LAURINBURG — Scotland elections officials expressed disappointment that more voters failed to go to the polls this week. with the turnout for Tuesday’s primary elections.
Out of 22,429 registered voters in Scotland County, only 4,568 participated in Tuesday’s primary.
Still Scotland’s 20.37 percent turnout was better than the state’s with only 14.25 percent of registered North Carolina voters participating in the election.
The results of the primary will be official after canvassing on May 18.
“I found the turnout very disappointing,” said Dell Parker, director of the Scotland board of elections. “I think people should get more involved in their local politics and vote but I’m hoping that the turnout in November is better.”
Parker said voter participation is highest during a presidential election.
The precinct with the highest of voter turnout was Precinct 4 with 456 followed by precincts 3 with 344, Precinct 7 with 285, Precinct 10 with 200, Precinct 9 with 197, Precinct 1 with 193, Precinct 5 with 170, Precinct 2 with 143 and Precinct 8 with 131. Precinct 6 had the lowest number of voters at 49.
There was glitch at the Precinct 1 polling place when a campaigner refused to stay in the marked area. The woman used a motorized scooter to approach people in the parking lot and near the polling station door and urge them to vote for her candidate of choice.
“She did not want to stay in the area when we told her we just wanted her to follow the rules and she got very vulgar and cursed at us,” Parker said. “We told her we were calling the police and she told us to call (them), so we did.”
When the police arrived, the woman said that she would follow the rules. Parker talked to her as well and agreed to let her stay.
“When I went back into the office I called the candidate’s campaign manager and she came out to the site,” Parker said. “The campaign manager actually asked her to leave and she did. We haven’t had any issues like this before.”
In the crowded Democratic Stewartsville commissioners race, Matthew Block won seven of the 10 precincts that make up Scotland County.
Incumbent Carol McCall took the other three. Block won Precincts 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10 while McCall won Precincts 3, 4, and 8.
Block and McCall will face Republican Tim Ivey in the November election.
In the Springhill commissioner race, incumbent Betty Blue Gholston and challenger Linda Tindall both won five precincts, however; Gholston won the more populated Precincts 1, 2, 4, 7 and 10 while Tindall took Precincts 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9. Gholston will face challenger Bo Frizzell in the General Electios this November.
In the Democratic primary for Scotland County Sheriff, John Martin won seven of the 10 precincts while Mitch Johnson won three. Martin took Precincts 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 while Johnson won Precincts 1, 2 and 7.
Martin will be on the ballot against incumbent Sheriff Ralph Kersey.