Polk County voters, like those in the rest of the state, turned out in low numbers for the second 2012 primary runoff election.
Polk had a 2.16 percent turnout for the Tuesday, July 17 second primary, compared to a 3.58 percent turnout across the state, according to unofficial Polk County Board of Election results.
Polk County voters followed some of the same trends as other North Carolina voters and chose Dan Forest as the Republican nominee for N.C. Lieutenant Governor.
Forest received 223 Polk votes and 101,428 statewide votes compared to Tony Gurley’s 14 Polk votes and 47,978 votes statewide.
Polk County and state voters also chose John C. Brooks over Marlowe Foster for the Democratic candidate for N.C. Commissioner of Labor. Brooks received 37 votes compared to Foster’s 35 votes in Polk County. Statewide, Brooks won the nomination with 31,216 votes compared to Foster’s 26,431.
Polk and state voters nominated Mike Causey as the Republican candidate for N.C. Commissioner of Insurance. Causey received 180 Polk County votes and 80,704 votes statewide, compared to Richard Morgan’s 52 Polk votes and 59,910 votes statewide.
Other state races for Polk voters included the Republican candidates for N.C. Secretary of State and N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction. Ed Goodwin won statewide over Ken Gardner for N.C. Secretary of State, although Polk voters chose Gardner with 154 votes compared to Goodwin’s 79 Polk votes. Statewide, Goodwin received 74,252 votes compared to Gardner’s 62,044.
The Republican race for N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction ended with John Tedesco as the nominee. Polk voters chose Richard Alexander, with 155 votes compared to Tedesco’s 77 votes. Statewide, Tedesco received 75,366 compared to Alexander’s 63,119.
The second primary was a runoff election from the May primary in North Carolina. The general election will be held Nov. 6.