Early voters were lined up at the Agricultural Center before 8 a.m. Thursday, the first day of one-stop voting for the Nov. 4 general election.

They had a long wait, because the Agricultural Center polling place did not open until 8:30.

On Monday one-stop voting will be carried out at two additional sites, the Old West End Gym off N.C. 211 and the new recreation building off U.S. 1 in Aberdeen. The Agricultural Center is located on Pinehurst Avenue in Carthage across the street from the elections office.

Hours differ at the three locations. The Agricultural Center polling place is open from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The West End and Aberdeen sites will be open from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. All three will be open two Saturdays, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. One-stop voting will end on Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.

One-stop voting is a form of absentee voting, but the voter does it in person rather than by mail. It does not matter where the voter is registered, he or she may vote at any of the three special polling places, where registration is verified by computer. However, on election day voters must visit the polling place in their own precincts.

AUDITOR -- George W. Little has been named chairman of State Auditor Leslie Merritt's re-election campaign in Moore County.

"State Auditor Leslie Merritt has done a tremendous job of representing our interests in Raleigh," Little said in a statement released this week. "Auditor Merritt is fighting to change the way state government does business, and he has demonstrated a willingness to challenge the status quo in Raleigh."

Little said that since Merritt took office, he has reduced a backlog of old, unfinished investigative audits by 76 percent, exposed fraud and waste in state government and spoken out against irresponsible budgeting practices. He is the first certified public accountant to hold this office.

A longtime Republican activist, Little owns George W. Little and Associates Inc. Insurance in Southern Pines and is a member of The Million Dollar Round Table. He has chaired the Sandhills Community College Board of Trustees for 27 years. He served in the cabinet of former Gov. Jim Martin.

RALLY -- Moore County Young Republicans will stage a candidates' rally from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Nancy Kiser Park in Carthage.

The rally replaces a barbecue originally scheduled at the Ron Jackson Building in Carthage last night with Congressman Howard Coble as special guest, according to Gail Prevatte, spokesperson for the Young Republicans.

Coble's schedule was released before his office received the update from the Moore County Young Republicans.

ADVISORY -- The Moore County Board of Commissioners declined to amend the public library board bylaws or to reappoint members at the Oct. 6 meeting.

Instead, the commissioners opted to discuss the overall appointment policy at their next work session, held last night.

The library board is one of dozens of advisory boards, councils, commissions, and committees that assist the county in administering various agencies and departments. Members are appointed by the commissioners, and most serve without remuneration.

Contact Florence Gilkeson at 947-4962 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.