Beaufort County election officials told the Board of Voter Registration and Elections on May 28 that a recently enacted state law adding eight precincts will require new polling locations and data updates before the November 2025 election.

The county’s director of elections, Marie Smalls, said the process begins when files arrive from the state legislative council and then move to the county’s GIS office for updated street listings. "It'll be added into REMS. And once, those are, uploaded, verified, and reverified, then voter registration cards will be issued. They will be issued before the November election," Smalls said.

The board’s facilities and elections committees have been surveying possible partner facilities and revising the polling-location agreement form to make it a single, comprehensive submission, the board heard. Committee members said staff has contacted organizations across the county to ask whether they can serve as precinct sites and to gather accessibility and logistical details.

Why it matters: the change affects where some Beaufort County residents will vote and requires administrative work—GIS mapping, data entry and site agreements—so voters receive correct polling-location information ahead of ballots being cast.

Board members pressed staff on timing and communications. Smalls estimated the state-to-county transmission and GIS processing could take “about 2 or 3 weeks” after the legislative files arrive, and that county input and verification would take additional weeks. "Once we start on the project, it could take about a month or 2 to get everything done," she said, adding, "I can assure you that our voters will have information prior to the November [election] in enough time where they will know where they're going."

Members discussed whether to issue a general public notice before personalized notices are available. Some board members warned against wide public announcements that lack precinct-specific details. "You don't want to bombard your constituents with information," one member said, arguing a generic notice would be less useful than a specific card or an individual lookup. The board agreed staff could post notices on the office website and Facebook page and ask county communications to include a mention in the government e-blast once voter-specific information is accessible on scvotes.gov.

Staff also presented a revised facility-use form that will be sent to potential polling locations; the form uses dropdown fields and is designed to be completed in part by office staff so facilities return consistent information. The board emphasized the goal of securing "regular" polling locations for all election types rather than ad-hoc sites used only for certain contests.

The director and committee chairs said the county’s polling-place audits show nearly all regular locations meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements; two locations were noted as exceptions, one not usable this year and another under construction.

What’s next: the board’s committees will continue site outreach and finalize the facility-use form. Staff will monitor the receipt of the legislative shapefile, coordinate with GIS on street listings, upload the changes into REMS and mail voter-registration cards to affected voters before the November election.

Ending: board members thanked staff for the outreach and the behind-the-scenes work on audits, equipment and staffing that will support the precinct transition.