The Elections Process

Presented byThe Mecklenburg County

Board of Elections

Election Planning

The Board of Elections must plan for3 Elections each calendar year:

Primary Second PrimaryGeneral Election

Primary

• Decides the candidates that will represent a particular party in the General Election

• Only voters registered in a particular party and unaffiliated voters are allowed to vote in the Primary– Democratic Primary– Republican Primary

Primary

Second Primary

• Only occurs if there is a need for a run-off • Does not occur every year, but must be

planned

Second Primary

General

• Always the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November

• Decides the candidate(s) that will represent a particular constituency

General Election

Odd / Even

Odd Numbered Years:Fall Primaries

• Local Municipal Governments (City of Charlotte, Town of Matthews, Mint Hill, Cornelius, Huntersville, Davidson, & Pineville)

• Board of Education

Even Numbered Years:Spring Primaries

• National Offices

• State Offices (Including Judges)

• County Government (Including Judges)

2012 Dates

2012 Elections

May 8th – Primary Election

June 26th – Second Primary (if needed)

November 6th – Presidential Election

Registering to Vote

What is the minimum age for voter registration?

16 years old

What is the minimum age to vote?

18 years old

Host Your Own Drive• Host at your school during • Lunch• School Event• Homeroom

• Register those who will be 18 on Election Day• Pre-register 16 & 17 year olds• When registering applicants need to be sure to provide:• Last 4 digits of SSN, OR• Valid NC Driver’s License Number

One Vote

• 1960 – ONE vote per precinct made John F. Kennedy the President over contender Richard Nixon.

• 2000 - George W. Bush won the state of Florida by 537 votes, making him the next President of the United States. Close to 6 million voters went to the polls in Florida.

• 2011 – Town of Cornelius Board of Commissioners race: Incumbent Thurman Ross lost by 2 votes to John Bradford III.