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Elections
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Elections |
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Board of Elections Information
The Gaston County Board of Elections is comprised of three (3) individuals with not more than two (2) being from the same political party. The Board oversees all elections for the County including those for thirteen (13) municipalities. The Board, which operates under the general supervision of the State Board of Elections, has quasi-judicial and policy making authority over all aspects of elections and voter registration. Gaston County currently is divided into forty-six (46) voting precincts. All precinct lines are required to be reviewed and, if necessary, re-drawn every ten (10) years. Changes in precinct lines and voting places must follow statutes and be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Elections Office is the clearinghouse of all voter registration and pertinent elections information for the County. Registration transactions are kept on computer with a permanent card file maintained. The staff under the management of the supervisor is responsible for the mechanics of elections including ballot proof preparation, the coordination of precinct personnel, the appropriate distribution of related materials to the precincts, and for accuracy in voter registration information. Candidates for legislative and local offices file notices of candidacy at the County elections office. Periodic campaign reports required by certain local candidates are turned in to the Elections Office. The State Board of Elections has the ultimate authority over all campaign reporting matters in the state of North Carolina without exception. To become a registered voter in Gaston County a person must be a citizen of the United States, eighteen (18) years old, and a resident of the precinct for thirty (30) days before the next election. A person cannot be registered in any other county or state. A person does not have to re-register in Gaston County for each election. He/she only has to keep address/name/party changes up to date once the initial registration has occurred and been recorded. A person may register to vote at the Elections Office, any branch of the Public Library system, the Register-of-Deeds Office, or the Department of Motor Vehicles when attending to driver's license business. Voter registration is also available at some municipal offices in the County.
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