North Carolina's Primary Election is Today, Tuesday, May 8. Polls are open until 7:30 pm.
Though the GOP Presidential nomination appears to have been already decided, voters on all sides of the political spectrum will still find plenty of options on the ballot.
Perhaps the most controversial choice voters will be asked to make involves a proposed amendment to the NC Constitution, Amendment One. It would add to the NC Constitution the following language: "Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts."
The amendment, promoted by opponents of same-sex marriage, attempts to write into the Constitution a ban already present in the NC General Statutes, so that the ban could not be overturned by judicial or legislative action. You can find the official explanation of the Amendment here. You can find arguments in favor of Amendment One here; arguments against, here. Moore County's Board of Commissioners recently passed a resolution encouraging voters to weigh in on the measure. You can read the resolution here and read The Times' coverage of folks who spoke for and against that resolution here.
Aside from Amendment One, and the Presidential primary, there are a variety of other races on both the Republican and Democratic ballot. Six Democrats and six Republicans are running for the opportunity to replace Bev Perdue in the Governor's Mansion, and there are competitive races for US House, NC Senate, and a variety of statewide offices.
There are some familiar Moore County names in the mix, as well. Former NC House Speaker Richard Morgan, of Eagle Springs, is running for the GOP nomination as Commissioner of Insurance. And Pinehurst's John Marcum is running against incumbent Jerry Tillman and Aberdeen's Tommy Davis for the District 29 seat in the State Senate. Moore County was moved from District 22 to District 29 in recent redistricting, and longtime District 22 Senator Harris Blake is retiring.
If you have registered as a Democrat, a Republican, or a Libertarian, you'll have to vote in that party's primary. But, if you registered "unaffiliated," you can pick and choose which primary ballot you'd rather have at the polling place -- or even select a non-partisan ballot that includes only Amendment One.
You can find sample copies of all the primary ballots on the Moore County Board of Elections website here.
