Letter to the Editor

Durham will hold its municipal election on Tuesday, November 3^rd (6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.). All U.S. citizens registered with an up-to-date Durham County address are eligible. You can confirm your registration status and polling place with the N.C. State Board of Elections online.

Incumbent Mayor William Bell is seeking his 8^th term in office and is opposed by James Lyons. Three out of seven of the Durham City Council’s staggered seats will also be chosen. Duke Democrats particularly appreciated Steve Schewel, Jillian Johnson and Charlie Reece’s attendance at the candidates’ forum held on campus last week. N.C.’s Voter Guide provides important information about the candidates.

Municipal elections influence crucial issues facing Durham residents including living wages, affordable housing, parks and recreation centers, downtown development, public transportation and safety. Still, the 2013 Durham city election turnout was only 10.5 percent.

In September, The Chronicle reported that Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez would resign after commanding a department criticized for its treatment of minorities. The Durham City Council will select a new chief this year in hopes of restoring positive police and community relations—just one example of the impact of municipal elections on the lived experiences of Durham’s 245,000 residents.

If you are registered to vote from an East Campus address, meet on Tuesday at 6:30pm in front of Marketplace to walk to the poll at George Watts Elementary. If you are unregistered or would like to switch your registration from your home state to N.C. (a swing-state!) for future elections, a coalition of Duke political organizations is co-sponsoring an initiative within freshmen residence halls. If you need to be reregistered to a new campus address, look out for registration opportunities on West before N.C.’s semi-closed primary in March, or complete an application here!

See you at the polls,

Celia Mizelle

Trinity ‘19