Officials Expect Primaries to Run Smoothly

Don Wright, general counsel for the State Board of Elections, said he does not expect turnout to decrease because of confusion over the primary date.

In fact, Wright said there is a good chance voter turnout will be higher than usual as a result of the delay.

"There's been more press coverage of the September 10 primary date than there was of the May 5 primary date," he said.

The number of ballots cast might also increase because the board decided to ease restrictions on absentee ballots. This year voters will not have to provide specific reasons in order to vote absentee.

Although eased restrictions and increased publicity might beef up voter turnout, Wright said controversy and the popularity of the candidates ultimately decide the number of North Carolinians who turn out at the polls during any given election.

"With turnouts in elections, the number one thing is how intense or how popular the lead race is -- in this case, the Senate race," Wright said.

"It's sort of like a show. Who are the headliners? That's what brings people out to the polls."

But student leaders say that even during a major election it is difficult to get students to cast a ballot in the primaries.

The UNC-system Association of Student Governments is hoping to capitalize on the efforts of other N.C. voter registration groups to get more students to vote.

"They have the financial backing and, more importantly, they have a plan on how to recruit voters," said Jonathan Ducote, ASG president. "They've been working in this area for quite a while."

Ducote said he hopes more student participation in the election will focus legislators' attention on educational issues but that "the biggest thing we're trying to do is just get people to vote."

Although considerable controversy surrounded the drawing of legislative district lines to be used in the upcoming elections, Wright said the State Board of Elections is not worried about security at polling places because it has never been an issue.

Wright said security problems rarely arise at polling places because people tend to respect the right to vote.

"The biggest security problem -- and it's really not that big a problem -- is bomb threats," he said.

"We get one or two bomb threats every year, but that's out of 2,800 North Carolina precincts."

Elections officials are more concerned about conducting a legitimate election, not potential acts of violence, he said. "You have a chief judge and two precinct judges who are in charge of order in each precinct," he said.

Law enforcement officers are not present at polling places because "officers tend to carry guns and also because there are many sheriff races going on," Wright added.

No additional security measures will be taken.

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.