Mike Parker: Early voting begins for the March 5 primary
Most of you who know me well have heard me use this mantra: “If you don’t vote – don’t complain.”
Since I became eligible to vote, I have missed casting my vote in only one election. Actually, I went to vote. However, since I had changed my address without changing it at the board of elections, I was not eligible to vote. I even voted in a secondary run-off election when only 5 percent of eligible voters bothered to go to the polls.
The March 5 primary is coming up in less than a month – and early voting begins Thursday, February 15.
Do you know how many people voted in the 2022 North Carolina primary elections? According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, of the 7,236,469 eligible voters, only 1,432,819 – 20 percent – decided voting was important enough to go to the polls.
We hear people always say that we live under a government where the majority rules. Winning an election requires 50 percent plus one vote. But that 50 percent is nowhere near a majority if we talk about 50 percent of 20 percent. If your math skills are not as sharp as they once were, that means 10 percent of the eligible voters plus one can determine the outcome of an election when turnout is so anemic.
In the 2020 General Election, turnout was stronger. Presidential election years generally bring out more voters. But even at that, of the 7,371,229 eligible voters, only 5,544,018 cast votes in the election. The number of those who actually voted represents 75 percent of those eligible to vote. Not everyone who could register to vote bothered to register.
In the 2020 General Election, 75.1 percent of Democratic voters went to the polls, as opposed to 81.6 percent of Republicans, 69.8 percent of unaffiliated, 62.8 percent of Libertarians, 66.5 percent of the Constitution Party, and 69.6 percent of the Green party.
Analyzing voters by age group creates another fascinating insight. Of those aged 18-25, only 60.0 percent voted. Of those between 26-40, 64.8 percent voted. Those aged 41-60 saw 82.0 percent turnout. People who were 66 and higher voted in the greatest numbers, with 84.1 percent voting.
Here are some sobering details. If the 2024 General Election is typical of voter turnout for the last 10 years, roughly 60 percent of the eligible voters will cast ballots. However, only 65 percent of those eligible to register to vote are registered voters, so – on average – less than 40 percent of those who are registered to vote or could be register will participate in the election.
I grew up in a society that believed voting was a civic duty and responsibility. When I look at the numbers – and talk to friends whose attitude is “What difference would my vote make?” – I wonder where that sense of duty and responsibility has gone.
The March 5 primary begins with early voting on February 15. You can vote in person during the One-Stop Early Voting period at four locations:
Neuse Regional Library, 510 N. Queen Street, Kinston, NC
Martin C. Freeman Gym (the old Teachers Memorial), 500 Marcella Drive, Kinston, NC
Ebenezer Baptist Church, 209 S. Carey Street, LaGrange, NC
Smith’s New Home Church, 5851 US HWY 258 S, Deep Run, NC
Voting hours from Mondays through Fridays are 8 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. All polling sites are closed on Sundays. The last day for early voting is Saturday, March 2.
Of course, you can vote in the primary on March 5 at your precinct. Some polling places have changed, so to find your polling place, visit this link:
https://lenoircountync.gov/board-of-elections/find-voting-site/
If you start complaining about some political issue, I will likely ask whether you voted in the last election.
Remember my mantra: “If you don’t vote – don’t complain.”
Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
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