THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 15, 1995 TAG: 9509150546
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
In 1993, 1,235 people voted for the man who became mayor of this city of 17,000.
The difference between a winner and a loser in city council races was counted in dozens of votes.
About a third of the city's 7,010 registered voters turned out for elections two years ago - and that was a year with a heated four-way mayor's race.
Even less activity is expected this year, when no one is challenging first-term Mayor H. Rick Gardner and not a single incumbent faces opposition. The only contested elections are for open seats in the 1st and 2nd wards.
As evidence of a politically stagnant election year, only 20 people, many related to the office-seekers, showed up for a candidates forum on Tuesday.
But the low level of interest in the 1995 City Council elections means those who do vote will wield a great deal of power.
A couple of hundred 1st Ward residents will decide whether Don Cherry, Randall Sherman or Paul Bryant sits behind the U-shaped table in City Hall and speaks for them for the next four years.
A couple of hundred people in the 2nd Ward will choose between Zack Robertson and Linda Barrett.
The choice will help define the tenor and tone of city business through the end of this century. It will determine whether the council will still have four black and four white members through 1997 or will shift to a black majority. It will play a role in whether the city and the county merge years from now.
But Pasquotank County elections officials say it's difficult to convey to residents how these issues come down to single votes.
``People don't realize that they can make a difference,'' said Linda Page, deputy supervisor for the Pasquotank County Board of Elections. ``I've heard that so much.
``They'll fuss and they'll gripe when things don't go their way, but they just won't do anything about it.''
For candidates, Board of Elections Supervisor Glenda Crane said, ``it's real scary, because you may win or lose by three votes.''
The 3,500 or so registered voters in wards 1 and 2 have nearly a month to decide whether they want to use their power on Oct. 10 or sit out this year's elections.
Those who aren't registered have less time to make up their minds: The deadline for registering to vote is 5 p.m. today.
Voter rolls have been climbing in the past two months, elections records show. Countywide, registered voters numbered 16,943 on Wednesday, up nearly 240 from July 6. The city total is up by 113 voters.
``We've registered 100 people in the past week,'' Crane said. ``They're really registering. I don't know if they'll be voting or not. We're hoping for a good turnout.''
New procedures that allow people to register at the Division of Motor Vehicles or in Social Services offices have helped increase voter ranks, Crane said.
Since early July, rolls officially have risen by 54 voters in the two city wards with contested races this year, records show. Some candidates who have been passing out registration forms while making their rounds said they have registered more than that.
Another incentive for people to register and vote this year is the chance to try out a computerized voting system being test-run in Pasquotank. Rather than punching a ballot, voters will use a marking tool to touch their preferred candidate's name on a computer screen. Votes will be automatically recorded.
``It's going to be so easy,'' Crane said.
Also up for election are 3rd Ward Councilman Jimi Sutton and 4th Ward Councilwoman Myrtle Rivers. Both are running unopposed. ILLUSTRATION: HOW TO REGISTER
The deadline to register for the Oct. 10 Elizabeth City elections
is 5 p.m. today. To be eligible, voters must be 18 years old and
must have lived in the county for 30 days as of election day. To
register, go to the Board of Elections office in the Pasquotank
County Courthouse. No identification is required, but voters must
sign a form pledging that the information they give is accurate.
by CNB