Harnett County board adopts full early‑voting plan after tie on alternate proposal

The Harnett County Board of Elections adopted its proposed early‑voting implementation plan for the November election after rejecting an alternate plan in a tie vote.

During a contentious discussion, a board member argued for retaining at least one Sunday of early voting, saying, “Sunday is important … people work Monday through Friday,” while opponents pointed to recent midterm turnout and urged reduced sites and hours. The board first voted on the alternative Plan B; that motion failed when the vote was tied and the chair cast the tie-breaking “no” vote. The board then moved to Plan A and carried the motion to adopt it.

Staff told the board that weekday hours are set by statute and that the board’s only schedule flexibility is weekends; the difference between Plans A and B chiefly concerned whether to include Sunday voting. Staff also warned that because the county vote was not unanimous, the plan will go to the State Board of Elections for final action if required.

Why it matters: The adopted Plan A preserves the broader access the staff recommended, including weekend availability permitted by statute, and sets the operational schedule that poll workers, vendors and voters will follow for the November election.

The board did not record roll‑call tallies for each member in the discussion; the transcript shows the alternative plan failed on a tie and Plan A was carried by voice vote. Next steps include implementing the adopted schedule, finalizing site signage and continuing worker training ahead of early voting.