GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) – For weeks now you’ve been the captive audience, inundated with TV ads (that won’t stop for a few more weeks), bombarded by poll data and primed with massaged rhetoric of all sorts.

Now it’s your turn. Starting Thursday, you will have your first chance to go to a polling precinct, take out the big black marking pen and slash an X to mark your spot for the 2022 General Election in North Carolina.

If you haven’t already voted by mail – and 32,000 or so of you have done so statewide, by recent counts – early in-person voting opens at 8 a.m. Thursday and will continue right up until 3 p.m. on Nov. 5, the last Saturday before election day, which is Nov. 8.

Most locations will be open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. across the 14 counties of the Piedmont Triad, and each county except Alleghany and Caswell will have multiple outlets that are spread geographically. All election offices are early-voting sites. The hours and days for early voting vary by county – Rockingham and Stokes counties vary hours by site – and are set by local boards of election.

Nine counties are having no voting on weekends in October. Alleghany, Caswell, Davie, Montgomery, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin counties are limiting their opportunities in October to Monday through Friday. All Triad counties, including the nine above, will hold early voting on Saturday, Nov. 5.

Randolph County’s sites will be open on both of October Saturdays during the early voting period (Oct. 22 and Oct. 29) but neither Sunday.

Alamance, Davidson, Forsyth and Guilford will be closed the weekend of Oct. 22 and 23 but open the following weekend, on Oct. 29 and 30, with the exception of the Guilford County Board of Elections office which will be closed both of those weekends.

All will wrap early voting at 3 p.m. that Saturday by state law.

This is a complete list of days, times and sites broken down by counties, as published by the North Carolina Board of Elections. Questions should be directed to your county boards of elections or the NC BOE. Here’s the list:

Who is voting?

Voter registration statewide has increased by about 2.7% since the end of December, with most of that among Unaffiliated voters, which grew by 6.4% and now has surpassed Democrats by nearly 30,000 as the top segment of voters. Libertarians (by 4.6%) and Republicans also grew, and Dems remained virtually flat.

Registrations among males were up slightly more than females based on percentage of the population, but about 7,000 more women than men have registered this year. There are more than half a million registered voters who don't identify by either gender.

Key dates to know

Here are the important dates for this election calendar:

Oct. 20: One-stop, early, in-person voting begins. Hours and locations will be set by county election boards and published before this date.
Nov. 1: Deadline for civilians to request an absentee ballot.
Nov. 5: Early, in-person voting ends at 3 p.m.
Nov. 8: Polls open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Mail-in voting: Any voter may request, receive and vote a mail-in absentee ballot. No special circumstance or reason is needed. Registered voters in North Carolina must request an absentee ballot with an official N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form, which can be submitted digitally through the N.C. Absentee Ballot Portal or on paper with a fillable PDF document available in English and Spanish. Those can be tracked through BallotTrax.

U.S. Senate race

The headline race, of course, is for the U.S. Senate seat from which Republican Richard Burr is retiring. Democrat Cheri Beasley, former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, and Republican Ted Budd, a gun-shop owner from Advance who has represented the 13th Congressional District since 2016, have been locked in what polls have suggested is a very close race.

Democrat Cheri Beasley (left) and Republican Ted Budd will debate in their race for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina.

The Green Party's candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, Matthew Hoh. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

Shannon Bray, Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate (CANDIDATE PHOTO)

The race also includes Libertarian Shannon Bray, a Department of Defense employee from Apex, and Green Party candidate Matthew Hoh, a retired State Department employee from Wake Forest.

Although most voters have said inflation is the most important issue on this year’s ballot – and that is the key issue for Budd in his campaign – abortion emerged since the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade as a topic that polls suggest resonates with potential voters.

The discussion about abortion was perhaps the most lively and spirited exchange when Beasley and Budd conducted their only televised debate of the campaign.

Beasley and Budd have raised tens of millions, and political action committees have invested millions more in advertising buys to support both candidates.

14 seats in the U.S. House

This is the congressional map used in this year's election. (NC GENERAL ASSEMBLY)

Rep. Kathy Manning (D-Greensboro) (Courtesy of US House of Representatives)

The Congressional electoral landscape in North Carolina has changed significantly this year. First, the census granted the state a 14th seat in the House, and after vigorous court fights about the fairness of districts drawn by the General Assembly, the electoral map adopted in February figures to give Democrats a chance to gain on the 8-5 advantage now held by Republicans.

Those districts have changed the landscape for voters in the Piedmont Triad. There are two true incumbents – Virginia Foxx (R-Banner Elk) in the 5th District and Kathy Manning (D-Greensboro) in the 6th – and two more incumbents who have moved into districts that include some of those 14 counties.

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-Banner Elk) (House of Representatives

Rep. Dan Bishop (R-Charlotte) is the nominee in the 8th District, which includes some of the counties in his old 9th district, and Rep. Richard Hudson (R-Moore County), who now represents the 9th, is nominated in the 8th District, which also includes some of his old district. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-Statesville) no longer is nominated to represent the Triad, and Budd is running for Senate (his home is now in the 5th District).

The 4th District also includes Alamance County, and incumbent David Price (D-Durham) is retiring. State Sen. Valerie Foushee (D-Durham) is facing newcomer Courtney Geels (R-Durham) for that seat.

Democrats statewide are favored to retain control in the 2nd, 4th, 12th and 14th districts and probably in the 1st – where G.K. Butterfield has retired – and the 6th, where Manning is challenged by Republican Chris Castelli and Libertarian Thomas Watercott.

Three people are vying in the 11th District to replace controversial incumbent Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-Hendersonville), who was defeated in the primary, the 13th District is considered a toss-up between newcomer Republican Bo Hines and state Sen. Wiley Nickel (D-Cary).

Among nominees in the Triad, Foxx, Bishop, Hudson and Geels all have denied that President Joe Biden was duly elected in 2020, siding with former President Donald Trump's unfounded lies that the election was stolen. Only Castelli, who is in his first election, has no publicly stated opinion on that issue.

Here are the candidates in all races, listed in alphabetical order. Incumbents are noted where appropriate. Current state/national elected leaders are noted:

Triad Congressional districts

4th District (Alamance, along with Orange, Durham, Granville and a speck of Person counties): State Sen. Valerie Foushee (D-Hillsborough), Courtney Geels (R-Durham).

5th District (Stokes, Surry, Davie, Yadkin, Wilkes, Alleghany and most of Forsyth counties et al): Incumbent Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-Banner Elk), Kyle Parrish (D-Cary).

6th District (Guilford, Rockingham and most of Caswell and some of Forsyth counties): Christian Castelli (R-Asheboro), incumbent Kathy Manning (D-Greensboro), Thomas Watercott (L-Greensboro).

8th District (Davidson, Montgomery counties et al): Rep. Dan Bishop (R-Charlotte), Scott Huffman (D-Harrisburg).

9th District (Randolph County et al): Rep. Richard Hudson (R-Moore County), state Sen. Ben Clark (D-Raeford).

Non-Triad Congressional districts

1st District: Don Davis (D-Snow Hill), Sandy Smith (R-Rocky Mount).

2nd District: Incumbent Rep. Deborah Ross (D-Raleigh), Christine Villaverde (R-Fuquay-Varina).

3rd District: Barbara Gaskins (D-Greenville), incumbent Rep. Greg Murphy (R-Greenville).

7th District: Charles Graham (D-Lumberton), incumbent Rep. David Rouzer (R-Wilmington).

10th District: Pam Genant (D-Valdese), incumbent Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-Statesville).

11th District: Jasmine Beach-Ferrara (D-Asheville), David Coatney (L-Fletcher), state Sen. Chuck Edwards (R-Flat Rock).

12th District: Incumbent Rep. Alma Adams (D-Charlotte), Tyler Lee (R-Charlotte).

13th District: Bo Hines (R-Fuquay-Varina), state Sen. Wiley Nickel (D-Cary)

14th District: Pat Harrigan (R-Catawba), state Sen. Jeff Jackson (D-Charlotte).

NC Senate and House

All seats in the state Senate and state House are up for election, but several Triad delegates have been re-elected because they are formally unopposed on the formal ballot.

FILE - Republican Senate leader Phil Berger speaks Aug. 24, 2021, in Raleigh, N.C. North Carolina Senate Republicans are strongly considering legislation Monday, May 23, 2022, that would expand Medicaid coverage to hundreds of thousands of additional low-income adults. (AP Photo/Bryan Anderson, file) — Republican Senate leader Phil Berger (AP Photo/Bryan Anderson, file)

State Sen. Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) again will serve Rockingham and a portion of Guilford County in District 26. He will be joined in representing the Piedmont Triad in the Senate by Joyce Krawiec (R-Kernersville) in District 31, newcomer Eddie Settle (R-Wilkes County) in District 36 and veteran Ralph Hise (R-Spruce Pine) in District 37.

State Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Greensboro) is headed back to Raleigh, and in the Triad she will be joined by Wayne Sasser (R-Albermarle) in District 67, Kanika Brown (D-Winston-Salem) in District 71, Donny Lamberth (R-Winston-Salem) in District 75, Julia C. Howard (R-Mocksville) in District 77, Sarah Stevens (R-Mount Airy) in District 90 and Kyle Hall (R-King) in District 91.

One candidate – Dennis Shane Miller, a Democrat from Thomasville running in House District 80 – said he has left the race because of a new job he has taken. that leaves incumbent Republican Sam Watford of Thomasville without opposition (although Miller said he withdrew too late to have his name removed from the ballot).

Here's the full rundown. Here are the candidates in all races, listed in alphabetical order. Incumbents are noted where appropriate.

Triad state Senate districts

District 23: State Rep. Graig Meyer (D-Chapel Hill), Landon Woods (R-Yanceyville).

District 25: Sean C. Ewing (D-Mebane), incumbent Sen. Amy Scott Galey (R-Burlington).

District 26: Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) is unopposed.

District 27: Incumbent Michael Garrett (D-Greensboro), Josh Sessoms (R-Greensboro).

District 28: Incumbent Gladys Robinson (D-Greensboro), Paul Schumacher (R-Greensboro).

District 29: Incumbent Sen. David Craven (R-Asheboro), Brooke Crump (D-Mount Gilead).

District 30: Incumbent Sen. Steve Jarvis (R-Lexington), Monique D. Johnson (D-Thomasville).

District 31: Incumbent Sen. Joyce Krawiec (R-Kernersville).

District 32: Incumbent Sen. Paul Lowe Jr. (D-Winston-Salem), George K. Ware (R-Winston-Salem).

District 36: Eddie Settle (R-Elkin) is unopposed.

District 37: Incumbent Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Spruce Pine) is unopposed.

Triad state House districts

District 50: Charles Lopez (R-Mebane), Renee Price (D-Hillsborough).

District 54: Walter Petty (R-Siler City), incumbent Rep. Robert T. Reives (D-Goldston).

District 57: Michelle C. Bardsley (R-Greensboro), incumbent Rep. Ashton Clemmons (D-Greensboro).

District 58: Chrissy Smith (R-Greensboro), incumbent Rep. Amos Quick (D-Greensboro).

District 59: Incumbent Rep. Jon Hardister (R-Whitsett), Sherrie Young (D-Greensboro).

District 60: Bob Blasingame (R-Jamestown), incumbent Rep. Cecil Brockman (D-High Point).

District 61: Incumbent Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Greensboro) is unopposed.

District 62: Incumbent Rep. John Faircloth (R-High Point), Brandon Gray (D-Oak Ridge).

District 63: Incumbent Rep. Ricky Hurtado (D-Graham), Stephen Ross (R-Burlington).

District 64: Ron Osborne (D-Graham), Dennis Riddell (R-Snow Camp).

District 65: Jay Donecker (D-Reidsville), incumbent Rep. Reece Pyrtle (R-Stoneville).

District 67: Wayne Sasser (R-Albermarle) is unopposed.

District 70: Brian Biggs (R-Trinity), Susan Lee Scott (D-Asheboro).

District 71: Kanika Brown (D-Winston-Salem) is unopposed.

District 72: Incumbent Rep. Amber M. Baker (D-Winston-Salem), Shelton Stallworthy (R-Winston-Salem).

District 74: Carla Catalan Day (D-Winston-Salem), incumbent Rep. Jeff Zenger (R-Lewisville).

District 75: Incumbent Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Winston-Salem) is unopposed.

District 77: Incumbent Rep. Julia C. Howard (R-Mocksville) is unopposed.

District 78: Erik Davis (D-Asheboro), Neal Jackson (R-Robbins).

District 80: Dennis S. Miller (D-Thomasville), incumbent Rep. Sam Watford (R-Thomasville).

District 81: Incumbent Rep. Larry Potts (R-Lexington), Joe Watkins (D-Lexington).

District 90: Sarah Stevens (R-Mount Airy) is unopposed.

District 91: Incumbent Rep. Kyle Hall (R-King) is unopposed.

District 93: Ben Massey (D-Grassy Creek), incumbent Rep. Ray Pickett (R-Blowing Rock).

Top court seats

Many eyes are on the race for the NC Supreme Court because Republicans see an opportunity to seize control, which hasn't been the case since the General Assembly made the races partisan. Chief Justice Paul Newby's razor-thin victory over Beasley in 2020 made the margin one for Democrats (4-3), and one of those Democrats, Robin Hudson, is retiring.

Two sitting judges on the state Court of Appeals, Republican Richard Dietz and Democrat Lucy Inman, are competing for that spot. Longtime incumbent Sam Ervin IV also is in a tough race against Republican Trey Allen.

In the Court of Appeals, the GOP could expand its control with the four seats on the ballot. Here's the full rundown, listed in alphabetical order, with incumbents noted where appropriate.

Supreme Court

Associate Justices Seat 03: Richard Dietz (R-Raleigh), Lucy Inman (D-Raleigh).
Associate Justice Seat 05: Trey Allen (R-Hillsborough), incumbent Sam J. Ervin IV (D- Morganton).

Court of Appeals

Seat 8: Carolyn Jennings Thompson (D-Oxford) vs. Julee Tate Flood (R-Holly Springs).
Seat 9: Brad A. Salmon (D-Sanford), Donna Stroud (R-Garner).
Seat 10: Gale Murray Adams (D-Fayetteville, John M. Tyson (R- Fayetteville).
Seat 11: Incumbent Darren Jackson (D-Raleigh), Michael Stading (R-Charlotte).

Triad county races on the ballot

2022 General Candidate Detail List Final by Steven Doyle on Scribd

There are a variety of races across the 14 counties. Many school boards and boards of commissioners are competitive. Many judicial races are not. Here's a list compiled from the state's most recently posted lineup.

Alamance County

District Court Judge District 15A, Seat 1: Brad Allen (D-Burlington) is unopposed.

District Attorney 17: Sean Boone (R-Graham) is unopposed.

Commissioners (2 open seats): Steve Carter (R-Burlington), Anthony Pierce (D-Haw River), Craig Turner (R-Burlington).

District Court 15A: Brad Allen of Burlington

Clerk of Superior Court: Meredith Tuck Edwards (R-Graham) is unopposed.

Sheriff: Incumbent Terry Johnson (R-Snow Camp), Kelly White (D-Burlington).

Board of Education (3 seats): Leonard Harrison, Dan W. Ingle, Chuck Marsh, Charles Parker, Seneca Rogers and Avery Wagoner

Soil and Water Conservation Supervisor: Otha Hawkins, Willie Holiday, David Morrow, Ricky Reid, Donna Vanhook, Brandy Whitaker.

Alleghany County

Superior Court Judge District 23, Seat 1: Michael D. Duncan (R-Wilkesboro) is unopposed.

District Court Judge District 23, Seat 1: Rob Crumpton (R-Wilkesboro) is unopposed.

District Court Judge District 23, Seat 2: Bill Brooks (R-Wilkesboro) is unopposed.

District Court Judge District 23, Seat 3: Laura Byrd Luffman (R- North Wilkesboro) is unopposed.

District Attorney 34: Tom E. Horner (R-Moravian Falls) is unopposed.

Commissioners (5 seats): Timmy Evans (R-Ennice), Jim Halsey (D-Sparta), Bobby Irwin (R-Sparta), Brad Mabe (D-Laurel Springs), Bill Osborne (D-Piney Creek), Greg Walker (R-Glade Valley).

Board of Education (5 seats): Amy Bottomley (R-Ennice), Brant Burgiss (D-Laurel Springs), Donna Moxley Rea (R-Sparta), Rick Wooten (R-Sparta).

Alleghany Clerk of Superior Court: Susie Gambill (D-Sparta), Gary Justin West (R-Laurel Springs).

Sheriff: Graylen Blevins (U-Sparta), Bryan Maines (D-Sparta).

Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor: Jena Smith Reeves, Dustin Sheets, Yancy Sparks.

Caswell County

Superior Court District 17A, Seat 1: John M. Morris (R-Eden), Ed Wilson (D-Eden).

Superior Court District 17A, Seat 2: Stan Allen (R-Mayodan) is unopposed.

District Court District 17A, Seat 1: Chris Freeman (R-Wentworth) is unopposed.

District Court District 17A, Seat 2: Christine Fields Strader (R- Madison) is unopposed.

District Court District 17A, Seat 3: Erica Standfield Brandon (R-Reidsville) is unopposed.

District Attorney 22: Jason Ramey (R-Stoneville) is unopposed.

Commissioners: District 1: Frank Rose (R-Yanceyville), Tony Smith (U-Blanch); District 2: Finch Holt (R-Ruffin) is unopposed. District 5: Tim Yarbrough (R-Prospect Hill) is unopposed.

Clerk of Superior Court: John I. Satterfield (D-Pelham) is unopposed.

Sheriff: Tony Durden (D-Pelham) is unopposed.

Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor: Lynn W. Massey, Joan C. Slade.

Davidson County

Superior Court Judge District 22B Seat 1: Robert A Broadie (R-High Point) is unopposed.

District Court Judge District 22B, Seat 1: Mary F. Covington (R-Lexington) is unopposed.

District Court Judge District 22B, Seat 2: Jon Myers (R- Lexington) is unopposed.

District Court Judge District 22B, Seat 3: Terry Carlton (R-Advance) is unopposed.

District Court Judge District 22B, Seat 4: Rosalind Baker (D-Lexington), David S. Doherty (R-Lexington).

District Court Judge District 22B, Seat 5: Jon Welborn (R- Advance) is unopposed.

District Court Judge District 22B, Seat 6: Carlos E. Jane (R-Winston-Salem) is unopposed.

District Attorney 33: Garry W. Frank (R-Lexington) is unopposed.

Commissioners: Tonya Lanier (D-Lexington), Matt Mizell (R-Winston-Salem), Steve Shell (R-Lexington), Karen Watford (R-Thomasville).

Clerk of Superior Court: Sandie Tysinger Chappell (R- Thomasville) is unopposed.

Register of Deeds: Michael E. Horne (R-Lexington) is unopposed.

Sheriff: Richie Simmons (R-Thomasville) is unopposed.

Davidson County Board of Education: Matt Alspaugh (Winston-Salem), Shelia Blower (Lexington), Ashley Carroll (Thomasville), Nick Jarvis (Lexington), Neal N. Motsinger (Winston-Salem), Josh Nifong (Lexington), Michelle Shores (Lexington).

Handy Sanitary District Supervisor: Charlie Hobson, Norman Hunt, Pauline Weaver.

Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor: Jonathan Hill, Katrina Milburn, Shane Snider, Stephen Briggs.

Davie County