Low turnout in past elections could result fewer early polling places next fall in Columbus County.
The Columbus County Elections Board will meet Monday at 5 p.m. Among the agenda items is discussion of the plan for this fall’s elections.
State law requires 14 days of early polls, but the county elections boards determine the number of early polls. Chair Jillian McPherson suggested in May that the county reduce the sites from five, possibly making the elections office as the only early poll in the county.
A number of counties across the state are considering reducing early polling sites due to budgetary constraints and low turnout.
“That would be a worst case scenario,” she said, “but we have to do something. People are not turning out to vote at some of the early polls.”
She said she reviewed election data from 2016 through the last primary, and turnouts in some early polls were “shameful.”
The worst turnouts were recorded at Fair Bluff, where the March primary saw as few as ten voters a day.
“The one that performs best is always Whiteville, the elections office,” she said. “We need to make some hard decisions. We do not want to precent anyone from exercising their right to vote, but we also have to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ money.”
McPherson noted that some polling places charge the county $100 per day to use a facility. On top of that cost, the county pays for pollworkers, internet service and other expenses.
The county’s early polls for the March primary were the board office, Ransom Center, Fair Bluff Fire and Rescue, Chadbourn Municipal Annex and Tabor City Courthouse.
It is fiscally irresponsible to keep polls open when people aren’t turning out to vote,” she said.
There are no plans to close precinct voting stations for Election Day, and closing the polls for early voting is still just being discussed, McPherson said.
“Our greatest concern is that so few people are turning out to vote,” she said. “We have to find ways to combat that problem.”
Monday’s meeting is expected to have a large audience. The meeting will be held at the Board of Elections office, 2586 James B. White Hwy. North, Building B, Whiteville.
