Harnett County details curbside voting overhaul: corded alert, larger signs, ADA checks and rovers

Harnett County elections staff presented a revised curbside voting plan intended to make curbside assistance more reliable and visible to voters.

A staff member (Speaker 3) described two primary changes: replacing the push-button curbside alert with a cord that drapes across the road and rings a bell inside the polling place, and ordering larger A-frame curbside signs (about 3 feet tall) that include the wheelchair symbol and directional arrows. "One of the main updates is the curbside receiver will have the cord that drapes across the road so that when the car is below it, it rings the bell inside as opposed to the push button," the staff member said.

The plan also includes ADA site surveys that staff said were completed during site visits (measuring slopes, ingress/egress and clearances), a mapped traffic pattern showing 50-foot curbside buffer zones, and designated rover positions: staff who will circulate during election day to verify signage, replenish supplies and confirm safety and buffer-zone compliance. The chief judges and party chairs will receive the traffic-flow maps and the curbside procedure in their site books and on the office website.

Why it matters: curbside voting safeguards access for voters with mobility limitations and reduces confusion on election day. Staff said combining the corded receiver, clearer signs and active verification rovers should limit instances where voters wait for assistance that is not available.

What's next: Staff will order the A-frame signs, expand the training materials to include stickers and laptop prompts for staff, and include curbside guidance in chief-judge and party-chair materials ahead of the next election.