NC Primary Results: Voters Approve New School Bonds In Iredell

MOORESVILLE, NC — Iredell County voters want to spend money on schools. That’s according to a ballot referendum passed by two-thirds of voters Tuesday in the North Carolina primary election.

According to final election returns, 24,594 voters affirmed the measure that would earmark $115 million to build new schools in southern Iredell County.

Earlier this year, Mooresville Graded School District said the bond was needed as more than 10,000 new homes are scheduled for construction in the southern end of the county, including Troutman and Mooresville. A map compiled by school officials showing locations of new subdivisions projects under review or in early stages of development may be found here.

SEE ALSO: County Leaders To Pitch $115M School Bond To Public Tuesday

“We are overwhelmed with Iredell County citizens' support of the school bonds,” Iredell-Statesville Schools said Wednesday morning. “We thank you for your trust in our school system, and we pledge to be good stewards of these funds. The future of Iredell County is bright. Support of public schools in ANY community is a sign of a vibrant community that is committed to the future.”

Leading into election day, early voting numbers were high in Iredell County. More than 15,000 ballots were cast throughout the county during "One Stop" voting, which wrapped up Feb. 29 — about a 32 percent increase over early voting numbers in the 2016 primary election. By the end of the night, however, overall voter turnout proved to be about 31.6 percent of registered voters, a slight dip in comparison to the 2016 primary’s overall turnout of nearly 36 percent.

In this election, increased early interest was likely due to the school bond referendum included on the ballot, Becky Galliher, director of Iredell County Board of Elections, told Patch Tuesday.

Here are some other highlights from Iredell County:

• Voters approved $10.5 million in community college bonds.
• Republicans Bill Howell, Doug Knight and Charles Kelly won their bids for the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education.
• Republican Scottie Brown, Melissa Neader, and Gene Houpe were the top three contenders for the Iredell County Board of Commissioners.
• When it came to selecting a Democratic presidential candidate, Iredell County voters chose former vice president Joe Biden with more than 41 percent of the vote, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (22.53 percent), Michael Bloomberg (16.62 percent) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (7.75 percent).

SEE ALSO: NC Primary Election Results: Biden, Cunningham Trounce Opponents