As NC early voting disputes persist, Dems ask Wake to restore NC State polling site
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Democrats asked Wake County to restore the NC State polling site.
- All 101 election boards now have new Republican majorities after 2024 law.
- The 2024 post-election law gave those board appointments to state auditor Dave Boliek.
Good morning and welcome to your Under the Dome newsletter. I’m democracy reporter Kyle Ingram here with the latest news in North Carolina politics.
As the state prepares for the 2026 midterms, you may have noticed that early voting plans have become a major source of contention across the state.
All of North Carolina’s 101 election boards have new Republican majorities because of controversial legislation passed in 2024, during a lame-duck session of the General Assembly. That bill stripped Democratic Gov. Josh Stein of his appointments to the powerful boards and gave them instead to the Republican state auditor, Dave Boliek.
Now, those boards are tasked with deciding where and when people can cast their ballots prior to the Nov. 3 election. But just as they were in the primary election, it seems Republican and Democratic election officials are at odds on two major issues: Sunday voting and on-campus polling sites.
In Jackson County, one Republican board member resigned and another alleged there had been pressure from the auditor’s office to cut an early voting site at Western Carolina University. In Pasquotank County, a representative of the auditor told the board chair to “drop Sunday,” according to a text message obtained by Common Cause NC, a voting rights group. And the debates have also made their way to Wake County, the seat of the state government.
Last month, the Wake board dropped a longtime early voting site at Talley Student Union on NC State University’s campus and replaced it with a separate university site away from the main campus.
The board’s two Democrats opposed the plan, but ultimately voted for it with the understanding that the board would ask county commissioners for additional funding to potentially add another site.
This week, the Wake County Democratic Party and NAACP echoed those calls, urging commissioners to approve $200,000 in contingent funding to restore the early voting site at Talley.
“I’m grateful to have commissioners who believe that everyone deserves equitable access to the ballot box no matter who they are, who they love, where they come from, or who they plan to vote for,” Wesley Knott, chair of the Wake Democrats, said at the commissioners’ Monday meeting. “And I’m grateful for the levers of power that are available to you as commissioners.”
The commissioners did not take up the request on Monday, but several did remark that they supported bringing back Talley.
“It’s certainly important to me that our NC State students have easy availability to vote, and I’m interested in working together with the Board of Elections,” Commissioner Susan Evans said. “... We just weren’t able — because of timing and everything — to take any specific action today, but wanted the folks that were advocating for help to know that we understand the concerns and are interested in trying to help work for a solution.”
Final early voting plans are due to the State Board of Elections by July 24. The commissioners could potentially hold a special meeting before then to appropriate the money — but the decision to restore the site ultimately lies with the Wake County Board of Elections.
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