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A scrum of High Point City Council candidates formed a gauntlet at the early-voting station at Washington Terrace Park this afternoon.

But one, Jo Williams, a candidate for the Ward 1 seat, sat in the driver’s seat of her minivan, parked front out so she could keep an eye on the scene.

Willie Davis, another candidate for Ward 1 was walking through the parking lot towards the voting station when a car eased past.

“Hey baby,” Williams called out to the female driver.

Davis turned towards the driver, and said, “Ms. Williams wants to talk to you.”

“You’re voting for Jo Williams, right?” the candidate asked.

The driver’s answer was inaudible.

Her opponent couldn’t let his opportunity pass.

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“I’m Willie Davis, and I’m running in Ward 1, too,” he said.

Such is the delicate balancing act between courtesy and assertion in a city council race that, while relatively dynamic, puts a crowded field of candidates in contention for a relatively small number of voters.

Inside the polling station, the action was brisk, with about a dozen voters navigating touch-screen machines inside. To get there, they had to pass the knot of candidates — one after another thrusting palm cards in their hands. In the at-large race, Orrick Quick and Britt Moore vied for favor, while Davis and incumbent Jeff Golden contended in the Ward 1 race, along with Ward 2 candidate Chris Thompson. Two volunteers for Ward 3 candidate Alyce Hill manned the right side of the approach, which held the disadvantage of being the passenger side for voters who chose to drive through.

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