THE SHELBY INDEPENDENT

Unaffiliated bloc up 179,065, Democrats down 133,642 since Election Day 2024 By Alan Wooten | The Center Square File graphic | The Shelby Independent AFFECT LOCAL – One day shy of a full two weeks sooner than any other state in the nation, North Carolina county boards of elections on Friday will begin sending absentee ballots to any voter having made a request. The nation’s ninth largest state at 11.2 million is at 7,837,065 registrations, down 2,846 from the general election

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square Photo: Phil Roeder / Flickr AFFECTS LOCAL / STATE — Supporters called it a measure of integrity for North Carolina elections. The governor said it was “anti-voter legislation.” Election Law Changes, known also as House Bill 958, was vetoed by first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein late Monday afternoon. The proposal would change early in-person voting periods for primaries, primary runoffs and special elections to 10 days rather than 17. The

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column OPINION / HUMOR – There’s a reason you always see people smiling, it’s friendly / warming, healthy and contagious. People are more likely to buy a product or vote for a person that smiles than not. Miss America contestants don’t smile because they want to; they smile because it makes a difference to the judges and the audience. Smiling can also be comical, depending on the situation. In the movie Elf, staring Will Ferrell, his character

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent A sign outside the CC Board of Elections, pointing the way to the main entrance. Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent As the Friday Dec. 19 deadline looms for candidates to file for the 2026 primaries, the Cleveland County Commissioner race is crowded with seven hopefuls running for two seats, and a board of education race that so far has five republicans one democrat, and an unaffiliated candidate all running for four chairs. On t