State officials will decide whether Columbus will have four or five early polls during what is expected to be a marathon meeting in Raleigh Thursday.
Multiple counties across the state failed to reach unanimous decisions on early polls for the November election, shifting the decision to the state board. Those counties will receive direction during tomorrow’s meeting, so local boards have time to prepare for midterms in November.
Hearings on Union, Rowan, Anson, Craven, Rockingham, Greene, Wayne, Harnett, Lee, Nash, Chatham, and Scotland will be held in the morning, before a closed session for attorney-client discussions, according to the posted agenda.
The public meeting is expected to reconvene at 1 p.m. The SBoE will then consider plans for the remaining counties in the following order: Jackson, Pasquotank, Guilford, Pitt, Lenoir, Cumberland, Granville and Columbus.
Columbus County’s BoE is at odds over suggestions that the Fair Bluff (Cherry Grove) poll be closed during early polls, due to low voter turnout and costs. The Fair Bluff Fire Station is one of three sites that county must pay to use during elections and has slightly lower turnout than average than other polls.
Any registered voter at may cast a ballot at any poll during the early voting period. On Election Day, voters must go to their home precincts. Early polls for Chadbourn, Tabor City, Whiteville and Ransom are not being considered for closure. Thursday’s decision will not affect Election Day in November.
The board briefly discussed eliminating all but one early voting site, but the idea was rejected. Although that plan was never seriously considered, according to County Elections Board Chair Jillian McPherson-Edge, rumors and digital messages spread like wildfire that the county was closing all but a single site.
Critics turned out in force to speak out against closing any sites in June at a contentious meeting of the local elections board. A number of voters as well as non-residents, representatives of the Democrat party, the Patriotic Millionaires political action committee, and state NAACP also lambasted the board for a suggestion that the Ransom Center also be closed. Speakers hinted at lawsuits over the plan. Several said that closing any sites in the county would be an attempt to deter black and Democrat voters from casting a ballot.
Democrat organizations sent out multiple automated text messages that accused the board of attempting to suppress black voters by closing Ransom and Fair Bluff, despite board reassurances to the contrary during and after the meeting.
After a split vote along party lines in July, the decision about closing polls was transferred to the state in accordance with elections law. The county board currently has three Republicans and two Democrats.
Controversy over early poll plans peaked statewide in July, when digital messages showed that former Elections Liaison Dallas Woodhouse, a former state Republican Party chair, told McPherson-Edge that five early sites was a waste of money in Columbus County. McPherson-Edge is also a Republican.
Woodhouse said in a text message to McPherson-Edge that only three early polls were needed in Columbus for midterms, and five early voting sites was “overkill”. Woodhouse wrote that a three-site early voting plan “matches some other key goals”.
“As of now mark Columbus County tentatively for 3 sites…Whiteville, Chadbourn and Tabor City,” Woodhouse texted McPherson-Edge and one other person in a group chat on May 27. “With roughly 37,000 registered voters 3 sites is plenty. I agree 5 is overkill, but we can’t go below 3.”
The tone of the message was similar to those sent to others elections boards. Woodhouse offered similar direction to a number of counties, according to text messages detailed by other media outlets. The election liaison does not have authority to dictate terms to local elections board, the state auditor’s office said.
After he resigned under pressure from state officials, Woodhouse told media that his messages to McPherson-Edge and leaders in other counties were “friendly advice” and consistent with his job as liaison with the auditor’s office. Woodhouse resigned from his job as elections liaison last month.
McPherson-Edge denied claims that Woodhouse influenced her proposals to the board.
“The text messages being circulated reflect a professional and constructive conversation about what was believed to be in the best interest of Columbus County and the voters we serve,” she said in a statement to the media. “I respect and value the experience that people like Dallas Woodhouse bring to discussions about election administration. I have great respect for his work, his knowledge, and his willingness to share his perspective.
“While I appreciated input from experienced individuals, my decisions were my own, informed by the expertise and guidance of our highly respected Elections Director, Ashley Collins,” she continued. “Neither the State Auditor’s Office nor any outside individual directed or controlled my decisions, and no one outside the Columbus County Board of Elections made decisions on the board’s behalf.”
McPherson-Edge noted that there were no closed-door discussions about early polls.
“Every official action regarding the early voting plan was discussed in public meetings,” she wrote. “Members of the public were invited to attend, speak, and share their views before the board deliberated and voted. That open process is exactly how these decisions should be made. I remain committed to transparency, following North Carolina law, and making decisions that I believe are in the best interest of the citizens and voters of Columbus County.”
At this week’s meeting of the county elections bard, members nominated poll workers for all five polls, in case the state ruled that no sites will be closed.
The State Board of Elections meeting starts at 9 a.m. at the SBoE office, 430 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh. The meeting will be streamed for online and by phone using the information below.
- Online: Webex (Password: NCSBE)
- By Phone: Dial 415-655-0003, enter access code 2429 346 5946#, passcode 62723#
