Six file for two open Town Council seats

By CaROL BROOks FreeLANCe WrIter cab1hp@gmail.com

Several of the recent Town Council races did not need primaries, as few, if any, contenders registered to run against the incumbents.

With the announcement earlier this month by Jamestown Councilmember Lawrence Straughn that he would not seek re-election, five new challengers met the noon filing deadline on July 21 to take not only his seat but perhaps one other. Councilmember John Capes’ term ends but he filed to keep his seat.

Newcomers Andrew Kinzie, Pamai-

Voter ID

Voters will be asked to show photo ID when voting in North Carolina beginning with the Oct. 10 primary, according to the North Carolina Board of Elections.

For most voters, they will simply show their driver’s license. But there are many other acceptable photo IDs.

If a voter does not have an acceptable photo ID, they can get one for free from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV) at https://www. ncdot.gov/dmv/license-id/identification/Pages/ default.aspx. Soon, voters also will be able to la Burgess, Duane Willis and Sarah Glanville are seeking the Council seats.

Additionally, former Councilmember Larry Lain is also seeking the position.

A primary to lower the field from six to four is scheduled for Oct. 10, with the general election on Nov. 7.

Candidate profiles will appear in late August and early-September issues of the Jamestown News

In 2021, all incumbent councilmembers and the mayor were re-elected and began serving Jan. 1, 2022. That was the first year the mayor and the top two Council vote-getters won fouryear terms. The Council adopted an ordinance May 21, 2019, approving the get free ID from their county Board of Elections. In Guilford County, the BoE is located at 301 W. Market St., Room 115, Greensboro. The website is guilfordelections@guilfordcountync.gov. mayoral switch from two to four years. Since Councilmembers Martha Wolfe and Rebecca Rayborn were the top two vote-getters in the Town Council race in 2021, they are in their second year of a four-year term.

All voters will be allowed to vote with or without a photo ID.

If a voter cannot show photo ID when voting in person, they can still vote by filling out an ID Exception Form. For absentee-by-mail voters, if they are unable to include a copy of their photo ID in their ballot return envelope, they can also fill out an ID Exception Form with their ballot.

This will be the first municipal election where two members of the Council will be elected to serve four-year terms. Every two years two Council seats will become open — Wolfe and Rayborn in 2025 — thereby nullifying the chance that an entirely new Council could be elected at one time.

Prior to the election, a candidate information session is planned in Jamestown.

Find more information at https://www.ncsbe. gov/voting/voter-id#exceptions.

Absentee-By-Mail

Voters

Voters who vote by mail must include a photocopy of an acceptable ID inside the “photo ID envelope” that comes with their ballot. Or they may complete an ID Exception Form with the absentee ballot return envelope. Information from North Carolina State Board of Elections, https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/ voter-id.