The North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) approved modifications to early voting plans in 20 counties on Thursday, August 20, after local election board members failed to reach a unanimous agreement.
In a meeting that lasted more than 10 hours, board It evaluated plans that include changes to early voting hours on Sundays and the location of polling places on university campuses.
Counties include: Union, Rowan, Anson, Craven, Rockingham, Greene, Wayne, Harnett, Lee, Nash, Chatham, Scotland, Jackson, Pasquotank, Guilford, Pitt, Lenoir, Cumberland, Granville and Columbus.
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What are the changes in each county?
The Board, with a Republican majority, backed, 3 to 2, in almost all cases presented, the plan proposed by the county board, in a vote that followed party lines.
However, during the presentations, there was some debate about the racial impact of eliminating Sunday voting, as well as about students' ability to vote without polling places on their university campuses.
Related: State Board of Elections approves early voting plans for 80 counties, 20 remain pending
Concern about access to early voting
Several residents of the affected counties gathered outside the State Board of Elections building during a break in the midday meeting. Among them was Alon Zastephens, a resident of Columbus County, who expressed his concern about the changes to the early voting plans.
“Today we have come to the Electoral Board meeting to try to convince them not to close any of our polling stations,” Zastephens said.
In Columbus County, the plan backed by the Republican majority included eliminating the Fair Bluff early voting center.
“They want to close them to keep voter turnout low. We think—I don’t know what they think—that if they keep them open, everyone will have the opportunity to vote. That’s the only reason we’re here: to try to save our polling places,” Zastephens added.
Lashanda Shipman, a Columbus County resident, noted that removing this polling place could make it harder for some residents without transportation to get to the polls.
“This affects those who really want to vote but don’t have transportation to get to the polling place, or people with disabilities who can’t get around easily. Early voting gives them the opportunity to avoid crowds and long lines,” Shipman said.
The Board, however, voted in the afternoon to reinstate the early voting site in Fair Bluff that had been selected for the cut.
Criticisms of the proposed changes
Likewise, members of non-partisan organizations, such as Common Cause, gathered outside the Board of Elections building to share their perspectives on what the decisions regarding early voting mean for their communities.
“We shouldn’t have to hold an all-day meeting to decide whether or not to do something that is pure common sense: simply make voting easier, expand access, and provide more opportunities for people to vote,” said Dawn Blagrove, an attorney and executive director of Emancipate NC, an organization committed to ending systemic and institutional racism.
Blagrove added that if you are unclear about what systemic and institutional racism means in the context of voting rights, you only need to look at "what is happening today in Raleigh."
“We talked about other ways to restrict access: reducing voting hours and days, or eliminating election days that, as we know, disproportionately use African American and people of color communities, low-income communities, and students,” he added.
Marcus Thompson, organizing director for Democracy NC and a resident of Pitt County, where the Board restricted early voting on Sundays, said the county's population is growing, which means it needs more opportunities to vote, not fewer.
“That means having Sunday voting,” Thompson said. “During many elections, I’ve stood alongside young African Americans and Latinos, progressives, and people of all kinds in that county, fighting for Sunday voting; and in the past, it has paid off.”
How people voted in these counties in the 2024 elections
Sixteen of the 20 counties voted for Donald Trump for president, but only eight backed Republican Mark Robinson for governor. In eight counties, voters favored Trump for president and Democrat Josh Stein for governor.
| County | President 2024 | Governor 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Union | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔴 Robinson (R) |
| Rowan | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔴 Robinson (R) |
| Anson | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔵 Stein (D) |
| Craven | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔴 Robinson (R) |
| Rockingham | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔴 Robinson (R) |
| Greene | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔴 Robinson (R) |
| Wayne | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔴 Robinson (R) |
| Harnett | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔴 Robinson (R) |
| Lee | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔵 Stein (D) |
| Nash | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔵 Stein (D) |
| Chatham | 🔵 Harris (D) | 🔵 Stein (D) |
| Scotland | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔵 Stein (D) |
| Jackson | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔵 Stein (D) |
| Pasquotank | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔵 Stein (D) |
| guilford | 🔵 Harris (D) | 🔵 Stein (D) |
| Tour | 🔵 Harris (D) | 🔵 Stein (D) |
| Lenoir | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔵 Stein (D) |
| Cumberland | 🔵 Harris (D) | 🔵 Stein (D) |
| Granville | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔵 Stein (D) |
| Columbus | 🔴 Trump (R) | 🔴 Robinson (R) |
Key: 🔴 Republican | 🔵 Democrat
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE), results of the November 5, 2024 general election.
To accompany the image in the article: Sixteen of the 20 counties voted for Donald Trump for president, but only eight backed Republican Mark Robinson for governor. In eight counties, voters favored Trump for president and Democrat Josh Stein for governor.
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