Legislature to mandate additional early voting sites in some disaster-impacted counties

The North Carolina GOP-controlled legislature will pass emergency legislation forcing two western North Carolina counties to open additional early voting sites, after Democrat-controlled local boards of elections failed to do so despite strong calls from voters in those communities.

Senate Bill 132 will mandate one early voting site for every 30,000 registered voters throughout the disaster area. The practical effect of the legislation would require McDowell County to add at lease one site, and three additional sites in Henderson. The sites must be open Tuesday, Oct. 29 through Saturday Nov. 3, when early voting closes across the state. 

Henderson is the second largest county in western North Carolina after Buncombe and typically hosts four early voting sites. As of now, there is only one. On Oct. 24, Henderson County’s BOE finally approved a second location, but for only two days of early voting at the end of October. This gives Democratic-heavy Buncombe County one location per 28,000 residents, compared with McDowell County’s single location for its 45,000 residents and Henderson County’s single location for its 120,000 residents.

Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, R-Henderson, spoke about the need to restore all three early voting sites in Henderson County after the Board only opened one site following the storm. Balkcom noted that the three additional sites that were originally picked, but not opened by BOE, were not flooded or otherwise damaged by the storm. She said she has fielded tons of calls from people from both major political parties regarding the dearth of early voting sites.

Restoration of America PAC and American Majority Action has prioritized increasing voting in disaster areas obtaining additional voting locations and ease of requesting and returning absentee ballots as well as voter outreach. 

“Ensuring the right to vote is upheld for western NC citizens devastated by Hurricane Helene should be a non-partisan issue,” said Clay McCreary North Carolina political director of Restoration of America and a Western North Carolina native. “We simply cannot allow the people of western North Carolina who have lost so much to lose their voice in the political process.”

The Democratic-controlled Board of Elections (BOE) in McDowell County elected not to replace an early voting location lost to storm damage, which would help Hurricane Helene victims vote. The loss of the second location in Old Fort is hampering voter turnout in the damaged area and creating traffic hazards in the county seat of Marion, the site of the Republican-leaning county’s sole remaining early voting location.

McDowell County Republican chairman Chet Effler asked the BOE to open a second location to replace the Old Fort site. He noted people were posting on Facebook that they wanted to vote, but could not access the early voting site at the BOE building. 

However, the board refused. 

“We should be doing everything possible to provide people with voting access and restore a sense of normalcy to them in the midst of this devastation.” Effler said. 

“With the [Old Fort Depot] site closed, it’s now a 13-mile drive to the next voting site, not counting the hindrances people face from the flooding in their area,” he added. “That may not seem like a long way, but it is when you’ve lost everything, and you’re trying to put your life back together.”

The board of elections in Asheville’s heavily Democratic Buncombe County approved new voting locations for the entirety of early voting to replace those damaged by the hurricane. Buncombe has 10 early voting sites.  However Democrats on the BOE refused to add additional hours beyond the restrictive 9-5 hours on week days.  Every other county in western North Carolina has early voting hours that allow people to vote before and after the traditional workday. 

Follow Carolina Journal for further developments in this story.