Voter registration deadline nears

Though Friday is technically the last day to register to vote for the Nov. 4 election, those who fail to do so will get one last chance during the early-voting period.

Those who fail to register by Friday will not be eligible to vote on Election Day, but can register during the early voting period, which is planned for Oct. 16 to Nov. 1

The election includes the presidential race between John McCain and Barak Obama as well as other national races for U.S. Senate and U.S. House.

On the state level, voters will be casting ballots for governor, lieutenant governor and N.C. House and N.C. Senate races.

In Craven County, there is one contested Board of Education race.

Those wishing to register must do so by 5 p.m. Friday. Registration can be done in person at the Craven County Board of Elections office at 406 Craven St., in downtown New Bern. Registration forms that can be mailed in must be postmarked by 5 p.m. Friday.

Early voting is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays Oct. 16 to Oct. 31 and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 1.

In Havelock, early voting will take place at the Havelock-Craven County Public Library, located on the Craven Community College campus on Cunningham Boulevard next to Havelock Elementary School.

Those who have not registered can register at the early-voting site but must bring identification, such as a driver's license, and proof of residence.

According to elections officials, there were 10,051 registered voters in Havelock's two voting precincts as of Oct. 6.

The East Havelock precinct had more registered voters at 5,312. Among those, there were 1,964 registered Republicans, 1,777 registered Democrats and 1,571 with no registered party affiliation.

In the West Havelock precinct, there were 4,739 registered voters. On those, 2,004 were registered Republicans, 1,265 were registered Democrats and 1,470 with no registered party affiliation.

Craven County had 66,423 registered voters - 28,273 Democrats, 22,891 Republicans, nine registered Libertarians, and 15,250 with no party affiliation.

On Election Day, those in the Havelock East precinct will vote at the Havelock High School Performing Arts Center, while those in the Havelock West precinct will vote at Tucker Creek Middle School.

For more information on registration or voting information, call the Craven County Board of Elections at 636-6610.