County kicks off one-stop voting

Orange County residents can vote early in these final weeks before the Nov. 2 election, saving themselves - and their political parties - a lot of trouble.

A rally to publicize the convenient "one-stop" voting option was organized Monday in front of the Franklin Street post office by the Orange County Democratic Party and the Campaign to End the Cycle of Violence.

Their slogan was "Beat Bush, Vote Today."

Nine women dressed as the Statue of Liberty waved signs and pumped up a partisan crowd before leading a short march of voters to the Morehead Planetarium.

"November 2nd is the last day to vote, and it is the worst day to vote," said Orange County Democratic Party Chairman Barry Katz in his speech to the crowd.

Andrew Pearson, an organizer from the CECV, also spoke.

His group was created in 2001 to address concerns about Bush's foreign policy, especially the war in Iraq.

"We've been waiting four long, hard years for this chance," Pearson said as the crowd cheered.

The Morehead Building and Carrboro Town Hall both opened Monday for the first time this year for one-stop voting.

Both locations will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, until Oct. 30.

"(The voter turnout) has been good everywhere," said Carolyn Thomas, director of the Orange County Board of Elections.

The Board of Elections office in Hillsborough opened for early voting last Thursday and has seen a good amount of voters, Thomas said.

The Hillsborough location will remain open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Oct. 30.

Orange County resident Django Rogers voted at the Hillsborough location Monday because he is moving to Minnesota today.

"I'm voting because this is an important election, and I already know who I want to vote for," he said.

The Morehead Building polling center saw more than 900 voters Monday.

The Carrboro site was so overcrowded that by the end of the day, employees were planning to move voting booths to a larger room.

Mebane resident Amy Wagner came out to vote on Monday at Carrboro Town Hall.

"It's more convenient," she said of one-stop voting. "It is so important to get the right people into office, and I do believe that my vote counts."

Katz said one-stop voting is convenient because it allows voters to avoid hassles such as bad weather and long lines, factors that can affect people's decisions to come to the polls on Election Day.

The Orange County Democratic Party has been trying to raise awareness about the opportunity, Katz said. The party is offering to drive people to one-stop locations as well as to the polls on Election Day.

He added that one less person voting on Nov. 2 is one more volunteer for the Democratic Party.

Katz said the party has also dropped its voting guide at the houses of all Democratic and unaffiliated voters.

The voting guide includes profiles of Democratic candidates, as well as a sample ballot with Democratic choices filled in.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.