THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, May 9, 1996                  TAG: 9605090384
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 
SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: MANTEO                             LENGTH: Medium:   59 lines

WAS VOTING PROCESS FOR DARE SCHOOLS CLEAR? SOME MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN TO LOOK ON BACK OF BALLOT FOR CANDIDATES.

The Dare County Board of Elections will meet today to discuss whether some voters were properly informed about how to vote for Board of Education candidates.

George Embrey, Dare County Republican chairman, sent a protest letter to the board on Tuesday asking for an investigation. Embrey said there were numerous complaints from voters that they were not told to turn over the one-page ballot to cast their vote for the school board hopefuls.

``My only concern is the people who didn't get to vote (for the school candidates),'' Embrey said. ``All I know is any ordinary person coming in . .

Dare County voters, after checking in with election officials, were handed either a Republican or Democratic ballot to fill out in a private booth. All national, state and county primary offices were on the front of the ballot. Only candidates for election to the school board, a nonpartisan panel, were on the back of the Republican ballots. School Board races and the primary race for District Court judge were on the back of the Democratic ballots.

Embrey said at least six people at the Nags Head precinct - where he stationed himself from 6:15 to 9:30 a.m. - did not know that they should have flipped the ballot over to continue voting.

Embrey said he believed the same problem was occurring at the other polling places.

``Only after questions were raised and protests poured into your office did precinct officials begin to orally instruct voters on how to turn over the ballot to find the school board offices,'' Embrey wrote in his formal protest. ``I am certain that many voters in precincts throughout the county lost their right to vote in the hour or more it took for you and your officials to get on the ball and restore the democratic process.''

Board of Elections Director Linda Midgett said she received only four calls to her office. After the first call at 7:42 a.m., she said each of the 16 precincts was called to remind them to inform each voter to turn the ballot over.

However, she pointed out that ``in bold print, larger than other print on the ballot, it says `Read Both Sides.' ''

Midgett said she has to check general election statute to see if election officials are required to verbally remind voters to do something they are told to do in writing.

The 120 or more election workers were instructed before the election to tell voters to look at each side of the ballot, Midgett said.

Since the School Board election is nonpartisan, Embrey said he has no political ax to grind.

The Board of Elections will meet at 2 p.m. today to discuss the matter, Midgett said.

KEYWORDS: DARE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS DARE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION

by CNB