Orange County’s four-member Board of Elections has submitted three proposals to the North Carolina Bipartisan Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement regarding early voting in the county.
Orange County is one of 16 counties across the state that was unable to unanimously agree to early voting locations and hours before the July 20 deadline.
The sticking point in Orange County, as it has been in year’s past, is whether to allow early voting on Sundays.
The plan submitted by the two Democrats on the board – Jamie Cox and Elvira Mebane – calls for early voting to be held at the five locations that have become staples over the last few election cycles: the Board of Elections office in Hillsborough, Carrboro Town Hall, Chapel of the Cross near the UNC – Chapel Hill campus, the Seymour Center and Efland Ruritan Club. The Democrats’ plan has hours scheduled for 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays; with one of the scheduled locations being a church, the available window of early voting hours on Sunday is limited because recent North Carolina law requires all sites outside of the county’s Board of Elections office to be open uniform hours on weekends.
A plan put forward by the board’s two Republicans – Kathy Knight and Bob Randall – mirrors the five locations suggested in the Democrats’ plan. But it contains fewer Saturday hours over the period and zero Sunday voting hours.
Randall submitted a third plan on his own that eliminates the Efland Ruritan Club as a site overall and limits hours greatly.
Randall made clear at the Board of Elections meeting earlier this month that he would not vote for any plan that included Sunday hours. Cox, one of the Democrats on the board, said that he heard feedback after he submitted a plan that did not include Sunday hours in 2016 and would not vote for a plan that did not include some Sunday voting.
All of the plans that were submitted include a large overall increase in the total number of early voting hours. But that comes mainly from the requirement in recently passed legislation that all sites be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. It is widely expected that the early morning hours at the early voting sites on weekdays will generate much less traffic than other hours, but they must be open and staffed, according to the new law.
The legislation was passed by Republicans during the recent legislative short session but drew criticism from the Republican Board of Elections members during this month’s meeting for removing flexibility from the county.
A public comment period is now open with the state board regarding the early voting proposals in Orange County and the 15 others that could not unanimously agree to a plan. Public comments are being accepted through August 2.
The state board can approve one of the plans submitted by the Orange County board members or create a new plan entirely. That is expected to happen at a meeting of the state board in early August.
The full proposals submitted to the state board as provided by the Orange County Board of Elections office are below:
Proposed One Stop Early Voting Plan
Orange County General Election 2018
Wednesday 10/17 – Saturday 11/3
(Democratic Proposal: Board Chair Jamie Cox & Board Member Elvira Mebane)
Voting Sites:
Board of Elections
Carrboro Town Hall
Chapel of the Cross
Seymour Center
Efland Ruritan Club
Voting Hours (All Sites):
Weekdays: 7am – 7pm
Saturdays: 8am – 3pm
Sundays: 1pm – 3pm
Total Hours: 905
(Including 125 Weekend Hours)
Proposed One Stop Early Voting Plan
Orange County General Election 2018
Wednesday 10/17 – Saturday 11/3
(Vice Chair Kathy Knight & Secretary Robert Randall Proposal)
Voting Sites:
Board of Elections
Carrboro Town Hall
Chapel of the Cross
Seymour Center
Efland Ruritan Club
Voting Hours (All Sites):
Weekdays: 7am – 7pm
1st two Saturdays: 8am – 3pm
Last Saturday: 8am – 1pm
Sundays: CLOSED
Total Hours: 875
(Including 95 Weekend Hours)
Proposed One Stop Early Voting Plan
Orange County General Election 2018
Wednesday 10/17 – Saturday 11/3
(Robert Randall Proposal)
Voting Sites:
Board of Elections
Carrboro Town Hall
Chapel of the Cross
Seymour Center
Voting Hours (All Sites):
Weekdays: 7am – 7pm
Saturday, Nov. 3: 8am – 1pm
Sundays: CLOSED
Total Hours: 644
(Including 20 Weekend Hours)
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