Alamance County’s Board of Elections voted to maintain its four current one-stop, or early voting, sites and add Elon University as an additional location during its July 19 meeting.
Kathy Holland, Alamance County’s former elections director, gave a presentation on the proposed voting location during the meeting. Holland said Elon University has already approved the use of its South Gym as a one-stop voting location, and this is not a new partnership between the University and Alamance County Board of Elections.
“To give you a little history with Elon, Alamance County Board of Elections and Elon University have partnered for many years on projects to keep the students involved to keep the voter registration of the students up to date and clean,” Holland said. “We have also wanted at some point to have a site on the Elon campus, or near the Elon campus, that would be accessible to the voting population in the western portion of Alamance County.”
The board unanimously voted to have Saturday Oct. 29, Sunday Oct. 30 and Saturday Nov. 5 as times for one-stop voting in all five voting locations within the county. On both Saturdays, voting will occur from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Holland said the county has previously used Holly Hill Mall as a voting site, however she said that is no longer an option, making Elon University a logical substitute on the western side of the county. The other four voting sites, according to Holland, are Graham Recreation Center, Mebane Arts and Community Center, Kernodle Senior Center and Elmira Community Center.
Holland said the only expense the county will incur through using Elon’s South Gym is around $1300 in labor to cover up the skylights and prevent a glare for voters. The University is not charging for any other expense, Holland said.
The next Board of Election meeting will be held Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. in the County Commissioners room and will be live streamed.