Bladen County - The chair of the State Board has indicated he plans to call a meeting to consider early voting plans the week of May 20 according to Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of NCSBE.
Accordingly, she said that early voting plans are due by the end of the day on May 7, 2024.
Below you will find instructions on submitting your early voting plans for the 2024 general election. Please ensure that you are familiar with the attached comparison chart to ensure your county meets the requirements for even numbered year elections. If further guidance or clarification is needed, please submit a help desk ticket.
If your county’s plan includes a taxpayer-funded facility, you should request the use of that facility no later than April 16, in order for the facility owner to respond within the 20 days provided in G.S. 163-166.35(c), and for that response to occur before you submit your plan to the State Board by May 7.
Each county must fill out the required online form that provides the information the State Board needs to approve all plans. To submit the form, all required fields must be properly completed by the above deadline.
If your county has a non-unanimous plan, please also fill out the attached excel spreadsheet entitled EV Worksheet. Upon completion of the EV worksheet please upload the spreadsheet to Filezilla/Secure FTP here:CountyUploads_SBE\2024\110524\Early Voting. Please use the attached document entitled EV plan Guilford 07262022 as a reference.
Again, if there are any questions, please do not hesitate to submit a help desk ticket.
Comparison of Early Voting Site and Hour Requirements for Even-Year and Odd-Year Elections
All early voting sites must be open every weekday during the early voting period from 8am-7:30pm. Yes, during even-numbered election years. No during odd-numbered election years: the county board of elections office (or in lieu of site) must be open during its normal business hours, at a minimum. If there are additional early voting locations, they do not have to be open 8am-7:30pm on weekdays, but those additional sites do have to be open for the same hours and on the same days as all the other additional early voting sites. For example, the county board of elections office could be open its normal business hours (for example, 8am-5pm), and the North Library and South Library locations could be open from 1pm-7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays (assuming those are the only two additional early voting sites in the county).
If any early voting site is open, all early voting sites must be open. Yes – during an even numbered year election. No for odd-numbered year elections: if the county board of elections office (or its alternate) is open, none of the additional early voting sites are required to be open. However, if one additional early voting site is open, all additional sites must be open for the same days and hours.
If any early voting site is open on a Saturday, then all early voting sites must be open for the same number of hours on that Saturday. Yes, for all even-numbered year elections and all early voting sites must be open from 8am-3pm on the last Saturday before Election Day. Yes, for all odd-numbered year elections and all early voting sites must be open from 8am-3pm on the last Saturday before Election Day.
If any early voting site is open on a Sunday, then all early voting sites must be open for the same number of hours on that Sunday. Yes – for even-numbered year elections and yes for odd-numbered year elections.
If the county board of elections office is open only regular business hours, the uniform dates and hours requirements do not apply to that location. If the BOE is open beyond regular business hours, the uniform dates and hours requirements do apply to that location. Yes, for all even-numbered year elections (Caveat: Even if the BOE office is only open regular business hours, it must also be open from 8am-3pm on the last Saturday before Election Day.)
No for all odd-numbered year elections even if the county board of elections office is open beyond regular business hours, the additional early voting sites do not have to be open those same hours, as long as the additional sites are open on the same days and hours as the other additional sites. For example, the county board of elections office could be open from 8am-8pm on a Friday, but both the North Library and South Library additional sites could be open from 1PM-5PM on that Friday (assuming those are the only two additional early voting sites in the county).
Frequently Asked Questions About early voting Flexibility: Q: My in lieu of site is in another building. When is it required to be open? A: Any in lieu of site, regardless of its location, must be open at least regular business hours during weekdays. It may be open beyond regular business hours. If the county board office or in lieu of site is open on the weekend, it must be open the same number of hours as all the other early voting sites on that weekend day. Q: Are we required to open our county board office or in lieu of site on the weekend if our other early voting sites are open on the weekend? A: No, but if the county board office or lieu of site is open any weekdays beyond regular business hours and/or any weekend hours, it is required to be open on the weekend for the same number of hours as all other early voting sites. And, the county board office or in lieu of site must be open on the last Saturday before Election Day regardless of whether it is open beyond regular business hours and/or any weekend hours. County boards are encouraged to be mindful of expected turnout and historical use of early voting early voting in their counties. Q: What does it mean that the county board must be “unanimous”? A: Unanimity requires an affirmative vote of all appointed county board members. If, due to a vacancy, your board only has fewer than five appointed members, all appointed members must vote affirmatively to adopt a plan.
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