2012
With one week of regular voter registration left (ends Friday the 12th, a full business week for the Board of Elections plus Friday is just a postmark deadline for those mailing in their forms) plus the two week registration period at early voting, here are the new voter registration numbers for Orange, both since January 1 (also includes the Amendment One drives) and just this fall.
In a February work session of the county commissioners, Chapel Hill mayor Mark Kleinschmidt took the podium to present a sweeping overview of the past 25 years of his town's approach to land use planning. Speaking with the didactic urgency we now expect from Kleinschmidt when he's both prepared and fired up, the mayor encouraged the commissioners to maintain their commitment to long-term planning for public transportation by adopting the Orange County transit plan.
After years of planning and community discussion, the Orange County Board of Commissioners recently placed a referendum on the November ballot for a half-cent sales tax to support public transit. Together with state and federal contributions, the new revenue will support a 20-year investment in bus and rail service in Orange County. There are many reasons to support the transit tax, like reducing the environmental degradation wreaked by overreliance on car travel and the sprawl it generates. Often overlooked are the benefits of public transit for marginalized populations.
Voter registration is heavy in Orange County, with 11,223 new voters since January 1, with 3,320 of those August 1 through September 21.
Conventional analysis focuses on net voter registration e.g. changes in totals (by party) since January 1, but I chose to look also at gross totals to see how registration drives are faring, then subtracting to see cancellations.
One big observation, unaffiliated registration has been at record highs this year for Orange, with Ds and Rs at historic lows. I broke out this year in two parts before showing the total for the year. The cancellations are the total of gross minus net, and covers those who move away andd register elsewhere, die, or have felony convictions recorded.
Looks like registration for this year is likely to set an all-time record at the current pace, as registration was quite high for the May Amendment One vote. Regular registration ends October 12, with registration allowed at early voting October 18- November 3
At the eleventh hour, the BoCC is still working through important issues on the transit plan - including whether Chapel Hill Transit (CHT) can use the new sales tax funds for existing service. Under the current agreement, they cannot. This is of particular concern given CHT's reliance on UNC funds and routing. The current plan does not allow CHT to use sales tax funds to change their routes to fill in possible gaps created by changes in UNC''s routes.
Its hard to understand why this is coming up for the first time -but at least people may finally start talking about how the transit plan impacts CHT and the bus system that everyone loves. Its especially difficult to understand why the county is so anxious to give control over transit to TTA.
Great report by Chapelboro's Elizabeth Friend
http://chapelboro.com/pages/14273726.php
The video of the meeting is a worth a look
http://orange-nc.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=355
Pages
About Us
OrangePolitics is a not-for-profit website for discussing progressive perspectives on politics, planning, and public policy in Orange County, NC. Opinions are those of their authors. Learn more.
Community Guidelines
By using this site, you agree to our community guidelines. Inappropriate or disruptive behavior will result in moderation or eviction.
Zircon - This is a contributing Drupal Theme
Design by
WeebPal.
