Mecklenburg County discusses early voting plan

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Mecklenburg County Board of Elections Commissioners are outlining a plan for early voting in the general election.

The board is made up of three republicans and two democrats who have the authority to choose where early voting locations should be across the county.

“The goal of this operation is to make sure people have access to voting and that we’re voting in high numbers,” Michael Peretz Mecklenburg County Board of Elections Chair said.

The board has the tedious task of mapping out the locations across the area using a $2 million dollar budget for early voting.

“My board is thinking of covering, how do we balance cost and effectiveness to these early voting sites? Where can we get the most bang for the buck,” Michael Dickerson, Mecklenburg County Board of Elections Director said.

The board is balancing the growth of the county with the staffing of poll workers, and voting machines. So far there’s a map of 48 possible precincts. There were 24 early voting sites in the 2022 general election.

“We’ve gone to the point where we’re going to storefronts and commercial sites and real estate, and we’re trying to get into some of those places, so that we can make it convenient for the voter,” Dickerson said.

Some voters at the meeting said they want to see the county prioritize locations near public transit and colleges.

It is important for voting polling places to be accessible to everyone, whether or not they have transportation or use mass transportation. Joyce Gottlieb, Mecklenburg County Voter said.

The board must unanimously approve a plan for the voting sites or it will get deferred to the state board of elections to decide the early voting plan. The board will meet again on June 23rd for a vote.