Rowan’s Early Voting Calendar was decided at the NC Board of Elections on 8/20/26. Pam Bloom adds Part 3 to explain why one Sunday, October 25, is a win for the people in 2026. Find links to Parts 1 & 2 and coverage from the Salisbury Post at the end of her opinion.
Dear Neighbor,
I believe that the citizens of Rowan County and our Elections Board member, Evelyn Medina, created a historical footprint for future voters in Raleigh on August 20, 2026. That was the day the North Carolina State Board of Elections met to make decisions about the non-unanimous plans from across the state. In addition to Medina’s presentation of the minority plan, Plan C, many residents sent comments to the State Elections Board public portal, wrote individual letters to both State and County Board members, and showed up at meetings in Rowan County. If you missed the live Webex from Raleigh, you might question why I found the outcome of adding a single day, a Sunday, so important. It is because I find that proceedings conducted outside of the public purview and without transparency are not necessarily in the best interest of the people.
To briefly recap, a special meeting of the Rowan County Board of Elections was announced for July 8, following the chair’s cancellation of the scheduled July 1 meeting. This meeting was called following telephone conversations from the chair to members, one at a time. These private calls were an attempt to reach a unanimous decision, something not reached at the June 10 meeting. That non-unanimous vote meant the Early Voting Plan decision would be made by the State Board. At the special public meeting to vote on the compromise decided over the phone, the chair refused to even specify what Sunday was chosen during those conversations and he closed down any questions and discussion from board members. Consequently, Medina voted against a plan that was not what she had understood over the phone and Dee Dee Wright abstained. Although the abstain was not explained, many present believed it was because Chair Dave Collins refused to allow her to speak.
Fast forward to August 20 in Raleigh and the many non-unanimous plans needing a decision from the State Board. Before the majority and minority presentations began by the twenty counties involved, NC State Board member Jeff Carmon made a statement to other board members. “We should carefully examine any policy that reduces opportunities for people to participate. I would also ask a simple question: Can we identify a single voter who is better served by having fewer opportunities to cast a ballot?”
His question was echoed in Medina’s presentation of Plan C, Rowan’s minority plan, that included the minimum legislated days plus an additional Saturday and Sunday, a full weekend. Although Medina was not awarded the full weekend she requested, her reasoning was evidently too strong for the State Board to ignore her compelling presentation. In addition to repeating the words of State Chair Francis De Luca as to the obligation of Election Board members to all voters, Medina elaborated on giving voters what they need most – the valuable commodity of time. She also answered all questions from the Board members with facts, honesty, and clarity. The end result was a unanimous bipartisan compromise vote from the State Board that added an additional Sunday to the least number of days available, the majority plan, presented by Elaine Hewitt. Of the thirteen counties with non-unanimous plans that differed about Sundays, only Rowan and one other county got a Sunday. Again and again, the majority on the State Board voted NO SUNDAYS for the other eleven counties in spite of many of those counties having a tradition of Sunday voting. Answers to questions voiced by the minority members to other county presenters asking for Sundays, sadly, drew no more bipartisan support.
So back to why I see Rowan’s single Sunday as a win in a day that brought few wins for more accessible voting. I believe that our local Election Board needs to include the public voice at their meetings and owes the people they represent transparency as regards their discussions. That did not happen at the July 8 meeting called by Chair Collins where even members were denied discussion. I am glad the Rowan plans had to go to Raleigh as it was the only way to ensure that the public could hear a formal presentation of both Plan A and Plan C. Medina said it best in her presentation of the minority plan. She showed that she is a steward of all Rowan voters and I believe the State Board heard those truths. Medina – “For me, this is not about Democrats or Republicans. I say that open heartedly to you. For me, it’s about voting, it’s about the people, it’s about who we represent, it’s about giving every single person an opportunity to vote.” Mark your calendar, be proud to be a Rowan voter, and celebrate Sunday voting.
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