By Tim Gardner
Avery voters from nineteen precincts went to the polls in Tuesday’s General Election to decide races for County Commissioner, United States Congress, State House and Senate as well as whether to adopt a new local sales and use tax.
Turnout was high as 6,502 out of 12,034 registered voters (54.03 percent) in the county cast ballots. That included a total of 2,010 who cast their ballots during the Early Voting period between Wednesday, October 17 and Saturday, November 3.
Republican incumbents Blake Vance and Wood Hall (Woodie) Young, Jr. and their fellow-Republican Dennis Aldridge were the top three in votes received for the County Commission seats. Aldridge got the most votes with 4,505. Vance followed in second place, receiving 4,354 votes. Young, Jr. came in third with 4,323 votes. Democrat Dick Crews got 1,647 votes.
The two candidates with the most votes will serve four-year terms, while the candidate with the third most votes will serve a two-year term.
Incumbent Sheriff Kevin Frye received 4,831 votes.
Incumbent Clerk of Court Lisa Daniels got 5,533 votes.
Frye was unopposed by a Democrat or other Party candidate in the General Election. Frye defeated Jason Lollies in last May’s Republican Primary.
Daniels was unopposed in the Republican Primary and the General Election.
Frye and Daniels will serve four-year terms.
Incumbents Bill Beuttell and Ann Coleman ran for the two seats open for Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor. They were unopposed. Beuttell got 3,988 votes and Coleman garnered 3,429. Those are four-year seats, but a Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor election is held every two years.
A local sales and use tax at the rate of one-quarter percent (0.25%) in addition to all other State and local sales and use taxes was voted down 3,970 to 2,166.
If the county’s voters had approved adding the sales tax, an extra 25 cents for every one hundred dollars ($100.00) spent would have been created, which could have amounted to as much as $690,000.00 annually. The sales tax money would have been placed in the county’s General Fund and could have been spent on capital projects such as for school construction and renovations.
Avery voters also joined those from Watauga, Mitchell, Yancey and Madison counties in electing a District Attorney for their 35th District. That prosecutorial district was recently changed in number from the 24th to the 35th. Republican incumbent Seth Banks was unopposed for District Attorney and received 5,348 votes in Avery County.
Additionally, Avery voters joined those from Mitchell and McDowell Counties in electing a State Representative (House Member) for the 85th District and from Burke and Caldwell counties in electing a State Senator for the 46th District.
The winners of the District Attorney, State House and State Senate races will serve four-year terms.
For 46th District State Senate Republican incumbent Warren Daniel got-4,812 votes in Avery and Democrat Art Sherwood received 1,547.
For 85th District State House, Republican incumbent Josh Dobson got 4,950 votes in Avery and Democrat Howard Larsen received 1,439.
In the race for U.S. Congress, District 5, which encompasses much of the northwestern portion of the state, including Avery County and stretching east to include a portion of Winston-Salem, Republican incumbent Virginia Foxx received the most votes (4,892) from Avery County voters. Democrat D.D. Adams got 1,534.
Avery voters also cast their preferences for or against six constitutional amendments and were instrumental in helping decide several state and district judicial offices including: North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice; three seats for NC Court of Appeals Judge; and seats for NC Superior Court and District Court Judge for District 24 in which Republican Gary Gavenus and Democrat Larry Leake are unopposed for each respectively.
Avery voters also will help decide several state and district judicial offices including: North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice; three seats for NC Court of Appeals Judge;
An Avery County voting canvass will be held on Friday, November 16 to make sure all vote tabulations are accurate.
For a complete listing of all Avery Election County Election Results, log online to: https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/06/2018&county_id=6&office=ALL&contest=0.