ProPublica Analysis Finds Fewer N.C. Early Voting Sites This Year

Election officials on both sides of the political aisle say that new early voting rules mandated by the legislature are hurting their ability to serve their voters.

Back in June, the North Carolina General Assembly decided that local election boards must hold their early voting hours between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Advocates said it would help relieve voter confusion and expand the overall number of hours.

While it's true the number of hours is nearly double that of 2014, reporters at ProPublica found that for some cash-strapped counties, it also means fewer early voting locations will be opened.

The outlet spoke to experts who suggested the location and number of early voting sites is more important than the number of operating hours, if you're trying to attract more voters. The reduced number of locations could have an outsized effect on low-income residents.

Reporters also interviewed more than two dozen county election officials to find out how they feel about the requirements.

Not a single Republican or Democratic board member ProPublica spoke with said they support the new rules.

Correction: An earlier version of the story incorrectly used the word "Democrat" board member instead of Democratic board member.