NC State Board Approves Controversial Early Voting Plans

The North Carolina State Board of Elections met on August 20 to finalize early voting plans for 20 counties that failed to reach local agreements. The board's Republican majority, led by Auditor Dave Boliek, approved plans that critics claim restrict access for certain voters while favoring others.

Testimony and public records indicate that Dallas Woodhouse, a former elections liaison for Boliek's office, pressured county officials to eliminate Sunday voting and relocate polling sites away from university campuses, including historically Black colleges and universities. Jay DeLancy, a Lee County Board of Elections member, testified that Woodhouse encouraged the removal of Sunday voting following a 2026 U.S. Supreme Court decision that weakened the Voting Rights Act.

While the board pointed to an overall increase in voting sites, analysis shows a decrease in sites per 10,000 voters. Specific closures have impacted low-income and Black communities in Granville, Lenoir, and Columbus counties. Additionally, board member Angela Hawkins worked with Woodhouse to move the NC State voting site off the main campus in Wake County.