Welcome to the Clay County Board of Elections web site. The Clay County Board of Elections
is responsible for conducting all elections in Clay County and keeping up to date all voter registration information. The
County Board arranges for a polling place in each precinct, advertises elections, prepares ballots, and issues absentee ballots.
All information is made available to the State Board of Elections.
The voter statistics for Clay County as of January 27, 2012 are as follows:
Democrat voters: 2,756
Republican voters: 3,396
Libertarian voters: 20
Unafilliated voters: 2,750
Total: 8,922
2012 HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
New Years Day Monday January 2
Martin Luther King's B'Day Monday January 16
Presidents Day Monday Febuary 20
Good Friday Friday April 6
Memorial Day Monday May 28
Independence Day Wednesday July 4
Labor Day Monday September 3
Veterans Day Monday November 12
Thanksgiving Day Thursday & Friday November 22-23
Christmas Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday December 24-26
Official Election Notice
County of CLAY
2012 PRIMARY
Election Date: 05/08/2012
This is an official notice of an election to be conducted in CLAY County on 05/08/2012. This notice contains a list of all of the ballot measures and federal,
State, and local offices this county expects, as of this date, to be on the ballot on the date of the election. See below.
An Election Notice will be prepared not later than 100 days before a regularly scheduled election that permits absentee voting, and as soon as practicable in the
case of an election or vacancy election not regularly scheduled. For a second primary, an Election Notice will be prepared, no later than the day following the
date the appropriate board of elections orders that a second primary be held.
As soon as ballot styles are printed, this county board of elections will update this notice with the certified candidates for each office and ballot measures and
referenda questions that will be on the ballot. For General Elections during even-numbered years, ballots will be printed 60 days prior to the election. For
statewide primaries and other elections (except municipal elections), ballots will be printed 50 days prior to the election. Municipal ballots are available 30
days prior to Election Day. You must request an updated Election Notice.
Transmitting a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot:
This notice may be used in conjunction with the federal write-in absentee ballot (FWAB). Covered military & overseas voters seeking to vote by absentee ballot may use
the FWAB to register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and vote an official military-overseas ballot. When using the FWAB to register to vote, and/or request an
absentee ballot, please transmit your signed and completed FWAB no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day before Election Day. If submitted later than this day and time,
your absentee ballot will not be counted. Federal write-in absentee ballots are available at www.NCSBE.gov. You may also request a regular absentee ballot by using
the federal postcard application (FPCA), available at www.FVAP.gov. A regular ballot can be mailed, faxed or emailed to you. You may return the FWAB or a regular
absentee ballot by mail, secure fax (1-919-715-0351) or email (uocava.absentee@sboe.state.nc.us).
Marking a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot:
When marking a FWAB, for each office for which you wish to vote, write in either a candidate's name or political party designation. For ballot measures or referenda,
write either “YES” (you are for the ballot measure or referendum) or “NO” (you are against the ballot measure or referendum). In a primary, if you are registered as
Democrat, Republican or Libertarian, for partisan contests, you may only vote for the candidates of the party for which you are affiliated. You are also eligible to
vote for non-partisan contests. If you are registered as unaffiliated (“independent”), in a primary, you may choose to vote for the partisan contests of one of the
parties or you may choose to vote for non-partisan contests only. Please contact your local board of elections to confirm your party affiliation or voter registration status.
Please check the website for the NC State Board of Elections (www.NCSBE.gov) for additional information on military-overseas absentee voting.
NC State Board of Elections
January 2012
US President
US House of Representatives District 11
NC Governor
NC Lieutentant Governor
NC Attorney General
NC Auditor
NC Commissioner of Agriculture
NC Commissioner of Insurance
NC Commissioner of Labor
NC Secretary of State
NC Superintendent of PUblic Instruction
NC Treasurer
NC State Senate District 50
NC House of Representatives District 120
Supreme Court Associate Justice(Newby)
Court of Appeals Judge (Mcgee)
Court of Appeals Judge (Byrant)
Court of Appeals Judge (Thigpen)
District Court Judge District 30 (Holt)
District Court Judge District 30 (Leslie)
District Court Judge District 30 (Walker)
Board of Education
Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.
The Official Explanation of the Constitutional Amendment from the State Board of Elections
The 2011 General Assembly approved a measure (Session Law 2011-409) that would put language into
the North Carolina Constitution related to legally recognized marriages in the state.
The proposed amendment to Article 14 of the North Carolina Constitution would add a new section, to be
called Section 6. It would read as follows:
"Sec. 6. Marriage.
Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or
recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with
another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties
pursuant to such contracts."
The General Assembly also approved the language that voters will see on the ballot this spring as they
consider this constitutional amendment:
[ ] FOR [ ] AGAINST
Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the
only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.
The Constitutional Amendments Publication Commission has approved language for an official
explanation of the proposed amendment that can be provided to voters to assist them in understanding the
amendment. The Commission has only three members including Secretary of State Marshall, North
Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper and the General Assembly’s Legislative Services Officer George
Hall. Concerns about the official explanation should be directed to the Commission and not to the State
Board of Elections or a county board of elections.
Here is the official explanation adopted by the Commission:
A current North Carolina law enacted in 1996 says that marriage between individuals of the same
sex is not valid in North Carolina. This amendment would make that concept part of the North
Carolina Constitution. If this amendment is passed by the voters, then under state law it can only
be changed by another vote of the people.
The term “domestic legal union” used in the amendment is not defined in North Carolina law.
There is debate among legal experts about how this proposed constitutional amendment may
impact North Carolina law as it relates to unmarried couples of same or opposite sex and same
sex couples legally married in another state, particularly in regard to employment-related benefits
for domestic partners; domestic violence laws; child custody and visitation rights; and end-of-life
arrangements. The courts will ultimately make those decisions.
The amendment also says that private parties may still enter into contracts creating rights
enforceable against each other. This means that unmarried persons, businesses and other private
parties may be able to enter into agreements establishing personal rights, responsibilities, or
benefits as to each other. The courts will decide the extent to which such contracts can be
enforced.
