Buncombe County election staff propose 12 early-voting sites, one-month public input

County election staff presented a proposed early-voting plan to the Buncombe County Board of Elections on May 19 that would establish 12 early-voting sites, uniform weekday hours, and a one-month public input period before staff submits the plan to the State Board of Elections.

Deputy Director Negie Fox walked the board through the timeline and methodology staff used to evaluate candidate sites across the county. Under state rules staff said they must open weekday early-voting hours of 8:00 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; for weekend coverage the recommendation is to skip the first weekend, open the second weekend with hours of 10 a.m.–3 p.m., and be open the final Saturday (Oct. 31) from 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Staff emphasized that the board decides the number and location of sites; the draft presented uses historical turnout data, population density, parking, ADA accessibility, staffing capacity and available equipment as principal selection criteria.

Staff reported prior-turnout patterns (2018, 2022 and 2020 outlier) and said the office has budget authority to support up to 14 sites but recommended 12 at present. The presentation listed more than 40 candidate locations evaluated by staff teams who toured the county and called or emailed site managers; staff color-coded proposed sites as confirmed, tentative, or declined and highlighted key constraints such as short-term exclusive use, competing events, and electioneering rules for some commercial properties.

Public input: staff will publish the presentation and a short five-question public survey on the county’s Engage site and via county communications on Thursday, May 21, with responses accepted through June 19. The board scheduled a public-input discussion for June 23 at 5:30 p.m. to review community feedback. The county must submit its final plan to the State Board of Elections by July 24.

Why it matters: The plan determines where and when voters can cast ballots ahead of Election Day and affects staffing, equipment distribution and voter convenience. Board members asked staff to revisit certain sites (e.g., Upper Harmony), to consider treating the warehouse as a double-secure site (bipartisan pairs with staff present), and to intensify poll-worker recruitment.

Next steps: Staff will post the packet and survey, monitor responses, and return to the board on June 23 to review public input and any needed adjustments before the July submission deadline.