Local, labor races are on runoff ballot

THE DURHAM RACE

Jonathan Alston and Leigh Bordley face each other in a nonpartisan runoff for the at-large seat on Durham's school board. In the May 6 initial school board election, first-place finisher Alston didn't earn the more than 40 percent of votes needed to avoid a runoff.

Three Durham polling locations will be closed because of renovations or scheduling conflicts.

For today, voters who normally vote at Yates Baptist Church can vote at Rogers-Herr Middle School, 911 Cornwallis Road.

Those who usually vote at White Rock Baptist Church can vote at Weaver Street Recreation Center, 3000 Weaver St.

Voters who normally cast ballots at C.C. Spaulding Elementary School can vote at Forest Hills Club House, 1639 University Drive.

THE ORANGE RACE

Leo Allison of Efland faces Steve Yuhasz of Hillsborough in a runoff election for county commissioner in District 2. With no Republicans having filed for the seat, the runoff will decide who gets the spot on the newly expanded board. In May, Yuhasz had the most votes with 37 percent, followed by Allison with 28 percent.

This is the first year that Orange commissioners' seats are being decided on a district basis. In the primaries, voters choose only from at-large candidates and candidates from their districts. In the general election, voters get to cast ballots in all commissioner races.

THE LABOR RACE

The runoff for labor commissioner pits Mary Fant Donnan, a program officer for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, against John C. Brooks, a former labor commissioner who was defeated in 1992.

Donnan was the front-runner in the May primary, with 27.5 percent of the vote in a four-way race. That allowed Brooks, who finished second with 24.4 percent, to call for the runoff.