The Southern Shores election for three Town Council members will be held tomorrow at the Kern C. Pitts Center, behind Town Hall, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
For the first time in North Carolina, all registered voters will be required to show an acceptable photo ID, examples of which are provided below. Voters who arrive at the polls without an acceptable photo ID may still vote with a provisional ballot, as we explain.
The four candidates vying for three four-year positions on the Town Council are incumbents Matt Neal and Mark Batenic and challengers Robert E. Neilson and Michael Guarracino.
The Town pays each Town Council member an annual stipend of $3600. The mayor receives $4200.
The Beacon has been quiet about the Town Council election because the candidates have been quiet. We cannot recall in recent memory a more low-key election for the most important offices in town than this election for three Council members, who represent a majority of the board.
In light of the candidates’ election strategy, we have decided to let them introduce themselves to you, without comment from us.
You may access the candidates’ responses to questions posed by the League of Women Voters at https://www.vote411.org/ballot. Simply enter your address, then click on “Show My Races.”
To access a videotape of the LWV of Dare County’s candidates’ forum, which was held Oct. 2, go to https://lwvdarenc.org/watch-candidate-forums/.
You may vote for three of the four candidates on the ballot. No write-in candidates have been authorized.
Unofficial election results will be available on the N.C. State Board of Elections website the night of the election. Go to https://er.ncsbe.gov for results.
PLEASE NOTE: Election Day is not a federal or State of North Carolina holiday.
PHOTO IDS REQUIRED
All of the following documents are acceptable photo IDs, provided they are unexpired or expired for one year or less:
- N.C. driver’s license
- U.S. passport book/U.S. passport card
- State ID from the N.C. Dept. of Motor Vehicles (“non-operator ID”)
- N.C. voter photo ID card, issued by a county board of elections (free)
- College/university student ID approved by the N.C. State Board of Elections
- State/local government employee ID approved by the N.C. State Board of Elections
- Driver’s license/non-driver ID from another state, D.C., or U.S. territory, provided the voter registered in N.C. within 90 days of the election
Any of the following are acceptable photo IDs, regardless of whether the ID contains an expiration or issuance date:
- Military or veteran ID card issued by the U.S. government
- Tribal enrollment card issued by a State or federally recognized tribe
- ID card issued by a U.S. government agency or the State of N.C. for a public assistance program
To see the complete list of acceptable photo IDs and details on how to request State Board of Elections approval for student and employee IDs, see ncsbe.gov/voter-ID.
You may obtain a free photo ID from the Dare County Board of Elections, which is located at 954 Marshall Collins Drive in the Dare County Administrative Offices complex in Manteo and open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. M-F; phone: (252) 475-5631,
PLEASE NOTE: Voters age 65 and older may use an expired photo ID if it was unexpired on their 65th birthday.
Registered voters who arrive at the polls without an acceptable photo ID may vote with a provisional ballot if they:
1) complete a Photo ID Exception Form, which asks them to choose from among a number of “reasonable impediments”* that prevent them from showing an ID; OR
2) bring an acceptable photo ID to the Dare County Board of Elections office in Manteo by 5 p.m. on Nov. 16.
All provisional ballots submitted with properly completed ID exception forms must be counted.
*Reasonable impediments listed on the ID Exception Form include:
- Lack of transportation
- Disability or illness
- Lack of birth certificate or other documents needed to obtain ID
- Work or school schedule
- Family responsibilities
- Photo ID lost, stolen, or misplaced
- Photo ID pending; have applied for it, but have not received it yet
- Religious objection to being photographed
- Victim of a natural disaster within 100 days before Election Day that resulted in a disaster declaration by the President of the United State of the Governor of North Carolina.
There is no way to predict delays on Election Day related to implementation/management of the photo ID requirement. Please let us know if you run into any snags at the polls because of the new procedure. You may email us at ssbeaconeditor@gmail.com.
Ann G. Sjoerdsma, 11/6/23
The Southern Shores Beacon 