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  • Voters stand in line that reaches in the parking lot of the Edgecombe County Administration Building Thursday during the first day of Early Voting. Staff

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October 19, 2012

More than 1,500 vote on first day

Staff Writer Calvin Adkins

TARBORO — Early voting for the Nov. 6 General Election kicked off with a bang in Edgecombe County with 1,558 registered voters casting ballots Thursday at four One-Stop stations. The line at Edgecombe County Administrative Building in Tarboro stretched outside and swung in the parking lot Thursday morning. Some voters stood in line for more than an hour before entering the building.

"The last time that I voted early, I voted in Battlesboro and I walked in and walked back out," said 46-year-old Christian Perry. "We got here about 8:50 (a.m.).

It took Perry, who was accompanied by her 18-year old daughter, Kiona, one hour and 10 minutes to cast their ballots.

"It was worth the wait," she said.

Perry's daughter, who was voting for the first time, didn't mind the wait either.

"I didn't know what to expect, but it was exciting," Kiona said. "I wasn't surprised by the line."

"The line" was perhaps triggered by the United States' shaky economy and intolerable unemployment. Republicans are blaming the Democrats for the catastrophe and the Democrats are blaming the Republicans. The blame game has led to heated confrontations, the latest being during the Presidential debate Tuesday. The blame game has the country deeply divided along party lines when it comes to electing a president.

According to recent Gallop Polls, the race between President Barrack Obama and his challenger, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is very close, which is perhaps another reason for the spike in the early turnout.

"The economy is what brought people to the polls this morning," said the Roy Gray, former Tarboro Town councilman. "This is a gratifying moment to see so many people. The most inspiring is to see the young people out here."

Among the youngsters was 20-year-old Tracey Leonard, a student at East Carolina University in Greenville.

"I came out early to show support for Obama," she said. "I wanted to show everybody that this election is very serious. We're not playing."

Because of a mixup in time, Patricia Moss, 57, was ready to vote at 7 a.m. The doors opened at 9 a.m. and Moss was a part of the long line.

"It's a great turnout," she said. "It shows that a lot of people are interested in this election. I'm glad to see so many people."

Betty Shelton was among the oldest who cast ballots Thursday morning. Shelton is old enough to have voted in 16 presidential elections. During the early years, One-Stop voting had not been created. Since its creation, Shelton said she has taken advantage of the new system. However, this one is a little different than the previous early voting.

"Last time I walked right in and then I walked right back out," she said. "This (long line) is very unusual.

Helen Cleveland, 82, accompanied Shelton. She had a message for all registered voters.

"I just hope everybody gets out and votes," she said.  

One-Stop voting will end Saturday, Nov. 3. Sites will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Edgecombe County Board of Election Director Jerry Spruell said all four of the counties One-Stop sites experienced above normal traffic.

"We're excited about the turnout," he said. "So many people want to exercise their right to vote. We hope that the process continue. We encourage voters to come out and get it over just in case something may happened that will prevent them from voting on Nov. 6."   



One-Stop Voting Sites in Edgecombe County

• Edgecombe County Administrative Building/Auditorium at 201 St. Andrew Street in Tarboro

• Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education Administrative Building at 800 N. Fairview Road in Rocky Mount

• Edgecombe County Memorial Library (Pinetops Branch) 201 S. First St. Pinetops

• The M C Braswell Cultural and Educational Development Center, 649 Morning Star Church Road.

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