Today is Election Day for municipal races in Beaufort County.

Voters in Aurora, Bath, Belhaven, Chocowinity, Pantego, Washington and Washington Park go to the polls from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. to elect mayors, council members, commissioners and aldermen.

Some voters took advantage of the one-stop, early voting option, which ended at 1 p.m. Saturday. During the early voting period, 395 Beaufort County voters marked ballots. Of those 395 ballots, 389 were marked by voters in Washington, Washington Park or Belhaven, according to the Beaufort County Board of Elections. Those ballots were fed into a voting tabulator. Five ballots were placed in a ballot box. One ballot was canceled.

Voter turnout through the seven municipalities is expected to be light today, according to Kellie Harris Hopkins, the county’s elections director. In Washington’s municipal elections in 2011, there were 1,140 of 7,000 voters who marked ballots, resulting in a 16-percent voter turnout, Hopkins said.

She expects about the same turnout percentage today in Washington.

As for the races in Washington, Mac “Bear” Hodges faces a write-in challenge by Joseph Carter Leary for the mayor’s post.

Seeking seats on the five-member City Council are Ty Carter, Richard Brooks, Gil Davis, Lloyd May, Doug Mercer, Bobby Roberson, William H. Pitt and Larry Beeman.

In Aurora, Mayor Clif Williams is seeking re-election. Patricia Bragg and Raleigh B. Lee III are seeking the two seats on the Aurora Board of Commissioners that are available this election cycle.

W.C. Boyd Jr. filed as a candidate to finish the unexpired term of George Jones, who was elected in 2011 but did not complete his term. In March, Boyd was appointed to the seat once held by Jones. Because at least half of the term remains, a special election is required to elect a commissioner to complete the term.

In Bath, incumbents Patricia Duffer and Jay Hardin filed for re-election to that town’s Board of Commissioners. Bath commissioners serve four-year terms.

Belhaven voters have two choices for mayor, incumbent Adam O’Neal and Ronald Winfield.

Incumbent Steve Carawan and Tony Williams are vying for the east-end seat available on the Board of Aldermen this election cycle. Greg Satterthwaite is seeking the west-end seat available on the board this election cycle.

Julian P. Goff is seeking to finish out the unexpired term of Cindy Ross, who vacated her seat on the board after being elected to it in 2011.

The mayor serves a two-year term. Commissioners serve four-year terms.

Chocowinity Mayor Jimmy Mobley filed for re-election, as did incumbents Billy Albritton and Louise Furman. The mayor and commissioners serve four-year terms.

Pantego voters will elect a new mayor, with current Commissioner Stuart E. Ricks the lone candidate who filed for the mayor’s post. Unless a write-in candidate defeats Ricks, he will replace current Mayor Glenda Jackson. Five candidates are running for the five seats on that town’s Board of Commissioners. They are incumbents Mart Benson, Chad Keech and Robert F. Edwards. Also seeking seats on the board are Reid Michael Gelderman and Charles F. “Chuck” Williams.

The mayor and commissioners serve two-year terms.

Tom Richter is seeking re-election as Washington Park’s mayor.

Washington Park residents will see at least two new faces on that town’s Board of Commissioners after the elections in November.

Those faces could belong to Brian Wood, Wade Dale or Christie Potts — unless someone mounts a successful write-in campaign. Commissioner James Pagnani chose not to seek re-election. Incumbent commissioners Jeff Peacock, Lee Bowen and Patrick Nash are seeking re-election.

Dale and Potts entered the race for the five open seats on the five-member board after the death of Don L. Wilkinson Sr. on Aug. 12. Wilkinson, a commissioner for 16 years, had filed for re-election prior to his death. His death triggered the reopening of the filing period for candidate for the town’s board.

The mayor and commissioners serve two-year terms.

 

 

Election information

 

The following are the polling places for the elections in Beaufort County’s seven municipalities:

• Aurora, Community Building, 442 Third Street.

• Bath, Bath Ruritan Building, 504 Carteret St.

• Belhaven, John A. Wilkinson Building, 144 W. Main St.

• Chocowinity, Chocowinity Fire Department, 512 N.C. Highway 33 East.

• Pantego, Pantego Municipal Building, 142 Swamp Road.

• Washington, Ward 1, Redmen’s Lodge, 403 E. Third St.

• Washington, Ward 2, Washington Fire-Rescue-EMS Department, 410 N. Market St.

• Washington, Ward 3-P.S. Jones, Beaufort County Boys & Girls Club, 1089 Bridge St.

• Washington Ward 4, Bobby Andrews Recreation Center, 231 E. Seventh St.

• Washington Park, Municipal Building, 408 Fairview Ave.

 

 

Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. Election Day, which is Tuesday. People are not allowed to register to vote and mark ballots Election Day.

 

For a voter whose registration status is not immediately clear when he or she arrives at a polling place to mark ballots, that person will be given provisional ballots. Later, the Board of Elections determines if that person is a qualified registered voter. If so, the ballot is counted. If not, the ballot is not counted.

 

For more information about voting, visit the Beaufort County Board of Elections website at www.beaufortncboe.org or call 252-946-2321.