Votes in West Aberdeen and Eureka (for Whispering Pines) precincts were manually counted Monday afternoon in compliance with State Board of Elections regulations.

Such a sample audit is now required by state law following all elections, including the municipal elections held Nov. 3.

No irregularities were detected as a result of the sample audit, according to Moore County Elections Director Glenda Clendenin.

The state picks at random the precincts to be audited, and the local elections board has no choice in the process. The manual count of ballots is an effort to double-check the accuracy of the vote count produced by electronic devices used on election day.

The Board of Elections conducted its canvass of the municipal elections Tuesday morning and certified the results. Provisional ballots were reviewed, results of the sample audit examined, and there was no change in the outcome of any races in the Nov. 3 municipal elections.

DEM WOMEN -- Pottery and child foster care will be the featured topics at the Saturday meeting of the Democratic Women of Moore County.

Sally Larsen, of the Seagrove Area Potters Association, will provide local history on potters from Moore County and nearby Seagrove. She will discuss potters' charitable activities, such as FirstHealth Hospice, and what they accomplish through the Potters Relief Fund.

Ann Thomas, who heads foster care and adoption services for the Department of Social Services, will tell about the need to provide gifts for children in foster care during the holiday season.

The 10 a.m. meeting will be held at the county Democratic Party headquarters, 104-A North McNeill St., Carthage. The meeting is open to the public without charge, and reservations are not required.

COUNTY DEMS --The Moore County Democratic Party executive committee will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, at party headquarters, 104-A North McNeill St., Carthage.

The committee will begin work on organizing and preparing for the 2010 elections.

"All Democrats are welcome and encouraged to attend," said Jim Heim, party chairman.

JOBLESS -- Congressman Howard Coble issued sharp criticism of the Democrats' stimulus program and health-care reform efforts in a Friday news release.

The 6th District Republican said the latest unemployment numbers prove that the federal stimulus program is not working. He said Congress should be working to create new jobs instead of focusing on drastic health-care reform.

Coble voted in favor of legislation extending jobless benefits for another 20 weeks. The House vote last week was 403-12.

"On the eve of a House vote calling for a $1.3 trillion government takeover of our health-care system, the new unemployment figure of 10.2 percent proves that Nancy Pelosi (speaker of the House) and Harry Reid (Senate majority leader) have the wrong priorities," Coble said. "Some 190,000 more jobs were lost in September and more than 2.8 million jobs since the stimulus package was rammed through Congress by Democratic leaders and signed by President Obama. We were told that unemployment would not rise above 8 percent, and today's depressing figure of 10.2 percent proves that we have borrowed another trillion dollars on wasteful government spending that has not created or saved any jobs."

Contact Florence Gilkeson at (910) 693-2479 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.