In-person early voting for the May 17 primary election begins Thursday, April 28 and ends Saturday, May 14. The Alexander Senior Center is the only early voting site for the primary election. Early voting will be available on 12 weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on three Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Individuals who missed the regular voter registration deadline may register and vote at the same time during the early voting period. Same-day registrants must attest to their eligibility and provide proof of where they live.
During the early voting period, registered voters may update their name or address, but may not change their party affiliation.
Alexander County Board of Elections Director Patrick Wike said that citizens may wonder why the Alexander Senior Center is the only site for early voting this year, because in previous primary elections there were three early voting sites. The Board of Elections office operated a full schedule (12 weekdays and one Saturday) while the two additional sites operated a limited schedule. The two additional sites operated six days during the early voting period — the last five weekdays (10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) and the last Saturday (8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.).
In 2018 and 2019, Wike said the NC General Assembly enacted legislation that placed requirements on early voting sites. If counties open additional early voting sites, Session Laws 2018-112 and 2019-239 now require those sites to be open a minimum of 12 weekdays (8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.) and one Saturday (8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.).
Wike said that mid-term primary elections typically have lower voter turnout. For example, the 2018 primary had an 8.87% voter turnout while the 2014 primary had a 15.69% voter turnout. “Opening three early sites to comply with the state-mandated hours during an anticipated lower turnout election is not practical,” Wike stated.
He emphasized that all three early voting sites will be open for the upcoming general election. The early voting period for the general election is October 20 through November 5.
If you have questions or need more information, contact the Alexander County Board of Elections at elections@alexandercountync.gov or (828) 632-2990, or visit https://alexandercountync.gov/departments/board-of-elections.