Harnett County elections board votes to craft plan to move early voting out of schools

The Harnett County Board of Elections voted to direct staff to develop a plan of implementation to remove early voting from all Harnett County schools and identify alternative early voting sites, a motion the board carried after public comment and deliberation.

The motion, offered by the board chair, asked staff to produce a statutory plan to replace school-based early voting locations with alternative sites. The chair described the step as a starting point required by statute and said the plan would examine current sites and potential alternatives and return to the board for final action.

Public commenters and several board members said the move responds to safety concerns after a recent school shooting cited in the meeting. At the same time, many speakers warned the change could suppress turnout if alternative early voting locations are less convenient for seniors and other voters.

Lynn Danke of Sprout Springs thanked the board for redrawing precinct lines and adding Election Day polling places in Barbecue and Anderson Creek, but urged the board to address…