01/19/2026
Friends—as most of you know, the rules of professional conduct limit that which an attorney can share within their scope of work.
However, I am compelled to share the following. Showing up to vote in the primary matters. It’s your one chance to choose the strongest candidate whose values align with your own before the general election.
As an attorney who served from 2009–2023 with the Department of Social Services, ultimately becoming the Supervising Attorney for the agency, I did not take the decision lightly to accept the in-house counsel role under Sheriff Paula Dance.
Her leadership, integrity, and commitment to people—especially for community safety, staff growth, and to those struggling with mental illness—have exceeded my expectations.
In just the under two years I have served at the PCSO, under her leadership, we were able to:
• Launch the NC RISE (Restoring Individuals Safely and Effectively) — a detention-based capacity restoration program providing mental health treatment for individuals deemed Incapable to Proceed (ITP). Full funded by the Department of Health and Human Services. Our county was not randomly chosen, We were selected for our reputation as leaders in the east.
• Reduce reliance on state psychiatric hospitals, shortening delays in the justice system
• Improve safety for detention officers while lowering detention costs
• Brought state funding into Pitt County to operate NC RISE, with no cost to local taxpayers
• Advance evidence-based mental health care that balances accountability, compassion, and public safety.
NC RISE is just one example of Sheriff Dance’s results-driven leadership and her support of employees who are inspired to serve this community.
And not only did it not cost the tax payers one dollar, it is actually fully funded by DHHS, which brought dollars back into our county, thanks to the contract we negotiated, led by Paula Stokes Dance, all while improving safety for our detention staff and reducing the cost of unnecessary elongated inmate stays.
https://www.witn.com/2024/12/20/pitt-county-deputies-ncdhhs-launch-mental-health-initiative-inmates/?outputType=amp
https://www.sog.unc.edu/sites/default/files/course_materials/Suffering%20in%20Limbo_%20Systemic%20Flaws%20Force%20Hundreds%20of%20People%20to%20Languish%20in%20NC%20County%20Jails%20-%20DRNC.pdf
As a lifelong public servant, Paula Stokes Dance has a proven record of leadership and results. I hope you’ll join me in voting for her in the primary.
NOTICE OF PRIMARY ELECTION: PITT COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
The statewide primary election will be held on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
Voters will be asked to show photo ID when they vote. All voters will be allowed to vote with or without ID. Voters who lack ID can get one for free from their county board of elections. Find out more at ncsbe.gov/voter-id.
Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
Early voting will be held at the following locations from Thursday, February 12, 2026, through Saturday, February 28, 2026.
• Agricultural Center (403 Government Cir., Greenville)
• Center at Alice F. Keene Park (4561 County Home Rd., Greenville)
• County Office Building, PATS Conference Room (1717 W. 5th St., Greenville)
• ECU Student Center (501 E. 10th St., Greenville)
• Village of Simpson Town Hall (2768 Thompson St., Simpson)
• Winterville Fire Station, Community Room (2593 Railroad St., Winterville)
All listed sites will be open Weekdays from 8:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.; and Saturdays, February 14 and 28 from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Absentee ballots will be mailed to voters who have requested them beginning January 12, 2026 Absentee ballots must be received by the county board of elections no later than 7:30 p.m. on March 3, 2026. A voter can fill out an absentee ballot request at votebymail.ncsbe.gov, or by filling out a request form provided by the county board of elections office. The request must be received through the website or by the Pitt County Board of Elections by 5:00 p.m. February 17, 2026.
In the primary election, voters will select nominees for a political party to move on to the general election on November 3rd. Contests on the ballot include U. S. Senate, U.S. House, N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice, N.C. Court of Appeals Judge, Superior and District Court Judge, N.C. House and Senate, and county offices. In the primary, voters affiliated with a political party will be given a ballot of candidates for their party, if their party has a primary. Unaffiliated voters may choose to vote in any party’s primary, but they may select only one party’s ballot.
The voter registration deadline for this election is 5:00 p.m. Friday, February 6, 2026. Eligible individuals who are not registered by that deadline may register and vote at any early voting site during the early voting period. Individuals registering to vote at an early voting site will be required to provide current documentation of their residence (for example, a government ID, other government document, or a paycheck, bank statement, or utility bill). Voters who wish to change party affiliation must do so by the February 6 deadline.
Questions? Call the Pitt County Board of Elections Office at 252-902-3300 or send an email to pittelections@pittcountync.gov.
Neal Driver, Chair
Pitt County Board of Elections
