From The Two Nanas – Public feedback is a critical part of a functioning democracy, and the public comment portal is an opportunity for Rowan County voters to advocate to the NC State Board of Elections for an additional Saturday and Sunday, Plan C. Submit your opinion to the public portal at https://www.ncsbe.gov/public-comment-portal-2026-non-unanimous-early-voting-plans.

MINIMUM ASK – I ask for Plan C, the fair compromise that was made by minority members Medina and Wright. They did their job as stewards for ALL Rowan voters and chose the plan in the middle. This was a fair concession, maintaining the expectation of weekend voting by the public while also reaching across the aisle. Plan A does not meet the needs of Rowan voters.

Submit your opinion to the State Elections public portal at Public Comment Portal: 2026 Non-unanimous Early Voting Plans | NCSBE – Complete ASAP and prior to the closing day of comment, Mon, Aug. 17, 2026.  

WANT TO SAY MORE & NOT SURE WHAT? Here’s some suggestions!

Real life reasons – (reminders for making a personal statement) 

• for working people, people who work different shifts
• the elderly, full time caretakers, and more 
• people who work two jobs (or more)
• folks busy getting their kids to school, fed and to after school activities
• college students holding down jobs
• those who work outside of Rowan County
• Sundays are important voting days for many people, including religious communities that traditionally use Sunday gathering as an opportunity to lead congregations to the polls. Plan C contains a Sunday. 
• Not everyone can vote during the week and the only Saturday in Plan A is Oct. 31,  Halloween, a day often reserved for planned family activities. 

 Data related reasons – (see resources at end) 

• When considering an early voting plan, the Board should account for how much voters have come to rely on early voting, particularly weekend early Voting.
• Early voting is often the most popular form of voting in Rowan County, and the percentage of early voters is increasing.
• Over 70% of Rowan County voters voted early in 2024, compared to 64% in 2020 and 59% in 2016. 
• Not only do the vast majority of voters vote early, but the early voters have steadily increased over time.
• During midterm elections, still early voters approach a majority of total voters: 48% of voters in 2022 and 47% of voters in 2018 voted early. 
• Since 2018, the rates of voting have been higher on weekend early voting days than on weekdays.
• Weekend hours are consistently higher in voters-per-hour than weekdays, meaning that weekend voting sees higher voter traffic than weekday voting.
• In 2018 in particular, when there was only one day of weekend early voting, weekend voting saw more than double the voters-per-hour compared to weekday voting: this means that for every hour of weekend voting offered, more than twice as many people voted per hour compared to a weekday hour.
• This DOES NOT show that all weekend voters shift their plans to vote on the one weekend day—it shows that people are more likely to turn out to vote on the weekends, and eliminating weekend voting options means that many people may lose out on an opportunity to vote if they cannot accommodate the one weekend day of voting. 
• Black voters and young voters are more likely to use weekend voting than the general electorate.
• Since 2016, Black and under-25 voters use weekend hours at a higher rate than the overall electorate in every general election. 
• These rates have increased over time, and in 2024, approximately 1 in 5 Black voters and 1 in 4 voters under 25 voted on the weekend.

Practical reasons 

• Absentee and election day voting are not substitutes for early voting.
• Early voting allows voters to register or update their registration, whereas registration issues cannot be resolved on Election Day.
• Early voting allows voters to show ID in-person at the polling location. It does not require them to request a ballot in advance.
• Listen to Rowan County voters. They best know the needs of their community. 

Summary

• Eliminating weekend voting options means that many people may lose out on the opportunity to vote. 
• Rowan County voters rely on early voting, and particularly on voting on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Many folks are unable to shift their schedules to accommodate only one day of weekend voting.
• Black and young voters will be affected by this decision more acutely.
• A more accessible plan, with more days of early voting and more weekend days, helps all Rowan County voters. 

                                                                                             THANKS FROM THE TWO NANAS

Data provided by Southern Coalition for Social Justice. Resources 

1. https://dl.ncsbe.gov/?prefix=ENRS/ (under “history_stats” file)
2. https://dl.ncsbe.gov/?prefix=ENRS/ (under “history_stats” file)
3. https://dl.ncsbe.gov/?prefix=ENRS/
4. https://dl.ncsbe.gov/?prefix=ENRS/