High Point council urges state to keep Washington Terrace Park as early voting site

The High Point City Council on Jan. 2026 adopted a resolution urging the North Carolina State Board of Elections to include Washington Terrace Park at 101 Gordon Street as an in-person early voting site for the 2026 primary and general elections. Mayor Cyril Jefferson read the resolution and the council approved it by voice vote.

The resolution, adopted after a lengthy public comment period, asks the state board to weigh practical accessibility for High Point residents and the risk of disproportionate impacts on majority-minority neighborhoods if Washington Terrace is excluded without an equally proximate alternative. The resolution directs the mayor and city clerk to transmit a certified copy to the State Board of Elections, the Guilford County Board of Elections, and the city’s legislative delegation.

Community leaders and residents packed the public-comment period to press the council. "Relocating or eliminating this early voting site would place an undue and disproportionate burden on its residents," said Sharmarkus Bunn of Temple Memorial Baptist Church, who submitted a resolution on behalf of the church. Beverly Jo Bard described Washington Terrace’s convenience, greeters and the way the site has historically supported seniors and working voters. Jason Hicks, an organizer with the Second Chance Federation, said the park has served as a trusted civic space for events that increase turnout.

State Representative Amanda Cook told the council she attended earlier county proceedings and said she was troubled by an account she heard that "voting is actually not a right, it's a privilege according to the chair of our board of elections." She urged continued protest and advocacy to restore the site.

A council member who reviewed historical data from ncsb.gov told the council Washington Terrace has been used regularly in general elections but only about half the time in primaries over the past 18 years, and recommended the city seek a swap (for example, asking that Roy B. Culler at Oak Hollow Mall be swapped with Washington Terrace) if county limits require capping the number of sites. Council members discussed geography and access to ensure a south-side option remained available.

Mayor Jefferson called for the vote after discussion and the resolution passed by voice vote; the city clerk was instructed to include language in the transmission noting willingness to propose a site swap if the county limits the total number of sites. The resolution says it is effective upon adoption and was adopted in January 2026.

The council did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript; outcomes were recorded as voice votes with the mayor announcing that "the ayes have it." Next procedural steps named in the resolution include transmitting the certified copy to state and county election officials and the city’s legislative delegation.