Elections heat up in Eastern Carolina counties

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Several local election races are drawing attention in Eastern North Carolina.

Chris Thomas, Jacob Donnenwirth, John Yopp, and J.J. Zamora are the four candidates running for Onslow County sheriff. All the candidates are running as Republicans.

Partisan primary races with more than two people running require candidates to win more than 30% of votes in their race to secure their party’s nomination for the general election.

The Jacksonville city council race does not have this requirement because it operates on a ward system. Whoever has the most votes wins.

In New Bern, Alderman Jeffrey Odham, former New Bern Police Chief Toussaint Summers, Tim Harris, and Max Oglesby are the candidates in the mayoral election. The winner of that race Tuesday night must get 50% of the votes plus one additional vote.

If mayoral candidates in New Bern do not receive 50% of the votes plus one, the candidate in second place can request a runoff election that would be held on July 26th.

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