It’s getting close to Election Day again, and for those who want to vote, it’s important you know how. In order to be eligible to vote in the state of North Carolina there are multiple requirements you must meet: You must be a citizen of the United States, you must be a resident of North Carolina, you must have lived in your current county for at least 30 days, you must be 18 years old, and you must not be registered to vote in any other state or county. It is also important to keep in mind that the deadline for registration is on October 9.
In the state of North Carolina, there are two ways to register to vote. One of the two ways to register to vote is by mail. In order to do this you will need to print out a copy of the National Voter Registration Form, found at https://www.eac.gov/voters/national-mail-voter-registration-form/, and mail it to your local elections office. Our local election office is located at 75 E Central St, Hendersonville, NC 28792. The second way to register to vote is by going directly to the elections office, and signing up there. The address of the elections office is, again, 75 E Central St, Hendersonville, NC 28792.
On an national scale in this election, all 435 seats in the house, and 35 of the seats in the senate are up for grabs. Focusing more on a local scope, District 11 in North Carolina is voting on the house representative, and our senator for the state senate. There are three people running for our local district for the house seat; Phillip Price, who won the Democratic primary. Mark Meadows, who is not only running as the Republican nominee, but also as the incumbent. The last candidate for district 11 is Clifton Ingram Jr., running on an independent platform.
One of the biggest reasons why people don’t vote is because they forget to register in time. Civics teacher Frank Gerard said he believes it is important to remember to register to vote.
“Unfortunately, forgetting to register is one of the biggest reasons why people don’t vote in the United States. It’s hard enough for people to remember that it’s Election Day; it’s even harder for them to remember that they need to register 30 days prior to Election Day. Not getting on a list of eligible voters is a way to keep people from voting,” Gerard said. “The reason that requirement is there is to keep people from voting more than once, and it does its job well. Unfortunately, it also keeps some people from voting at all. Bill Clinton signed into law in the 90s the Motor Voter Act, where you can register to vote when you get your licence. If you wait until your civics class when you’re a senior, you’ll still have some time.”
By: Evan O’Donnell, News Editor
