Epic turnout for election

Race for president remains in limbo

Residents woke up Wednesday morning with the knowledge that Roy Cooper retained his seat as governor, Thom Tills is still our U.S. senator and Republican Madison Cawthorn will be among the youngest members ever elected to Congress.

What we don’t know is who will become our commander in chief. In the presidential election, as of press time some races were too close to call while others were still counting mail-in ballots. Pennsylvania might not have all the votes fully counted until Friday. In the race for the 270 electoral votes needed to win, as it stands now President Donald Trump is barely trailing former Vice President Joe Biden, 238 to 231 as results continue to seep in from state, according to the Associaed Press.

As of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, with 94 percent of precincts reporting, Trump led the vote in North Carolina 2,832,105 to Biden’s 2,655,392. Our state has 15 electoral votes up for grabs. In Pennsylvania where 20 electoral votes are at stake, patience is what their election officials are asking from voters. “The will of the people will be respected here in Pennsylvania,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

There are still 12 swing states that have yet to report 100 percent of their precincts and absentee ballots. Whatever the outcome, the current occupant or the new occupant of the White House will be sworn into office Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.

Record voter turnout

Clay County’s election process went smooth this year despite a heavy turnout amid several heated races. “Overall things went very well, no major problems at the precincts,” said Elections Board Director Rebecca Hall. “This year brought people out who hadn’t voted in many years so it was great to see the turnout.” More than 75 percent of the registered voters in Clay County participated in the general election.

Of the 9,128 registered voters, 6,876 of them cast ballots, according to Elections Board Director Rebecca Hall. Most of those ballots came in early in-person voting which concluded with 4,491 voters or 65 percent of total ballots cast. Another 760 came in the form of mail-in ballots.

That explains why Tuesday’s Election Day appeared quieter than usual with only 1,625 residents going to their precincts to vote. Clay County was expected to ride the red wave as in years past and if you’re a Republican, the results didn’t disappoint.

While the county did not necessarily mirror the state where Gov. Roy Cooper retained his seat, all GOP candidates from the White House to the county commission races were supported by at least 70 percent of our county’s voters. There were no Democrat challengers on the ballot in local races.

In Clay County, incumbent commissioners Rob Peck, Randy Nichols and Clay Logan retained their seats on the five-member board. Constitution Party candidate Robert Tison pulled down 12 percent of the vote. Peck led the way with 4,608, Nichols got 4,533 and Logan captured 4,173 votes. Tison received 1,895 votes. Peck and Nichols will serve four years and as the lowest vote-getter among the top three, Logan will serve a two-year term on the commission board.

Board of Education incumbents Reba Beck and Danny Jones were not challenged for a seat on their five-member board. Even with no competition, support poured in for the two board members. Beck received 4,871 votes and Danny Jones got 4,079. They will serve four-year terms. In the nonpartisan Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor post, Glen Cheeks had no competitors, but still pulled in 5,355 votes.

There’s still 51 provisional votes to count. Election results are not determined as official until the Nov. 13 canvass. During the canvass, Hall said they double check precinct results, finish up any outstanding absentee ballots and release those results along with provisional results.

On Election night, Clay County’s nine precincts were all reported in and results posted by 9:30 p.m. Hall offered gratitude to those involved in the process. “I would love to thank my election workers, office staff, rover and board members for a job well done. They were fantastic and did their jobs well and persevered through a long day with lots of things happening all at once,” she said. “They worked with pride and honor to serve the citizens of Clay County and to make sure they could get everyone voted whether it be voting a ballot or voting provisionally.”