Harnett commissioners approve resolution asking legislature to limit use of school buildings as voting places

HARNETT COUNTY, N.C. — The Harnett County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 21 voted to approve a joint resolution asking the county’s legislative delegation to adopt a local statute preventing the Board of Elections from using school buildings for registration or early voting without the express consent of the local school involved.

The resolution, which the board read into the record and then approved, would ask the General Assembly to modify North Carolina General Statute 163‑129(a) so that schools in Harnett County cannot be demanded for use as voting places without school consent. The board also directed that the resolution be forwarded to the Harnett County Board of Education and the county’s representatives in the General Assembly.

The request follows repeated concerns from school leaders about student safety and disruptions during early‑voting periods. “I have been pleading for years for our schools not to be used for early voting while we have students in schools,” said Brooks, Superintendent, Harnett County Schools, during the commissioners’ discussion. He told the board that schools can usually accommodate voting on election day, when schools are closed, but that prolonged early‑voting periods mean people are coming and going while students are present.

Supporters of the resolution said local control and student safety motivated the request. Commissioners who opposed or urged caution said the authority to set polling places is vested in the Board of Elections under state law and that a local legislative change could have wider effects; one commissioner asked that the county and school board continue talks before pursuing statutory change. The clerk noted the vote was not unanimous and that the item will be carried to the next meeting for transmittal and review by the Board of Education.

Public comments before the vote reflected a split in views. Resident Rebecca Brock, who spoke during the public‑comment period, urged the board to keep schools as polling locations and said schools are already outfitted with school resource officers and are familiar places for voters. “If those locations are changed, I will be lobbying the board of elections for an increased advertising budget so that people are made aware of their voting location changes,” Brock said.

The resolution text cites North Carolina General Statutes 163‑128 and 163‑129(a) and refers to a North Carolina State Board of Elections memorandum (No. 2022‑12) in arguing that the presence of law enforcement at voting places has legal limits. The resolution directs that the joint request be sent to the county’s General Assembly representatives.

Votes at a glance - Motion to approve the joint resolution asking the General Assembly to modify N.C. Gen. Stat. 163‑129(a) so schools cannot be used as voting places without school consent: approved; not unanimous; to be forwarded to the Board of Education and the county’s legislative delegation (resolution text read into record). - Motion to approve budgets amendments as requested by the finance officer: approved (unanimous). - Motion to approve tax rebates, refunds and releases as requested by the tax administrator: approved (unanimous). - Motion to approve utility infrastructure and service local agreement transferring Northwest Water & Sewer District infrastructure to the town of Fuquay‑Varina: approved (motion carried).

What happens next The resolution is to be transmitted to the Harnett County Board of Education for its consideration and to the county’s state legislative representatives for possible introduction as a local statutory act. The county and school board may also convene further meetings to pursue local compromise before seeking legislative action.

(Reported from the Jan. 21, 2025 meeting of the Harnett County Board of Commissioners.)