“We do not have government by the majority, we have government by the majority who participate.” — Thomas Jefferson
In the last Ward 3 election, there were 2,556 registered voters. Yet only 778 actually voted, about 30%. That means fewer than one third of the ward determined its future.
We can realistically expect between 600 and 720 votes to be cast on October 7. Divide that total across seven names, and each candidate will average 86 to 103 votes if support splits evenly.
Under Rocky Mount’s majority rule, one candidate must secure more than half the ballots, 301 votes at the low end, or 361 if turnout nudges higher. With seven candidates that threshold will be almost unreachable.
The outcome will be a runoff. The top two finishers, those who manage to pull in something closer to 150 to 200 votes, would advance to November.
This blog post is pleading for broad turnout that ensures the runoff reflects the real will of the ward. The math may look small, but the consequences are not.
Ward 3 has the chance to prove that leadership is not chosen by a sliver of voters or delayed to a November runoff. It is chosen when everyday citizens take their place in the story.
On October 7 the difference between slipping into a runoff with 200 votes, or shaping the final choice with 2,000, comes down to turnout. In the end the numbers are only half the story.
What matters now is whether the candidates rise above the math and give Ward 3 something more than vote counts to believe in. If this race is destined for a runoff, then the weeks ahead are about more than chasing 200 ballots. They are about earning trust, showing respect, and proving that leadership is not a numbers game but a relationship with the people you hope to serve.
Whoever makes it into the top two will carry more than a tally into November, they will carry the memory of whether they showed up as neighbors first and politicians second. And in the end, that is what Ward 3 most needs, not a survivor of the runoff, but a servant of the people.
Disclaimer:
Different sources presented slightly varying numbers for voter registration and turnout in Ward 3. For the sake of clarity, I have chosen to use one consistent set of figures to illustrate the math.
The point remains the same regardless of which exact statistics are used: turnout has been low, the pool of actual votes is small, and in a crowded field the path to victory is shaped more by participation than by raw numbers.
Don’t miss tonight’s meeting.
Main Street Rocky Mount 