By Josh Green

DURHAM, NC – Sioux Watson’s two daughters don’t live in Durham anymore. One lives out of the country. Yet both are still interested in local politics and each plan on voting in the election on Nov. 4.
 
“They haven’t missed an election yet … due to my coming down here diligently and filling out these forms,” Watson said as she sat in the Durham County Board of Elections Office filling out absentee ballot request forms for them. “I think it’s important for mothers and fathers of daughters to get them involved in the political system at an early age. So mine have.”
 
Thousands around the Triangle, just like Watson, are getting ready for the presidential election. By Monday, the Durham County Board of Elections mailed out more than 2,600 absentee ballots. Voters had already returned more than 200.
 
Statewide early voting starts in about two weeks, on Thursday, Oct. 16.
 
“I think this is just huge,” said Mike Ashe, Director of Elections for Durham County. “This is going to be the biggest election in Durham’s history.”
 
“We have no incumbent president, no incumbent governor. There’s just a lot of exciting things on the ballot and it’s like every election. It’s very important.”
 
Ashe said the overall turnout in Durham for the 2004 election was about 73 percent.
 
“I think we will do much better than that this year,” he said.
 
And so people like Chris Carmody are making sure their T’s are crossed and there I’s are dotted.
 
“I’m updating my voter registration. I moved,” Carmody said at the Board of Elections Office. “This is the most important election of my lifetime.”
 
This election, Carmody has tried to study each issue, each candidate – from the top of the ballot, to the bottom of it.
 
“Eight years ago this country had a great economy. We had a budget surplus and we were at peace,” he said. “I see the presidential race is basically neck-and-neck in North Carolina, so every vote will count.”

“In 2000, I think President Bush beat Al Gore by 537 votes in one state, in Florida. So I think for North Carolinians it’s an interesting opportunity to make a difference.”
 
Ashe said you can also register at One Stop locations by showing proper identification by Nov 1. Walk-in and mailing registration have to be in or postmarked by Oct. 10. Ashe is encouraging people to pre-register early if they need to.
 
“From Oct. 16 through Nov. 1, it’s basically 9:00 to 5:30 everyday and we have seven sites in Durham located around the county and you can go to anyone of the sites. They’re all the same,” he said. “Regardless of your home precinct, voters can go to any of our One Stop sites, and vote. It’s the exact same ballot you would get on election day. It’s counted election night, like every other ballot.”
 
It means the Board of Elections is preparing to supersize its staff.
 
“Our ranks of people swell from seven regular employees at the Board of Election to 750 people working on election day,” Ashe said.
 
In fact, the hum of ballots going into machines has already taken over a room in the back of the election office. More than half a dozen workers feed in mock ballots, checking and rechecking machines to make sure they work right.
 
“We don’t have hanging chads. We have in Durham County an Optical Scan Voting System,” Ashe said. “The voter fills out an oval on a paper ballot. And that paper ballot is inserted into an optical scan reader, which quickly accurately counts it. And our readers are tested before and after.”
 
“Some people think we just work election day, but it is year round. There’s a tremendous amount of preparation that goes into all parts of putting on an election.”