Rockingham
County Board of Elections
Young
Persons Guide to voting
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What Voting is All About |
You make choices every day. Whether it be the clothes you wear, what you choose to eat or what movie you would like to see. Voting is also choosing. It is selecting the leaders of our Government. People choose to run for certain offices such as School Board, County Commissioner, State House of Representatives, Governor or even President of the United States. When they do, the citizens of the United States must choose who they wish their leaders to be. They do this by VOTING. When you become 18 years of age you are eligible to Register to Vote.
How many voters are registered in Rockingham County?
As of January 5, 2010, the voter registration figures of Rockingham County are as follows:
Democrats: 28,086
Republicans: 17,943
Unaffiliated: 11,782
Total Registration: 57,857
To register to vote you must meet the following requirements:
*Be a legal resident of Rockingham County.
*Be 18 years of age by the next General Election.
*Be a citizen of the United States.
When the requirements are met you must fill out a voter registration application. Once the application is processed at the Board of Elections Office, you will be sent a verification card stating your name, address, party affiliation, precinct and polling place. You do not need your card in order to vote at the polls. It is for verification.
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What are Precincts? |
Precincts are boundaries within the County that are laid out for voting purposes. If you live within a certain boundary, you are assigned to that precinct in which you live. Boundaries may be creeks, rivers, streets, even gas lines. Rockingham County has 18 voting precincts. At each precinct there are polling places. Polling places are where you go on election day to cast your vote.
What do you do on Election Day?
On Election Day the polls open at 6:30 am and close at 7:30 pm. You must go to the polls during those hours. You must state your name and address. Once verified, you will be given a ballot. You must go in a voting booth, mark your ballot and insert it in a voting tabulator. At the end of the day, the precinct workers will get the totals from the tabulator. Those totals are then reported to the Elections Office election night. All of this takes place during one day.
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What Do the Donkey and the Elephant mean? |
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They are symbols of party representation. The Donkey represents the Democratic Party and the Elephant represents the Republican Party. Candidates run by party affiliation and in North Carolina, you must select one of the three parties; Democrat, Republican or be registered as Unaffiliated. Choosing a party is up to you and may be decided by knowing what the parties represent. You can contact each Party Chairmen for their view points on issues that may help you to decide.