Staff writer
Craig Dodd found out last week he needed to change his voter registration from independent to Republican to run a write-in campaign for the Republican primary for the District 1 seat on the county commission.
He decided change was unnecessary.
Dodd would have needed to change his registration by the July 1 deadline, but felt he could reach more people as an independent.
“Everybody that signs my petition meets me directly,” he said. “They get to know my position and concerns, and I hear from them.”
As an independent, he needs 107 signatures on his petition, in addition to a $35 filing fee. To be listed on the November ballot as Republican, Dodd would have needed at least 134 write-in votes — and more than any other write-in candidate — in the Aug. 5 primary.
“It’s a little more personal for me to be able to visit with people,” he said.
He says progress on the petition is going well, as he has made visits to residents in Durham, Lehigh, and Hillsboro. His goal is to hear all opinions, even if they differ from his own.
“They’re not electing me to represent my position,” he said. “They’re electing me to represent their position.”