Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections Admin topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Granville County elections board adopts corrected early-voting schedule but deadlocks on site changes
Summary
The board unanimously adopted corrected early-voting dates and hours for the November 2026 general election but split 2–2 on multiple motions to change polling locations; a proposed fourth, county-funded north site also failed to gain approval.
The Granville County Board of Elections on July 15 unanimously adopted corrected early-voting dates and hours for the November 2026 general election, but the board could not reach agreement on which facilities to use.
Director Burnett and timekeeper Doug Smith clarified that the correct schedule runs Oct. 15–30 (daily 8 a.m.–7:30 p.m.) with the statutory Saturday on Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; after a motion to accept the dates was moved and seconded, the board approved the schedule by roll call. "The ones that were proposed were just written without the actual times put next to them," Doug Smith said, explaining the earlier reading error.
The meeting then turned to site selection. Board members discussed whether to (1) move the Wilton precinct for election day to Tar River Auxiliary Gym, (2) keep Oxford Public Works at its current location rather than moving it to the Ag Expo, (3) refrain from closing South Branch Library, and (4) accept $60,000 from the county commissioners to open a fourth (northern) early-voting site (previously discussed as Stovall Public Library).
The board voted unanimously to move the Wilton precinct to Tar River for election day. On other site questions, votes were split. A motion to "do not close South Branch" (that is, to keep South Branch Library as an early-voting site) resulted in a 2–2 tie and did not carry; Sharon Alvarez and Theresa Gillis voted to keep it open, while Doug Smith and the presiding officer voted to close it. Similarly, a motion to keep Oxford Public Works at its current location failed on a 2–2 vote. A separate motion to approve operation of a fourth, county-funded north site likewise resulted in a 2–2 tie and did not carry.
Board attorney and parliamentarian Jerry Coinis reminded members that any change to the number and location of sites that is not unanimous will be sent to the State Board of Elections for review; the staff will file the majority and minority plans as required.
The board concluded by noting that the county commissioners had made funds available for an additional site if the board approves it, but several motions failed to reach a majority that would avoid state review. With the early-voting dates set and no unanimous site-change package agreed, the board adjourned after completing the posted agenda.
What happens next: The county board must file the approved dates and the majority and minority plans with the state board; if the site package is not unanimous, the state board will consider the competing plans in its review process.
