OC Board Of Elections Approves Five Early Voting Sites For May Primary

The Orange County Board of Elections has selected five early voting sites for the May 6 primary. That’s one more option than last year, and another location could be added when the state Board of Elections gives final approval Monday.

Tracy Reams, Director of the Orange County Board of Elections, says the five selected sites are Carrboro Town Hall, the Seymour Senior Center in Chapel Hill, Master’s Garden Preschool in Hillsborough, the Board of Elections Office in Hillsborough, and the North Carolina Hillel Center in Chapel Hill.

Reams says the state Board of Elections will approve those five sites.

The North Carolina Hillel Center was selected as a replacement location for last year’s on-campus early voting site, Ram’s Head Dining Hall.

Though the dining hall was convenient for students, it presented several challenges, such as compliance with the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Reams says the North Carolina Hillel Center, located on W. Cameron St., is more suitable for one-stop voting.

“I think the Board chose this site because if the accessibility. It is ADA accessible. It has, what we are hoping is, adequate parking. It had the best parking of the three locations that the Board was looking at, and with the bus service being right there, we just think it would be a good site.”

The Board also considered two other campus locations to replace the Ram’s Head Dining Hall— Sonja Haynes Stone Center and Cobb Residence Hall.

“That will be decided Monday by the state Board of Elections on whether or not an alternative plan will add that sixth site, which would be Cobb Residence.”

Reams says it also important for voters to pay attention to the recent changes in North Carolina’s election laws.

People cannot register to vote during the early voting period as they could in the past.

“If anyone wants to vote early or on election day, they need to meet that April 11^th registration deadline.”

House Bill 598, passed by the Republican-led General Assembly last summer, shortened the early voting period from 17 to nine days. The law also requires that all early voting sites must have identical schedules and provide the option of curbside voting.

For more information on Orange County’s early voting sites and their hours of operation, click here.