The Columbus County Board of Elections did not violate the law when its virtual meeting on June 8 failed due to technical difficulties.
The State Board of Elections discussed the complaint this morning (July 16) at its regular meeting. A citizen had filed a complaint with the SBOE because the meeting was not broadcast over Facebook or the county website, nor could Zoom attendees log on.
Local governments nationwide began broadcasting meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the practice has continued. There is no law in North Carolina requiring livestreaming of meetings.
The June 8 meeting was supposed to be available via Zoom, but members of the BoE said there were multiple problems with Internet coverage and keeping connections.
The June 8 meeting was recorded and later uploaded to the county Board of Election Facebook page. The June 8 meeting was the first where the local board dug down into plans to reduce the number of early polls in the county. Multiple residents, voters and out-of-town activists turned out to speak after a rumor began that the county was planning to eliminate all but one early poll.
After outcry from voters, the board split along party lines on whether to close the Fair Bluff early poll, which consistently has the lowest turnout. Fair Bluff is also leased by the county for $100 a day during voting. Since the local board did not come to a unanimous decision, the state board will render a final decision on both the Fair Bluff closure and early voting hours.
Board Chair Jeanne McPherson-Edge has publicly stated on several occasions, including during two meetings in June, that the board never considered going to a single early poll.
The complaint noted that the June 8 meeting was scheduled for 5 p.m., and promoted as being available online. The county was informed about the problems with the transmission at 5:38 p.m., the complaint said, but made no provisions to remedy the problem. Th board did not publicly announce the problem or provide an alternative way to remotely attend the meeting, the complaint said.
The state board dismissed the complaint 4-1, referring to livestreaming of meetings as a “courtesy” as opposed to a legal obligation.
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