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OBSERVATIONS
October 8, 2020 |
 |
 Wingate Lassiter |
Time to finalize your strategy
to make sure your vote counts
If you're not going to wait till Election Day November 3 to cast your ballot, you've got two choices: turn in an absentee ballot or take advantage of early voting starting next week.
If you've requested an absentee ballot and you're worried about postal delivery, mail it back much sooner than later. Another immediate option is to hand it to an official in the Board of Elections parking lot between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. this Saturday (October 10).
By the way, 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 27 is the deadline for requesting an absentee ballot. For instructions, visit www.jocovotes.com.
Early voting is my preference. And despite recent litigation about procedures this election season, Johnston County is offering it six days a week October 15-31 at seven locations, including the First Baptist Church Ministry Center at 125 South Fourth Street (the former Smithfield Herald building). Expanded hours of early voting are 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and on Saturdays 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. October 17 & 24 and 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. October 31 (your last chance).
And if you aren't registered to vote, you can take advantage of early "one-stop" voting to register and cast your ballot with a single visit.
Of course, it's always kinda fun and patriotic to vote on Election Day. But with COVID-19 concerns, perhaps that's not as attractive to most folks this year. Even so, I think it's unlikely our local polling places are going to have long lines on November 3 as we've seen in many of the nation's metropolitan areas.
Let's hope things go much smoother than expected and we get the results of this year's hotly contested races shortly after the polls have closed on Election Night.
One thing I like very much about Johnston County's process is the use of hand-marked paper ballots that are fed by the voter into a tabulating machine. If there's a glitch, those ballots can be counted by hand the old-fashioned way.
To learn much more, and to access a sample ballot for your particular precinct,
visit the Johnston County Board of Elections website>
A READER'S RESPONSE
To The Editor:
Just read
your weekly issue with a special observation on
Carolina Beach then and now. Brought back
wonderful memories.
My childhood years were spent there at what is now
known as The Booker Cottage, oceanfront about one
mile from the Boardwalk. The cottage was then
owned by my great aunt, Mildred Lee Young (sister
to May Young Honeycutt). I spent my childhood
summers with Mimi at that wonderful spot and
learned to swim in the ocean.
At that time, there was only one hotel on the
strand (The Breakers) and the management would
take phone calls for us. Our cottage was one of
three in a row near the hotel. Ice and fresh
vegetables were delivered daily!
We would go "crabbing" down on the rocks at Fort
Fisher.
Following
Mimi's death, the cottage was sold to the Booker
Family (Booker Dairy Farm). My last visit there
was in 1950 when our Smithfield High School
graduating class held our beach retreat in the
same house. At that time, the open space on ground
level had been enclosed to make a three-story
house.
It would make my heart glad to know it is still
standing.
--- JINNY (HONEYCUTT) MITCHELL
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