Election offices gear up for heavy turnout

RALEIGH - Elections offices across the state are taking extraordinary steps and hiring more people as they prepare for an anticipated onslaught of voters this spring.
The extra preparation is a result of a couple of factors. One is that, unlike most years, North Carolina voters will play a larger role in helping select the Democratic presidential nominee this year. That's prompting predictions that this year's turnout for the primaries will be heavier than normal.
In addition, residents will be allowed to register this year when they go to one-stop absentee voting sites leading up to the May primary.
"We're staffed and we're ready," said Rose Whitehurst, director of elections in Onslow County.
Johnnie McLean, deputy state director of elections, said that county boards of elections across North Carolina have been setting up extra tables to handle the in-person registration at one-stop absentee sites, adding one-stop absentee sites, and hiring more people to work at those sites. In addition, they're hiring more precinct officials to work at the May 6 primary, she said.
One-stop absentee voting is already under way and county elections boards are reporting that people are taking advantage of the new law allowing for same-day registration at one-stop sites.
Kathy Holland, director of elections in Alamance County, said about 10 people registered to vote on Thursday, the first day of one-stop voting.
"It just takes a little longer because they have to fill out a voter registration form," Holland said.
McLean said that residents seeking to register to vote at one-stop sites should remember to have two forms of identification than they need.
Acceptable forms of identification include a driver's license, utility bill, pay stub or W-2 form showing the person's current address and government-issued forms, such as a military ID, hunting or fishing license or an automobile registration form.
A number of counties are setting up separate tables at one-stop sites for voter registration, said Bob Hall, executive director of Democracy North Carolina, an elections watchdog group.
"Most of them are setting up one table to handle people who are not registered and another for people who are registered so that they don't have to be slowed down," Hall said.
Holland said that one person at the Alamance County one-stop site has been assigned to handle that particular duty.
Hall and the State Board of Elections have encouraged local elections offices to be proactive in preparing for the primary season. He said that he believes most offices are taking the steps they need to prepare for the additional voters and extra duties.
"My hats off to the board of elections people," Hall said. "They're balancing a lot of different factors."
Frances Pinion, Gaston County's elections director, said that two additional one-stop sites were added to help meet the anticipated demand.
Debra Blanton, Cleveland County's elections director, and Pinion said that extra laptop computers have been purchased to help with elections.
The laptops have voter databases in them, which should help make voting go more smoothly, Pinion said.
Elections offices are also hiring more people for the May 6 primary day to help facilitate the anticipated heavy turnout.
For example, Cleveland County plans to have two additional people working at each precinct on primary day, Blanton said.
Onslow County is looking at having up to five additional workers at the largest precincts, Whitehurst said.
Holland said that the Alamance elections office is busy calling people and asking them to work on May 6.
"We're trying to fill positions," she said.
McLean said that changes in the available work pool in recent decades have made obtaining precinct workers more challenging for elections offices.
"They used to rely heavily on women," McLean said. But that was when fewer women stayed at home and didn't have full-time jobs.
"Women are working now more and they're not wanting to take time off from their jobs to work on Election Day," McLean said. "The pool of those available is limited to those who might not have a full-time job and those who have retired."
Hall suggested that voters could also take some steps to make the process go more smoothly. He recommends going to one-stop voting sites, particularly during weekdays, to avoid having to potentially wait in line on primary day.
Voters can also study sample ballots in advance so that they can mark their ballots more quickly when they get to the polls.