BY JOHN ROSS AMIGH
Staff Writer
With November’s general election closing in, the Moore County Board of Elections is preparing for early voting sites and scheduling.
The board last week discussed and voted on the calendar and locations for early voting ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Most notably, the board voted unanimously to add a third voting site, at Vass Town Hall, 140 S. Alma St. That site will be in addition to the Moore County Agricultural Center, 707 Pinehurst Ave. in Carthage, and the Aberdeen Parks and Recreation Center on U.S. 1.
“I have a gut feeling that this midterm is going to see a little more participation than last time. I’m just kind of leaning toward that third site,” board member Marty Carpenter said.
This year, there will be voting on three Saturdays — Oct. 17, 24 and 31 — that will run 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Past legislation at the state and resolutions at the local level have clouded early voting, though. In March, the Board of Commissioners passed a nonbinding resolution signaling support for a shorter early voting period. The resolution asked the North Carolina General Assembly, which oversees state election laws, to reduce the early voting period from two weeks to one.
Elections officials, aside from Republican board member Marty Carpenter, said they were caught off guard by the resolution and that commissioners’ comments made it seem like it was an idea everyone concurred with.
In 2025, State Rep. Neal Jackson, whose district includes Moore County, sponsored legislation to reduce the early voting period for all elections other than the general election from 17 days to six. That bill has not progressed, allowing the Moore County Board of Elections to continue planning around a 17-day period.
Moore Elections Director Towanna Dixon proposed two plans for early voting sites. The first included two early voting sites open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The second plan included three early voting sites open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and the option of two Saturdays. Early voting will take place from Oct. 15-31.
Board member Bob Howell suggested that voting sites be open one Sunday throughout the voting period. Board member Craig Kennedy disagreed, saying he would vote “no” for any plan with Sunday voting.
After deliberation, board members realized that for an early voting plan to pass, the vote had to be unanimous. If the decision were not unanimous, it would be sent to the State Board of Elections for a decision, which could take weeks to months. This issue led board members to compromise on the three Saturdays and no Sunday voting plan so that the vote could pass and preparations could begin.
The proposed second plan was then altered to allow for voting on all three Saturdays, the 17th, 24th and 31st. The plan was then passed.
Along with the voting, community members who attended the meeting were given time to make public comment. Of the five speakers, three spoke in favor of adding a third early voting site to help ease lines and travel times for voters, while others brought up separate issues.
Dixon worried that there could be a lack of staffing if the three-site plan was adopted, stating that while it was doable, it might be difficult.
“It would be a skeleton crew, because like I said, it’s never really that busy, which would be at the Vass site,” Dixon said. “We wouldn’t stock it as heavily as we would do Aberdeen and Carthage because those are heavier (turnouts.)”
Board Secretary Holly Powell supported the three-site plan, citing concerns over lengthy lines in past years.
“ We don’t want people in a curbside line for three hours. You know, that’s not acceptable,” Powell said. “So I think we have to do everything we can to spread it out over as long a period as possible.”
Kennedy suggested that using a third site in Vass now could serve as a testing ground for the site if it is to be used in future elections.
“ We could use this as a test, and we could use Vass and see how the numbers run, and it’ll give us some good data. See if it’s going to be viable for the presidential and the midterms there,” Kennedy said.
According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, all voters will be allowed to vote with or without photo ID. However, voters without identification are required to either fill out an exception form and a provisional ballot, or vote with a provisional ballot and return to the county board of elections office with their photo ID by the day before votes are tallied.
Acceptable photo IDs include a North Carolina driver’s license, U.S. passport, military or veteran ID, a tribal enrollment card or another identification card issued by a U.S. government or N.C. state agency for a public assistance program.
Moore County residents can also obtain a free ID card through the DMV. These state IDs differ from driver licenses, but individuals would need to provide identity documentation and proof of residency to get one. More information can be found at https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/license-id/.
The Board of Elections office in Carthage also has a voter ID machine that can print cards for people. Dixon said the office purchased it in 2019.
The Moore County Board of Elections Office is located at 700 Pinehurst Ave., Carthage. It can be contacted by phone at (910) 947-3868 or by email at elections@moorecountync.gov.
Contact John Ross Amigh at jramigh@ncsu.edu.
