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Election 2008
Wilsonians vote By Janet Conner-Knox | Daily Times Staff Writer Wilson voters arrived at the polls early, dressed for work and ready to do their civic duty. Some had children in tow. Jean Murray, election judge at the Wilson County Agricultural Center, said voters started lining up before poll workers could get the doors open. "We have seen 42 voters in the first hour of voting. That's pretty good," she said. Leatrice Anderson, manager at Arby's restaurant, said she normally drags in the morning, but not today. "There is no excuse not to vote. I didn't vote early because I am just a last-minute kind of person, but this is too important not to do," Anderson said. Stephen Winstead, a postal worker in Raleigh, was at the Wilson County Health Department early today. He took his children so they could see the voting process. Winstead added that having the children with him this morning gave him a little extra time with his children before dropping them off to school. "I am a baby boomer, and I am familiar with the lack of rights," he said. "So I want my children to see now that people who want your vote impact your life. "My children are elementary-school age, but they need to know now and be used to the process when they are old enough to vote. It won't be strange to them, and they will already want to vote." His 10-year-old son, Stephen, and 9-year-old daughter, Amber, received "I voted" stickers to wear. For Carlton Bradshaw, a Wilmed worker, voting is just his duty. "I always vote no matter what," he said. "It is my privilege, and my vote counts, so I always vote." Carletha Ward, a BB&T executive, said nobody should turn away from his voice being heard. Both Bradshaw and Ward voted at the Health Department. "When you go to a meeting you may or may not be recognized. Even then, you may not get a chance to say what you want to say. But when you vote, you have a chance to have your voice heard," Ward said. "We can vote our values, vote for who will be the right people to make the changes that we want. If a person does not vote, how can they complain about not having their voice heard?" Robinette Vick is a teacher in Rocky Mount. She made sure she went to vote at the Ag Center before work because she didn't know whether she could get into vote after work. "I had to be sure to be a part of history. This is my chance to help those who are making decisions for us. They represent us, and we put them in office. I can't let a chance like this slip by," she said. Sequia Barnes, a case worker for the Wilson County Department of Social Services, said it was her intention to vote, but her children held her to task. "They kept asking me was I going to vote and who was I voting for and why was it so important to vote," she said this morning at the Agricultural Center. "With them asking so many questions, I figured I had better take them with me while I voted." For the past few weeks, North Carolinians have had a the chance to cast their votes early, using one-stop voting. That ended Saturday at 1 p.m. More than 3,300 Wilson County registered voters took advantage of one-stop voting. But Rebecca Godwin, a Barton College professor, said she waited until today to come to the Agricultural Center to vote because of the excitement. "It is so exciting to rush in and see the crowd of people who have come out to do their civic duty," she said. "I didn't want to do the early voting. To me there is no time like Election Day to be in the middle of it all." The polls close at 7:30 p.m. Log on to www.wilsontimes.com for further updates. janet@wilsontimes.com | 265-7847 |
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