Robbinsville – Graham County constituents are welcome to begin making their voices heard at the polls today.
The 2024 primary election kicks off with one-stop (early) voting being held at the county’s board of elections office (196 Knight St., Suite A). Voting will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; a Saturday session will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 2.
Local races on the ballot this year are the Graham County boards of commissioners and education, with three seats each up for grabs. The primary will sift the field of Republican candidates down to three in each race, as 11 total GOP representatives are vying for spots on the respective councils:
* Board of commissioners: Lynn Cody and Connie Orr (incumbents), Aaron Bradley, Gina Shuler, Meggan Smith and Jeremy Wiggins.
* Board of education: Jonathan Allison, Pam Knott and Rodney Nelson (incumbents), plus challengers Eddie Howell and Corey Snider.
Other local candidates for the 2024 cycle are either running as Democrat or unaffiliated. They will only appear on the general ballot later this year; Unaffiliated hopefuls will have until Primary Election Day (March 5) to gather enough signatures via petition to qualify for the general race:
* Board of commissioners: Machelle Crisp (Democrat); Thomas Blevins and Thomas Menard (unaffiliated).
* Board of education: Robert Anderson (unaffiliated).