Harnett County elections board approves amended early-voting plan, drops Sunday hours

The Harnett County Board of Elections voted to amend and approve a plan for early-voting locations that removes Boone Trail Community Center, adds Anderson Creek Fire Station as an early-voting site and eliminates Sunday voting hours.

The change came after a lengthy public-comment period during which residents raised concerns about costs, volunteer capacity and the optics of using a privately owned warehouse proposed by a local business owner. "He offered his building in order to help the people in Northwest Harnett out," a public commenter said of the Kipling/RTL property; other speakers said using a private site tied to a past party official risked creating the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Why it matters: board members and community speakers argued both for and against expanding early-voting sites. Supporters said adding a site in western Harnett would reduce long lines at locations such as Western Harnett High School; critics pointed to limited poll-worker availability and budget constraints and questioned whether additional sites would be necessary for the coming midterm cycle. The board also considered turnout data presented during the meeting and discussed the relative cost of adding Sunday hours, noting previous Sunday turnout was substantially lower than other days.

What happened: after public comment and discussion, a board member amended the motion to remove Boone Trail and add Anderson Creek Fire Station, with an amendment to eliminate Sunday hours. The amendment passed by a majority vote; the result was not unanimous. Staff told the board it will submit the majority plan to the State Board of Elections and may submit an alternate plan (including Sunday hours). The state board has statutory authority to set or modify early-voting sites.

Public concerns and board response: residents repeatedly asked that survey responses about site preferences be published; staff said the original public survey was anonymous but the board may choose to post the responses. Several speakers urged the board to rely on population, distance and historical voting patterns when siting locations. One public commenter summarized a mileage analysis, saying there was "no reason to use the RLT site because there are some that are just as equal distance that are already in place." Board members also discussed the limited pool of qualified poll workers and said party recommendations affect appointments for judges and poll workers.

Next steps: staff will send the board's majority plan to the State Board of Elections and may also forward an alternate plan that restores Sunday hours; the state board can adopt either plan or set different sites. The board approved the amended site plan and directed staff to notify voters of the site hours and changes.

Votes at a glance: The board approved the amendment to the early-voting plan by a majority vote; the meeting transcript records the vote as "not unanimous." The board chair and a majority voted in favor; exact roll-call names and a full vote tally were not consistently captured in the public transcript.