Early voting in the Republican primary runoff election for the third district U.S. congressional seat starts today and continues daily through July 5, except over the June 29-30 weekend and the July 4 holiday. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Baum Senior Center in Kill Devil Hills, the Dare County Administration Building in Manteo, and the Fessenden Center Annex in Buxton. The election is July 9.
See the early-voting schedule here: https://www.darenc.com/departments/elections/one-stop-absentee-early-voting.
The second Republican primary for the office left vacant by the death of longtime Congressman Walter B. Jones Jr. pits two physicians against each other: Dr. Greg Murphy, 56, a urologist in private practice in Greenville, and Dr. Joan Perry, a private pediatrician in her early 60s who works and lives in Kinston.
Dr. Murphy is currently serving in the N.C. House of Representatives. Dr. Perry has never held political office.
All registered Republicans in Dare County may vote in the July 9 second primary, as may registered unaffiliated voters who did not vote in the first primary election or who voted for a Republican in the first primary.
The winner of the primary runoff will face Democrat Allen Thomas, Libertarian Tim Harris, and Greg Holt of the Constitution Party in the Sept. 10 general election.
The U.S. congressional third district encompasses all or part of 17 eastern N.C. counties, including all of the Outer Banks.
A spokeswoman for the Dare County Board of Elections confirmed today that the Pitts Center will serve as a polling place for both the July 9 primary election (6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.) and the Sept. 10 general election.
As early as May 30, The Beacon questioned Town Manager Peter Rascoe about the scheduling of the Town Council’s July meeting on July 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the Pitts Center, but he gave no indication of a conflict with the election. Notices for public hearings on July 9 in the Pitts Center have been posted on the Town website.
SOUTHERN SHORES TOWN COUNCIL ELECTIONS: 3 SEATS AVAILABLE
The candidate filing period for the nonpartisan Nov. 5 elections in Dare County, which include three Town Council offices in Southern Shores, opens at noon on July 5 and continues until noon on July 19. All candidates must file a Notice of Candidacy at the office of the Dare County Board of Elections in Manteo. See:
https://www.darenc.com/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/45362/357?curm=7&cury=2019.
The four-year terms of Councilmen Fred Newberry, Gary McDonald, and Christopher Nason expire this year. None of the three has made an announcement about his intentions, but The Beacon has learned from reliable sources that Mr. Nason will not be seeking reelection and that Mr. Newberry and Mr. McDonald are considering it.
The four-year terms of the other two members of the Southern Shores Town Council, Mayor Tom Bennett and Councilman Jim Conners, expire in 2021.
The Towns of Duck, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, and Manteo also will be holding elections for seats on their governing boards. Kill Devil Hills and Manteo voters will be electing a new mayor, respectively, who will serve for two years. The Town of Duck elects a town council, and the members of the town council, who each serve a two-year term, select the mayor and mayor pro tem from among themselves.
Ann G. Sjoerdsma, 6/27/19
The Southern Shores Beacon 