Buncombe elections board debates extending weekday early‑voting hours, motion fails 2‑3

The Buncombe County Board of Elections debated whether to extend weekday early‑voting hours from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. but voted down the proposal 3‑2 on a motion made by Board Member Aceto. The proposal also asked staff to seek emergency state disaster relief funds to reimburse added costs.

Board members and staff framed the discussion around competing goals: maximizing voter access while avoiding overburdening an older, largely retired early‑voting workforce and strained county staff. Director Duncan told the board that turnout patterns this cycle are atypical and that most sites are busiest in the late afternoon and evening, which prompted calls from some members to add at least one hour on weekdays.

Opponents urged caution. Staff warned that adding evening hours would require changing shifts, updating public materials and digital outreach, and could prompt some trained workers to stop serving. “We can make 6:00 work,” Director Duncan said, “but anything beyond that would be challenging,” citing training capacity and worker safety as key constraints.

Supporters proposed targeted approaches — adding an hour at a subset of high‑volume sites or staggering shift changes to avoid piling extra hours on the evening shift — and discussed potential retention pay to keep temporary workers through the extended schedule. Board members asked staff to explore the size of a retention incentive and how state disaster relief dollars might be used; staff said the state has set aside funds but eligibility and application processes were still being clarified.

Board Member Aceto’s motion to add the hour and request reimbursement from the session law funds was amended to take effect the week of Oct. 28 but ultimately failed, with two members in favor and three opposed. Following the vote, the board directed staff to step up public outreach about all voting options, including weekend and Sunday hours, and to report back on staffing and funding possibilities.

The board did not change the current early‑voting schedule at that meeting; staff said they would continue to collect hour‑by‑hour data and prepare any necessary procedural or communications work should the board revisit the question.