 p.m. we will have a live coverage of the elections with the preliminary results on the WCU Communication Department Facebook page.
