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11 Percent Voter Turnout in Watauga’s Municipal Elections, 18 percent in Avery’s Municipal Elections

Compiled by Jesse Wood

In Watauga County, 11.21 percent of the registered voters in municipalities in Watauga County cast a ballot in the 2017 municipal elections held on Tuesday. Of the 19,915 registered voters in Beech Mountain, Blowing Rock, Boone and Seven Devils, only 2,232 people voted.

The turnout in Avery County was higher. In Avery County, 18.46 percent of the voters in municipalities in Avery County cast a ballot. Of the 2,161 registered voters in Banner Elk, Crossnore, Elk Park, Village of Grandfather, Newland & Sugar Mountain, only 399 people voted.

While the voter turnout per county is available, voter turnout for per municipality isn’t yet available. Elections offices have several weeks before they have to breakdown that information, according to Watauga County Board of Elections Director Matt Snyder.


WATAUGA COUNTY

(Beech Mountain, Blowing Rock Boone & Seven Devils)

11.21 percent (2,232 ballots cast out of 19,915 registered voters in the above municipalities)

Precincts: Registered Voters, Ballots Cast

Note that the following numbers are for Watauga County residents and not cross-county residents in the municipalities. For example, both Beech and Seven Devils overlay into Avery County, while Blowing Rock falls into Caldwell County.

***Note that the figures below also don’t include a breakdown of the roughly 100 provisional ballots (primarily from Boone), 30 mail-in absentee, 51 transfer ballots and 951 one-stop totals. In early voting, 58 of the ballots were from Blowing Rock, 884 from Boone, 9 from Beech Mountain and 0 from Seven Devils. 

Blowing Rock Precinct: 1,243 registered voters and 438 ballots cast on ELECTION DAY (35.2 percent)

Boone Precincts: (18,041 registered voters and 1,506 ballots cast)

  • Blue Ridge: 434 registered voters and 33 ballots cast (7.6 percent)
  • Boone 1: 1981 registered voters, 138 ballots cast (7 percent)
  • Boone 2: 4518 registered voters, 95 ballots cast (2.1 percent)
  • Brushy Fork: 1030 registered voters, 7 ballots cast (0.7 percent)
  • Boone 3: 4310 registered voters, 42 ballots cast (1 percent)
  • New River 1: 2201 registered voters, 73 ballots cast (3.3 percent)
  • New River 2: 1592 registered voters, 52 ballots cast (3.3 percent)
  • New River 3: 1975 registered voters, 82 ballots cast (4.2 percent)

Seven Devils Precinct: 190 registered voters, 66 ballots cast (35 percent)

Beech Mountain Precincts: 441 registered voters, 174 ballots cast (39 percent)

An estimate of voter turnout per municipality – based on ballots from early voting and Election Day and knowing the majority of provisionals are from Boone – puts Beech Mountain and Blowing Rock registered voter turnout at about 40 percent, Seven Devils at 35 percent and Boone at 8 percent. 

 


AVERY COUNTY 

(Banner Elk, Crossnore, Elk Park, Grandfather, Newland & Sugar Mountain)

18.46 percent (399 ballots cast out of 2,161 registered voters)

 The Avery County Board of Elections office didn’t provide a breakdown per precinct.


More election coverage: 

Check out all of the results in the municipal elections in Avery and Watauga counties here. 

Main Takeaway from Municipal Elections in High Country, Incumbents Lose in Contested Races

Sellers Defeats J.B. in Blowing Rock Mayor Race

See all of the results in North Carolina at the State Board of Elections website here.