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People who don’t want to wait to vote in the Primary Election on March 5 can do so early beginning on February 15.

The One-Stop early voting period will continue until Saturday, March 2.

There will only be one early voting site in Gates County, at the Board of Elections Office (25 Medical Center Road, Gatesville).

The site will be open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays as well as from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays during the early voting period. Gates County is the only one in the Roanoke-Chowan area that will have early voting available on more than just the last Saturday.

For more information, call the Gates County Board of Elections office at 252-357-1780.

This year, voters will have to show an ID to vote.

According to the State Board of Elections, most voters will simply show their driver’s license. But other photos IDs are accepted as well, including a state ID from the NCDMV (a “non-operator ID”), a US passport, an NC voter photo ID issued by a county board of elections, a college or university student ID approved by the State Board of Elections, a state or local government or charter school employee ID approved by the State Board of Elections, military or veterans ID card (with photo), and tribal enrollment card (with photo).

Voters who are 65 years or older may use an expired form of acceptable ID if the ID was unexpired on their 65th birthday.

For more detailed information about Voter ID requirements, visit the State Board of Elections website at ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id

A number of federal, state, and local races are on the ballot for this primary election. Voters will choose which candidates will be the party nominees for the general election which will be in November 2024.

In Gates County, contested races for the primary election are for the non-partisan Board of Education: Jonathan Jones and Ray Felton (incumbent) for the District 2 seat, and Amanda J. Heimbecker (incumbent) and Terri R. Riddick for the District 4 seat.

Other primary races include Presidential preference, US House of Representatives District 1, Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, State Auditor, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner of Labor, Secretary of State, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Treasurer, NC Supreme Court Associate Justice (seat 6), and NC Court of Appeals Judge (seats 12, 14, 15).

Those who do not vote during One-Stop early voting can do so in-person at their regular voting precinct on Tuesday, March 5. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. that day.