Early voting starts on Thursday across North Carolina for the 2016 primary election and endorsements are coming in fast and furious as voters prepare to head to the polls.

Nine candidates are running for four seats on the Orange County Board of Commissioners. All of the candidates who filed are Democrats, meaning that the primary will determine the makeup of the next edition of the seven-member board.

Voters will choose between four candidates for two seats from District 1. District 2 is a two-candidate race and three candidates are looking to fill the at-large seat that will be vacated by Bernadette Pelissier, who has chosen to not seek reelection.

The Orange-Chatham branch of the Sierra Club issued endorsements in late February. The environmental advocacy group is backing incumbents Mark Dorosin and Penny Rich in District 1, incumbent Renee Price in District 2 and Mark Marcoplos for the at-large seat.

Equality NC announced its endorsements on Tuesday, with some overlap. The LGBTQ rights group endorsed the incumbents Dorosin, Rich and Price from Districts 1 and 2. The group chose to endorse Matt Hughes for the at-large seat on the board.

The Indy Week issued its endorsements on Wednesday, choosing the same slate as the Sierra Club – Dorosin, Rich, Price and Marcoplos.

The Anderson, Thorpe, Chapman Breakfast Club endorsed Dorosin, Rich, Price and Hughes. The North Carolina Sheriff Police Alliance also endorsed Dorosin, Rich, Price and Hughes.

Dorosin and Rich are facing a challenge from longtime Chapel Hill-Carrboro School board member Jamezetta Bedford. Gary Kahn, who has ran unsuccessfully for Chapel Hill Town Council, Orange County Commissioner and Chapel Hill Mayor, is also running for a seat from District 1.

Price is running against community activist Bonnie Hauser for the District 2 seat.

Marcoplos and Hughes are joined by Efland resident Andy Cagle, who ran for Sheriff in 2014, on the ballot for the at-large seat.

Early voting runs March 3 through March 12. Same-day registration is available during that period.

Primary election day is March 15.

North Carolina voters will be voting in primary races for President, U.S. Senate and Governor in addition to local races.

The race for the U.S. House of Representatives has been postponed until June 7 after a federal court ruled that North Carolina’s Congressional map was unconstitutional. That forced lawmakers to redraw the maps and open a new filing period for Congressional candidates wanting to run in the newly-configured districts.

Related Stories
‹
CHALT, Sierra Club Endorsements Orange County Candidates in 2020 Races
As voters across North Carolina begin to head to early voting sites, two organizations recently shared their endorsements for Orange County’s Board of Commissioners race. The Chapel Hill Alliance for a Livable Town advocacy group, also known as CHALT, voted to endorse candidates on February 8 and voiced its support for candidates Jean Hamilton and Amy […]
Carrboro Town Councilmember Eliazar Posada Named Equality NC Interim Director
Carrboro Town Councilmember Eliazar Posada was named the interim director of Equality NC on Thursday. Equality NC is an organization which advocates for rights and protections for the LGBTQ+ in North Carolina. “We are committed to fostering an inclusive LGBTQ+ community in North Carolina,” Posada said, “a space where everyone thrives authentically, supported by unwavering […]
Sierra Club Endorsements for Orange, Chatham County Local Elections Revealed
All of the N.C. Sierra Club endorsements in the Orange County and Chatham County municipal elections are now released. Read them here.
Equality NC Endorses Chapel Hill Town Council, CHCCS School Board Candidates
One week after sharing its endorsements in two local mayoral races, the statewide advocacy group Equality North Carolina shared further support for candidates in the Chapel Hill Town Council and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education elections. The LGBTQ+ rights organization shared its latest slate of “progressive, inclusive” recommendations to voters on Thursday, including […]
With Local Election Season Underway, Who's Endorsing Whom?
Which Orange County candidates are receiving endorsements in this year's municipal election? Keep track of the full list here.
Progressive Democrats of Orange County, INDY Week Share 2021 Candidate Endorsements
EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of the Progressive Democrats of Orange County’s endorsements listed support for Randee Haven-O’Donnell in the Carrboro Town Council race. An updated version now has removed that support. This article has been updated to reflect that. With early voting around the corner, the Progressive Democrats of Orange County (PDOC) and INDY […]
Local Breakfast Club Release Endorsements for Orange County Races
A local group has released its endorsements of local candidates ahead of Election Day in Orange and Chatham counties. The Fred Battle, Hank Anderson Bill Thorpe, Yonni Chapman Breakfast Club shared its endorsements for the District 1 race of the Orange County Board of Commissioners and the District Court race for Seat 15B in Orange […]
INDY Week Releases Endorsements for Local Elections
The alternative weekly newspaper INDY Week released their endorsements for the Orange County municipal elections on Tuesday evening. In the Chapel Hill mayoral race, the paper endorsed mayoral candidate and incumbent Pam Hemminger, citing her work securing the affordable housing bond in 2018 and her prioritization of combating climate change as main reasons it is […]
Endorsements Coming in for Local Election Candidates
Multiple advocacy organizations announced endorsements of candidates in Orange County and Chatham County municipal elections this week. The North Carolina Sierra Club said in a statement that the environmental advocacy group endorsements are largely based off candidates’ stances on climate change and how they plan to enact solutions to combat the problem on a local […]
Friday Deadline to Remove Campaign Signs
Almost two weeks after Election Day, it’s finally time for the remaining campaign signs to come down. Friday is the post-election deadline to remove campaign signs from the state road right of way, according to a 2011 state law. The North Carolina Department of Transportation sent a message out this week reminding “candidates and campaigns […]
›