by Charlotte Smith
At the elections’ office, the Bladen County Board of Elections held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. All five members of the Board were present; Board Chair Louella P. Thompson, Deborah Belle, Emery White, and Michael Aycock, and Patricia Sheppard.
County Democratic Party Chairman Rev. Larry Hayes and GOP Chairman Wayne Schaeffer were also attending the meeting. All those in attendance were social distancing, behind plexiglass, and most were wearing masks for protection from infectious viruses.
The main topic of discussion was early voting, also known as “One-Stop” early voting. The early voting will be for the Municipal Elections. Bladen County Elections Director Christopher Williams went through several options for the Board members to consider for early voting hours of operations and cost analyses.
The Board voted unanimously to operate one polling location, which will be held at the Bladen County Board of Elections Office located at 301 S. Cypress Street in Elizabethtown beginning October 14 through October 30. Early voting hours will be Monday through Friday, 8:30 pm until 6:00 pm, and on Saturday, October 30, 2021, from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm. In October, the last Saturday will be the only Saturday the polls will be open for early voting because it is mandated by law. There will be one hour allowed for lunch each day.
According to Williams, the cost of the early voting approved plan will be $6,812.50. There will be five poll workers paid $12.50 per hour during the early voting period.
Williams stated that the Town of Elizabethtown and the Town of White Lake are the only two municipalities that opted into the early voting plan. The Town of Bladenboro was said to be waiting on the Board’s decision before opting for early voting. Williams reported, all other municipalities have already opted out.
Williams explained that if Bladenboro does not opt-in for early voting, the cost of the early voting will be divided between Elizabethtown and White Lake for a total cost of $3,406.25 for each town. If Bladenboro opts in for early voting, the total cost for each town will be $2,270.83. Williams said he needed to know if Bladenboro was going to opt-in for early voting by August 17, 2021.
After the Board was finished with the early voting business, Williams reported that the local elections’ office has been working on registering voters and working on deaths and felons. Eligible voters may register to vote at the early voting location up to 25 days before Election Day, November 2, 2021.
Board member Sheppard told Williams she would like a copy of the approved county budget by the next Board meeting. She added she would also like clarification on the procedure for voter challenges.
According to the North Carolina State Constitution, identification is required to vote; however, the Bladen County website states, “Until further order of the court, voters are not required to show photo ID. The law was enjoined by a federal district court on December 31, 2019.”
The meeting adjourned at 5:33 pm.
Bladen County Board of Elections holds regular meetings on the second Tuesday of each month at 5:00 pm at the elections office located at
301 S. Cypress Street in Elizabethtown.
Related article:
https://bladencounty.org/elections-board-sworn-in-one-shy/
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