Harnett officials weigh removing early-voting sites from schools over safety, disruption concerns

Members of Harnett County’s Board of Elections, Board of Education and Board of Commissioners held a joint meeting Aug. 26 to discuss concerns about early voting in public school facilities and whether some early-voting sites should be moved.

The Board of Elections convened the meeting to “reach a determination if there are any problems associated with early voting ... in our public schools,” Board of Elections Chair Moody said at the start of the session.

The discussion centered on two recurring concerns from school leaders and law enforcement: increased safety risk when the public mixes with students during school hours, and loss of instructional time when gyms and classrooms are used for early voting over multiple days.

Sheriff Wayne Coates told the three boards that logistics at Western Harnett High School create a “nightmare” scenario where carpool lines, buses and voters converge, and said law enforcement has only limited capacity to secure school interiors during multiday early voting. “If somebody wants to get in that school and become an active shooter, they’re gonna have a field day,” Coates said. He added that “one SRO” is not sufficient to secure large schools while the public is allowed inside.

Principal Chris Pearson, who described incidents from previous election cycles, recalled a confrontation between a campaign worker and a student during an early-voting period. “I had to literally get in between them and separate almost a physical altercation,” Pearson said, and added that he frequently encountered nonstaff voters wandering hallways during early voting days.

Board of Education members, including Chair Julie Powell and member Don Godfrey, pressed similar points: 17 days of early voting can remove gym and elective class access, disrupting routines and instructional time. “We’re looking at over half a month of instructional time” lost in a typical 20-day month when early voting occupies school facilities, a board member said.

Several speakers proposed alternative sites. Don Godfrey pointed to the county’s rehabilitated Old Benhaven School and its gymnasium as a potential replacement near Western Harnett. Commissioners and some Board of Elections members noted that other public buildings such as fire stations might be options but acknowledged those buildings would also lose regular operations while used as polling sites.

Board of Elections Chair Moody said the board does not have any early-voting sites in schools for the current, small election cycle, but that future planning is needed. At the meeting’s close, Moody said the Board of Elections will add the matter to its agenda at the board’s next meeting — scheduled for next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. — where the board will allow a 30-minute public comment period and then decide whether to move sites, request additional information, or form a joint committee of the three boards to identify alternative locations and a notification plan.

County staff and Board of Elections members discussed the need for funding to notify voters if sites move. Commissioners asked that staff prepare a budget-amendment request for public-notice expenses and other transitional costs if the Board of Elections decides to relocate sites.

Meeting participants also cited recent voting volumes to explain the scale of the logistics problem: Western Harnett had “over 15,000 voters” in 2024, and speakers estimated the Barbecue precinct contains roughly 13,000–16,000 registered voters, increasing the operational complexity if a high-volume site is moved.

No formal decision was taken at the joint meeting. The Board of Elections will address the issue at its next public meeting and return its determination to the county board and school board; the Board of Elections also said it may form a joint committee of staff and board members to develop options for relocation and notification.