Tuesday, September 15, 2009
New voting laws change elections for New Hanover County
The North Carolina General Assembly recently passed three landmark legislative bills that change the way local candidates run for office and, among other things, provide an easier means for elderly and military voters to cast their ballots.
The new session laws were approved by Governor Beverly Perdue in late August.
The laws become effective in December, after this year’s county-wide municipal elections. The changes will have no bearing on how candidates or voters conduct themselves leading up to Election Day this November.
“But this is very important for anyone looking to become a candidate in the 2010 election and from that point forth,” said Bonnie Williams, director of the New Hanover County Board of Elections.
For candidates, the campaign finance reporting threshold was lowered by $2,000, a clear attempt to promote greater public oversight of campaign spending.
This election season, municipal candidates in New Hanover County do not have to file campaign finance reports unless they collect or spend more than $3,000.
Candidates in 2010 will have to file reports as soon as they reach $1,000.
In Wrightsville Beach, mayoral candidate David Cignotti has already filed over that mark; incumbent Mayor Stephen K. Whalen has not.
Also, none of the Board of Aldermen candidates have filed over the threshold.
For voters, the most significant changes were made to absentee balloting.
Presently, voters who use absentee ballots are required to have two eyewitnesses present to observe the marking of the ballot. After December, absentee voters will only need one eyewitness.
The changes make it easier for members of the military, couples that live in remote areas and elderly married couples that live by themselves to cast their ballots, Williams said.
The laws also extend the deadline for returning absentee ballots, a measure that is clearly designed to jump the hurdles of getting mail to and from the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan, underscoring a national initiative to make it easier on the country’s military men and women.
“A sincere effort has been put forth to see how we can better the process for these military voters so they’re not disenfranchised,” Williams said, “because they (the military) are working outside of a normal situation.”
Also included in the laws is a provision that allows qualified 16-year-olds to preregister to vote.
By preregistering, that person will be automatically registered upon reaching the age of 18, following verification of the person’s qualifications and address.
-- Brian Freskos
The new session laws were approved by Governor Beverly Perdue in late August.
The laws become effective in December, after this year’s county-wide municipal elections. The changes will have no bearing on how candidates or voters conduct themselves leading up to Election Day this November.
“But this is very important for anyone looking to become a candidate in the 2010 election and from that point forth,” said Bonnie Williams, director of the New Hanover County Board of Elections.
For candidates, the campaign finance reporting threshold was lowered by $2,000, a clear attempt to promote greater public oversight of campaign spending.
This election season, municipal candidates in New Hanover County do not have to file campaign finance reports unless they collect or spend more than $3,000.
Candidates in 2010 will have to file reports as soon as they reach $1,000.
In Wrightsville Beach, mayoral candidate David Cignotti has already filed over that mark; incumbent Mayor Stephen K. Whalen has not.
Also, none of the Board of Aldermen candidates have filed over the threshold.
For voters, the most significant changes were made to absentee balloting.
Presently, voters who use absentee ballots are required to have two eyewitnesses present to observe the marking of the ballot. After December, absentee voters will only need one eyewitness.
The changes make it easier for members of the military, couples that live in remote areas and elderly married couples that live by themselves to cast their ballots, Williams said.
The laws also extend the deadline for returning absentee ballots, a measure that is clearly designed to jump the hurdles of getting mail to and from the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan, underscoring a national initiative to make it easier on the country’s military men and women.
“A sincere effort has been put forth to see how we can better the process for these military voters so they’re not disenfranchised,” Williams said, “because they (the military) are working outside of a normal situation.”
Also included in the laws is a provision that allows qualified 16-year-olds to preregister to vote.
By preregistering, that person will be automatically registered upon reaching the age of 18, following verification of the person’s qualifications and address.
-- Brian Freskos
Monday, September 07, 2009
Candidates offered an ocean rescue ride-along
When the town offered to take the five Board of Aldermen candidates on a ride-along to witness Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue (WBOR) in action, only two partook.
Candidates James Smith and Susan Howell Collins rode up and down the beach strand with WBOR director Dave Baker in an agency vehicle at separate times on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 5, offering them a unique insight into the inner-workings of an important town agency.
Following their experience, both candidates expressed a deep joy in the gallant bravery and capabilities of WBOR personnel and said the ride was an opportunity to open avenues of communication that could serve both the government and the agency well in the future.
“I have always been impressed with the life safety team, but now I am overly impressed with them,” Smith said. “I spend a lot of time on the beach and it’s very heartwarming to see the dedication out there.”
“(Baker) introduced me to a lot of the lifeguards at the stands,” Smith continued, “and I think if the lifeguards see an elected official out there that really cares about their day-to-day operations and is there for support...I think that is just one more factor in keeping moral high and showing them that we support them.”
Collins had similar afterthoughts.
“By riding with him (Baker) I could see that they (WBOR) have a service to do and that they do it—and their record proves it,” Collins said. “They don’t do what’s required, they do above that standard.”
Both candidates also saw the ride-along as an educational tool, offering them the chance to see lifeguards in action.
Smith said he saw the lifeguards work their skill-set when a person was caught in a rip current.
Collins said she was impressed by how effective the agency’s personnel was in finding missing children and specifically noted the story of a young girl who was lost Saturday:
A little girl approached and told lifeguards that she couldn’t find her parents, Collins said. The lifeguards asked the girl what her mother’s name was.
The girl said her mother’s name was: “mom.”
The lifeguards asked the girl for her father’s name.
She replied: “Dad.”
“So they were looking for a mom and a dad with a little girl in a pink bathing suit,” Collins said, giggling.
She said WBOR found the girl’s parents within minutes.
While both the candidates saw some action, Labor Day weekend was a poor reflection on how busy the WBOR has been this season. The bad weather kept most of the beach-goers at home.
Smith said he would like to make the ride-along a monthly event—a significant gesture to a town agency that keeps Wrightsville’s beaches safe.
“I’d love to do it once a month, make sure they’re getting all the support they need,” Smith said. “If there are things that they need, we can hear it firsthand and see it firsthand.”
Baker commented on how the candidates benefited from the ride-along the next day, saying: “It was very enlightening for them and very educational.”
He said it gave each of them a behind-the-scenes look at the overall workings of WBOR.
“It gave them an understanding that they didn’t have before,” Baker said.
—Brian Freskos
Candidates James Smith and Susan Howell Collins rode up and down the beach strand with WBOR director Dave Baker in an agency vehicle at separate times on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 5, offering them a unique insight into the inner-workings of an important town agency.
Following their experience, both candidates expressed a deep joy in the gallant bravery and capabilities of WBOR personnel and said the ride was an opportunity to open avenues of communication that could serve both the government and the agency well in the future.
“I have always been impressed with the life safety team, but now I am overly impressed with them,” Smith said. “I spend a lot of time on the beach and it’s very heartwarming to see the dedication out there.”
“(Baker) introduced me to a lot of the lifeguards at the stands,” Smith continued, “and I think if the lifeguards see an elected official out there that really cares about their day-to-day operations and is there for support...I think that is just one more factor in keeping moral high and showing them that we support them.”
Collins had similar afterthoughts.
“By riding with him (Baker) I could see that they (WBOR) have a service to do and that they do it—and their record proves it,” Collins said. “They don’t do what’s required, they do above that standard.”
Both candidates also saw the ride-along as an educational tool, offering them the chance to see lifeguards in action.
Smith said he saw the lifeguards work their skill-set when a person was caught in a rip current.
Collins said she was impressed by how effective the agency’s personnel was in finding missing children and specifically noted the story of a young girl who was lost Saturday:
A little girl approached and told lifeguards that she couldn’t find her parents, Collins said. The lifeguards asked the girl what her mother’s name was.
The girl said her mother’s name was: “mom.”
The lifeguards asked the girl for her father’s name.
She replied: “Dad.”
“So they were looking for a mom and a dad with a little girl in a pink bathing suit,” Collins said, giggling.
She said WBOR found the girl’s parents within minutes.
While both the candidates saw some action, Labor Day weekend was a poor reflection on how busy the WBOR has been this season. The bad weather kept most of the beach-goers at home.
Smith said he would like to make the ride-along a monthly event—a significant gesture to a town agency that keeps Wrightsville’s beaches safe.
“I’d love to do it once a month, make sure they’re getting all the support they need,” Smith said. “If there are things that they need, we can hear it firsthand and see it firsthand.”
Baker commented on how the candidates benefited from the ride-along the next day, saying: “It was very enlightening for them and very educational.”
He said it gave each of them a behind-the-scenes look at the overall workings of WBOR.
“It gave them an understanding that they didn’t have before,” Baker said.
—Brian Freskos
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Important Election Dates
Oct. 5 Absentee by mail voting begins
Oct. 9 Voter Registration Ends*
Oct. 15 One Stop voting begins
Oct. 27 Deadline to request Absentee by Mail ballot*
Oct. 31 One Stop voting ends
Nov. 2 Deadline to return Absentee by Mail ballot*
Nov. 3 ELECTION DAY
*Deadline at 5 p.m.
Information obtained from the New Hanover County Board of Elections
Oct. 9 Voter Registration Ends*
Oct. 15 One Stop voting begins
Oct. 27 Deadline to request Absentee by Mail ballot*
Oct. 31 One Stop voting ends
Nov. 2 Deadline to return Absentee by Mail ballot*
Nov. 3 ELECTION DAY
*Deadline at 5 p.m.
Information obtained from the New Hanover County Board of Elections
Candidates compress campaigns for contracted canvass period
The upswing in early voting has candidates from Wrightsville Beach to across the county strapping on their campaign rockets, readying to boost their message to any undecided voter.
Close to 60 percent of voters marked their ballots before the 2008 November Election Day, meaning candidates have to push their campaigns forward this year if they are going to tweak the minds of the electorate.
There was a national, local and organizational effort to get the vote out early in 2008, forever changing the dynamic of campaigning.
Digging into the reasons behind the upswing in early voting, a call was placed to Bonnie Williams, director of the New Hanover County Board of Elections.
“I think a lot of people vote early for many different reasons,” she said. “One, it’s convenient; and two, it gives them more flexibility in scheduling their day or their week.
Some people believe that if they vote early, they don’t have to stand in line on Election Day, even though they’re might be a line at the one-stop voting site ... on the other hand, you have another group of people who are very traditional, and it’s just not the same type of voting experience if they vote early and they prefer to wait until Election Day,” Williams said.
The filing period for candidates this year lasted from July 6-17, about a week earlier than elections prior to 2007.
One Stop voting begins on Oct. 15 at the New Hanover Government Center off Racine Drive, near the intersection with Eastwood Road.
The earlier filing period helps a little, but the rise in early voting means that candidates still have to boost their campaign into full swing a couple of weeks earlier sooner.
“That changes the whole dynamic of campaigns,” said Walter DeVries, a candidate for the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen who has an extensive background in the world of politics and government.
“If you have a campaign plan then you have a timeline set for the campaign,” he said. “Well, now you have to move it back at least two weeks, which means that if you are planning ... to make your campaign peak by Election Day, now you have to do it by the middle of October.”
But it’s not as easy as it sounds.
“You run into a problem,” DeVries said. “If you push your campaign back to August, then a lot of people aren’t paying much attention yet.”
“What it does,” he said, referring to the shortened campaign period, “is it really compresses the campaign.”
Compressing the campaign has been made easier by the paralleled development of faster and more effective communication mediums like the Internet. In a small town, some candidates have been known to initiate person-by-person campaign strategies, which may prove more challenging than before the shortened campaign period.
—Brian Freskos
Close to 60 percent of voters marked their ballots before the 2008 November Election Day, meaning candidates have to push their campaigns forward this year if they are going to tweak the minds of the electorate.
There was a national, local and organizational effort to get the vote out early in 2008, forever changing the dynamic of campaigning.
Digging into the reasons behind the upswing in early voting, a call was placed to Bonnie Williams, director of the New Hanover County Board of Elections.
“I think a lot of people vote early for many different reasons,” she said. “One, it’s convenient; and two, it gives them more flexibility in scheduling their day or their week.
Some people believe that if they vote early, they don’t have to stand in line on Election Day, even though they’re might be a line at the one-stop voting site ... on the other hand, you have another group of people who are very traditional, and it’s just not the same type of voting experience if they vote early and they prefer to wait until Election Day,” Williams said.
The filing period for candidates this year lasted from July 6-17, about a week earlier than elections prior to 2007.
One Stop voting begins on Oct. 15 at the New Hanover Government Center off Racine Drive, near the intersection with Eastwood Road.
The earlier filing period helps a little, but the rise in early voting means that candidates still have to boost their campaign into full swing a couple of weeks earlier sooner.
“That changes the whole dynamic of campaigns,” said Walter DeVries, a candidate for the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen who has an extensive background in the world of politics and government.
“If you have a campaign plan then you have a timeline set for the campaign,” he said. “Well, now you have to move it back at least two weeks, which means that if you are planning ... to make your campaign peak by Election Day, now you have to do it by the middle of October.”
But it’s not as easy as it sounds.
“You run into a problem,” DeVries said. “If you push your campaign back to August, then a lot of people aren’t paying much attention yet.”
“What it does,” he said, referring to the shortened campaign period, “is it really compresses the campaign.”
Compressing the campaign has been made easier by the paralleled development of faster and more effective communication mediums like the Internet. In a small town, some candidates have been known to initiate person-by-person campaign strategies, which may prove more challenging than before the shortened campaign period.
—Brian Freskos
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