Brunswick County Board of Elections decisions on Early Voting

THANK YOU to all who showed up on July 14 at the Brunswick County Board of Elections meeting to support expansive early voting for ALL our citizens.

Thanks also to our two Democratic Board of Elections (BOE) members, Paula Clarity and Ed Lewis, for pushing for all-day Saturday AND Sunday voting.

The GOP, from the three local Republican BOE members, to the MAGA-controlled state BOE, to Trump’s national MAGA party, is determined to make voting less accessible (especially for those who traditionally vote Democratic).

Given this reality, Sunday voting was, predictably, shot down by our board’s GOP/MAGA-majority. However, our two board members were able to secure Saturday voting from 8 am - 7:30 p.m. (both Saturdays)! These are longer Saturday hours than we’ve had for any elections in recent memory.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MEETING:

BCDP CHAIR’S PUBLIC STATEMENT

Good evening. I’m Shelley Allen, chair of the Brunswick County Democratic Party. Thank you for allowing me to speak today.

We appreciate how challenging it has been to secure five suitable [satellite] locations for Early Voting this year, and how hard you’ve worked to find them. We hope you have succeeded.

We know state auditor Dave Boliek has pressured county boards of elections to eliminate Early Voting locations, in particular on college campuses. We hope you have not been recipients of that untoward pressure. 

Brunswick County most definitedly needs at least five locations, as we’ve had in the past, given our county’s exponential growth.

We also continue to maintain that Saturday and Sunday voting is necessary during Early Voting, as the weekends offer people in Brunswick County an opportunity to vote at a time that works best for them — in particular, those working 12-hour shifts, juggling child care, or lacking transportation.

The goal in this democracy of “We the People” should always be to expand access to the polls for ALL eligible voters and to encourage people to exercise their right to vote. Politicians and parties with nothing to hide and positions they are proud of should not fear We the People — or our votes. We hope this board will continue to support accessible voting for all eligible citizens.

PUBLIC STATEMENTS BY SEVERAL OTHER CITIZENS also reflected support for Sunday (and Saturday) voting hours. No one who spoke favored reducing voting hours.

BOE DECISIONS

Early voting locations

The board announced FOUR suitable satellite locations for early voting (in addition to the Government Center). There had been a months-long, bipartisan effort to secure the usual FIVE satellite locations. So, far, efforts have been unsuccessful, but the door is still open to designate a fifth site, if found.

The satellite locations are: Leland Cultural Arts Center, Brunswick Center at Supply, Homer Wright Events Center (formerly St. James Community Center, Southport), and the Sunset Beach Community Center.

Voting hours

State law currently mandates early voting from Thursday, October 15 to Saturday,  October 31 this year, with satellite locations required to be open Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, October 31 from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. The Government Center (Cooperative Extension) will be open during regular business hours (Mondays - Fridays, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.)

Additional Saturday and Sunday hours between October 15 and 31 are left to the discretion of each county’s board of elections.

Outcome

Despite strong public support for Sunday voting, and proposals given by our two Democratic board members for Sunday voting hours on October 18 and 25, the three-man MAGA-majority firmly rejected any Sunday voting hours. However, they agreed to vote for Paula Clarity’s proposal, supported by Ed Lewis, for full-day Saturday voting hours, 8 a.m. - 7:30 p.m., on October 17 and 24. 

Note that if a local county board fails to agree unanimously, the disagreement goes to the state board for a final decision. Given the state board is MAGA-controlled, Sunday voting was not going to be approved. So, our board voted unanimously in favor of the extended Saturday hours only. It was a strategic decision on the part of our two Democratic board members to secure uniquely expansive Saturday voting.

Our strong presence at the meeting surely helped deter the GOP-majority board members from trying to cut Saturday voting too. Way to go!

Shelley Allen, Chair

Brunswick County Democratic Party