“The earlier you vote, the easier it is for us to keep pace with the electoral process.” — Jake Quinn, chair, Buncombe County Board of Elections
‘BLOWN OUT OF THE WATER’: As of Sept. 7, more than 35,000 Buncombe voters had requested an absentee ballot, as pictured above. Statewide, more than 618,000 absentee ballots were requested before Labor Day, and the number is expected to rise. Photo courtesy of Corinne Duncan glass shields will separate voters and staff, and during early voting only, a map on the Election Services website, updated every 15 minutes, will show the estimated wait times at all 16 locations, to minimize close contact while standing in long lines. Quinn, too, is encouraging folks to figure out how they want to vote and then get it done early. “Voting on Election Day is a tradition, but this year, I feel that a lot of people have pretty much made up their minds whom to vote for,” he says. “The earlier you vote, the easier it is for us to keep pace with the electoral process.” Although both absentee and early voting returns will be tracked as they come in, the results won’t be officially tabulated and made public until Election Day or later.
ANTI-HACKING STRATEGIES
Last winter, election officials were most concerned about security issues, notes Quinn. Accordingly, teams from both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the N.C. Board of Elections visited the Buncombe County office early in 2020 to ensure that the correct systems were in place and the equipment was up to date. Buncombe County uses paper ballots, which makes them less vulnerable to hacking, says Quinn. The county does maintain an electronic poll book to keep track of voter information, but the computers used by volunteers aren’t connected to the internet, so hackers can’t break in and manipulate the information. The electronic poll book also catches people attempting to vote more than
once, he continues. Intentionally voting more than once or even attempting to do so is illegal, Quinn reminds voters, notwithstanding recent remarks by President Donald Trump encouraging North Carolina voters to try and vote twice to test the integrity of the elections system. All submitted absentee ballots are reviewed by a bipartisan team of election officials and are checked again by the county Board of Elections during a public meeting before being included in the official vote counts, Duncan explains. Votes cast at early voting sites are tallied daily, she says, and on Election Day, all votes are checked again at the end of the night. If there’s any question about registration status, voters can complete a provisional ballot, which is flagged for later review. Duncan’s biggest concern, though, is the spread of misinformation, which her office has limited control over. “That’s where people’s fears can
be manipulated,” she points out. “If people have any questions they need answered, they need to come to the source, which is our office and the state Board of Elections office. That’s it.” Despite the challenges and the fact that there’s still a long way to go before the final count is approved, however, Quinn says he’s heartened by the number of community members who are stressing the importance of this year’s contest and doing all they can to boost public awareness. “So many people are so passionately interested in making sure that their vote is cast, their vote is counted and that this election goes smoothly,” he says. “You see it all over the place: There are people helping us recruit poll workers, people using social media, people writing letters to the editor or talking to their friends about how important it is to vote. Because the more people who vote, really and truly, the more legitimate the outcome is.” X
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Buncombe County’s 2020 Voting Timeline • Sept. 4: The first absentee ballots mailed out. • Oct. 9: Online or mail-in voter registration ends (eligible voters can still register in person at early voting sites through Oct. 31). • Oct. 15: Early voting begins at 16 locations across Buncombe County. Voters can also deliver absentee ballots to these sites. • Oct. 20: Last day the U.S. Postal Service recommends requesting an absentee ballot. • Oct. 27: Last day to request an absentee ballot. • Oct. 31: Last day for early voting in Buncombe County. • Nov. 3: Election Day. In-person voting will be held in 80 precincts. All mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked by this date, and those hand-delivered must arrive at Election Services by 5 p.m. • Nov. 6: Mailed absentee ballots must arrive at the Buncombe County Board of Elections by this date in order to be counted. • Nov. 13: The Buncombe County Board of Elections will conduct its official ballot count and declare the winners. X
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SEPT. 16-22, 2020
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