New Hanover County will have only one early voting site this year
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Voters in New Hanover County will only have one early voting option this year, as the Board of Elections moves forward with a scaled-back plan due to county-mandated budget cuts.
In a meeting this week, board members voted to reduce the number of early voting sites from four to just one for the 2025 municipal elections. The single site will be located at the Northeast Regional Library on Military Cutoff Road. Previously, early voting sites also included a location at Carolina Beach, Cape Fear Community College in downtown Wilmington, and the New Hanover County Senior Center.
Board members say the change comes after the county reduced the Board of Elections’ operating budget by more than $260,000. That includes a required $70,000 cut to part-time staffing, a key component in staffing early voting sites.
The approved plan includes early voting at the Northeast Library from October 16 to November 1, with extended weekend hours during the second weekend and mandatory hours on the final Saturday before the election. The total estimated cost for staffing the site is just over $22,500.
One board member pushed for additional voting sites, citing accessibility concerns and the need to maintain options voters have come to expect. He advocated for an additional location downtown or in Carolina Beach, especially since Carolina Beach was the only municipality to request a specific early voting site.
However, other board members expressed concern about the cost and logistics of reopening multiple sites, especially with low early voting turnout in past municipal elections. In 2023, fewer than 9,000 people cast ballots during the early voting period, compared to more than 100,000 eligible voters across the four municipalities.
Elections Director Rae Hunter-Havens emphasized that although municipalities reimburse the county for the cost of holding elections, the county’s budget directive still requires her office to cut spending, regardless of the revenue generated.
The board briefly discussed using alternative sites like Cape Fear Community College’s McLeod Building or Carolina Beach Town Hall for shortened voting periods, but ultimately voted to approve the base plan with one site to meet the state’s August 8 deadline for submitting early voting plans.
