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Residents urge Granville County elections board to keep Public Works and South Branch early-voting sites
Summary
Dozens of residents told the board that moving or closing longtime early-voting sites would create transportation barriers and disproportionately affect Black and working-class voters; speakers urged use of county funds to add a fourth site rather than close existing locations.
Dozens of Granville County residents used the public comment period at the July 15 special Board of Elections meeting to urge the board to keep Oxford Public Works and South Branch Library as early-voting locations and to use county funds to add — not eliminate — sites.
"Give me the Expo Center, hands down," said Mike Butler, who argued the Expo Center offers ample parking, indoor space and handicap access while disputing a claim that switching sites would cost a voter $8 in driving expenses. "So we're talking 68¢," Butler said after calculating fuel costs for a typical short trip.
Portia Lopes told the board that "there is no logical reason to close these 2 early voting sites unless the goal is to diminish access for the significant number of our county's voters," citing county statistics that showed a majority of early voters use Public Works and South Branch in recent elections. Kristen Hefner said 10,207 voters used Public Works in 2024 and 9,420 used South Branch, and she urged the board to accept county commission funding for an additional site while keeping existing locations open.
Speakers raised practical concerns about transit links and walkability: Boba Carr said city bus routes stop near Public Works but not the Expo Center and that many voters rely on rides rather than private cars. Keith Sexton and Gary Munt emphasized that South Granville is a high-density area where removing a site would increase travel burdens for many voters.
The board did not accept all public requests: motions to keep South Branch Library or to prevent moving Oxford Public Works failed on 2–2 votes, and a motion to approve operation of a county-funded fourth site also failed on a 2–2 split. The board did unanimously move the Wilton precinct to Tar River for election day and unanimously adopted corrected early-voting dates.
The public comment period was marked by repeated appeals to democratic access and fairness; several speakers noted that county commissioners had offered $60,000 to fund an additional site if the board approved one. With no unanimous site package agreed, the competing majority and minority plans will be filed with the State Board of Elections for review.
