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County elections director briefs Bogue council on municipal-voter residency rules
Summary
Carteret County elections director Caitlyn Sabadish told the Bogue council that voting residency depends on where a person considers their permanent residence and warned that providing false registration information is a felony; the council raised questions about second-homeowners and business addresses.
Caitlyn Sabadish, Carteret County director of elections, briefed the Bogue Town Council on municipal-voting rules at its Oct. 20 meeting and answered council questions about residency, registration changes and enforcement.
Sabadish said residency for municipal voting hinges on where an individual "considers their permanent residence." She explained that changing a registration removes the prior record and that the county treats false registration information as a criminal matter: "any false information is a felony and would be turned over to the State Board of Elections," she said.
Councilmember Allison Cannon asked whether second homeowners who change addresses to vote in Bogue would be permitted to do so. Sabadish reiterated that eligibility depends on a voter’s declared permanent residence. Councilmember Cannon also asked whether owning a business suffices for municipal voting; Sabadish said it depends on "where they consider their residence," noting business ownership by itself is not automatic voter residency.
Mayor Robert O’Chat asked about people who own businesses in town but have no residential address there; Sabadish cautioned that misrepresenting residency carries legal consequences and that the county investigates suspected false registrations.
The presentation was provided as an informational tutorial; no council action was taken. Sabadish closed with a question-and-answer session and the council thanked her for the briefing.
