03/29/2024
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Bladen-County-Board-of-ElectionsThe Bladen County Board of Elections is considering a plan to consolidate 4 precincts into 2, to save money and time for Bladen County voters. The proposed plan comes from board members Bobby Ludlum, Al Daniels and Brian Hehl, and it is meant to use the county’s resources wisely. This proposed change does not and will not interfere with any person’s right to vote or their free access to a polling place.

The Board will offer 2 Public Notice meetings to listen to the community, and build a consensus before any final decision is made. The Elizabethtown meeting will be held on September 28, 2015, at 6:30PM, at the Bladen County Public Library and the Bladenboro meeting will be held on October 1, 2015, at 6:30PM, at the Bladenboro Historical Building.

Currently, Elizabethtown and Bladenboro have 2 precincts each. Elizabethtown’s current polling locations are at the Ag Center and the Gymnasium. Bladenboro’s current polling locations are at the Historical Building and the Spaulding Monroe Building. The Gymnasium building in Elizabethtown has some problems with heating, which don’t present much of an issue for voters, but would be very uncomfortable for the Poll Workers who would be there all day. The current Bladenboro polling places have some issues with parking and handicap access.

Cynthia Shaw, Director of the Bladen County Board of Elections, had this to say about the possible change, “It’s going to save the county money, absolutely, but there is no reason not to consolidate these precincts. Due to the number of voters who use the One Stop Early Voting and Absentee Voting by mail, much of the foot traffic on Election Day has been eliminated. A consolidation of polling places will also allow the election results to be reported more quickly, since we would not have to wait for 2 precincts to report.”

Currently there are fewer than 5000 registered voters in Elizabethtown, and fewer than 4000 in Bladenboro. Elizabethtown has One Stop Voting at the Public Library and Bladenboro has One Stop Voting at the Historical Building. Dublin has One Stop Voting at the Lion’s Club building and East Arcadia’s One Stop Voting is located at the Town Hall.

The Bladen County Board of Elections wishes all voters to be informed about the proposed changes and to voice their opinions at the upcoming meetings listed above, however, the law provides for the Board of Elections to make the final decision.

 Take our survey and voice your opinion about the subject. Click on this link: http://goo.gl/forms/2A2DVPmyx0

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