Mecklenburg County Board of Elections discusses early voting plan

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Mecklenburg County Board of Elections members 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,” said Mecklenburg County Board of Elections Chair Michael Peretz.

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

Mecklenburg County Board of Elections Director Michael Dickerson says, “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.”

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 says.

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,” says Mecklenburg County voter Joyce Gottlieb.

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.