Republished
by Deanna Sipe, WLOS
The North Carolina State Board of Elections has made its decision on the controversial discussion on where an early voting site should be in Cullowhee.
The board unanimously agreed on the majority plan for the Health and Human Services building, while also asking that the Jackson County Board of Elections include the Cullowhee recreation site in the plan.
At the Aug. 20 meeting, the NCBOE heard the majority plan presented by JCBOE member Jay Pavey.
“Today you think we’re probably here to decide whether or not we’re going to select the health and human sciences building or the recreation center for the voting site but the reality is what we’re here for today is to decide whether or not you’re going to align yourself with the bipartisan majority vote or a vote that was cast due to being pressured,” Pavey said.
The board did not hear from the minority plan, as the presenter, Bill Thompson, the chairman of the JCBOE, did not show. The board did, however, look at the meeting materials highlighting why Thompson believes the recreation center is the best site.
This vote on Aug. 20 comes after months of scrutiny, starting with the initial site on Western Carolina University’s campus closing for the primary election in March, aiming to have only four polling places instead of five in the town.
Prior WLOS coverage: STATE BOARD TO WEIGH JACKSON COUNTY EARLY VOTING PLANS AMID NEW DOCUMENTS PRESENTED
More scrutiny followed the March election as the Jackson County Board of Elections (JCBOE) was tasked with creating a new voting plan for the November general election. Through this task, the JCBOE identified two potential polling places for the fall election: the Cullowhee Recreation Center and WCU’s Health and Human Sciences (HHS) building. See the findings on the both sites from JCBOE
For 18 years, the Cullowhee Recreation Center was the site of early voting, with the University Center being added as an early voting site in 2016.
The minority plan for the Cullowhee Recreation Center, which was supposed to be presented by Bill Thompson, included descriptions of both options. In his presentation, Thompson details how he believes the Cullowhee Recreation Center is well known to voters, easy to park and enter, convenient for all – including those with limited mobility – and a good area for campaign tents.
On the other hand, Thompson details why he believes the HHS building is not an adequate place for an early voting site.
He notes that while many people know where the building is, access is more difficult for those with limited mobility. There are 27 steps to the voting area, 1,600 feet of walking stairs – or 2,880 feet in total if using the elevator. Thompson also noted that the HHS building is subpar for political campaign tents, as there are only two parking areas with multiple entry points.
However, the majority plan detailed why the HHS building, located at a satellite portion of WCU’s campus, is the best option. The majority plan says Cullowhee is the largest precinct in Jackson County, serving over 6,000 registered voters of different backgrounds. See Jackson County 2026 election voting fact sheet.
July 2026: DALLAS WOODHOUSE RESIGNS AS NC AUDITOR’S ELECTIONS LIAISON AMID VOTING SITE CONTROVERSY
Citing data from WCU political science professor Chris Cooper, the majority says that if the polling site on WCU’s campus is removed, youth voter turnout and regular turnout will decline, and that voters would shift to other sites, increasing congestion, same-day registration workload and staffing.
Additionally, the majority plan says the Cullowhee Recreation Center provides no transportation for students, but the HHS site does.
After hearing the majority plan, the board discussed issues with former elections liaison of the North Carolina Auditor’s Office, Dallas Woodhouse, including the statements made by Thompson saying he felt pressured to vote for the Cullowhee Recreation site.
Board member Jeff Carmon mentioned how he has pushed to do an investigation into Woodhouse.
“I just want to say thank you,” Carmon said. “And I’m saying thank you because, like Mrs. Miller, we may not agree on a lot of things, but I can say we agree on we want this election to be done the correct way, and I appreciate you giving us, I hope, enough information where my colleagues will now see that an investigation is, should be done into what Mr. Woodhouse has done.”
Following discussions of Woodhouse and a timeline of how the JCBOE went about choosing the primary election polling site at the Cullowhee Recreation Center, the board voted.
Eggers went on to say he’d like to move towards the vote, proposing that both sites be included in the early voting plan.
“Mr. chairman, having considered the admissions of the plans for Jackson County for the November 2026 general election, I move that the state board adopt the majority plan with the inclusion of the site at the Cullowhee Recreation Center,” Eggers said.
Following Eggers’ motion, a discussion over whether the county could afford to have two polling sites again ensued.
“Before we move forward, I think we should do like we did previously and check with them to see if they have the budget for that and if they have the staff for it,” Carmon said.
Amanda Allen, JCBOE director, says that going back to five sites would be challenging for the county.
STATE AUDITOR DEFENDS COMMENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA EARLY VOTING SITE DISPUTE
“I think we can make elections happen however we have to make elections happen, but going back to a five-site plan in a cycle where we were anticipating moving forward as a four-site county will be challenging. I think we will be able to manage the staffing, likely because we understood going from five to four wouldn’t fully eliminate the staffing because you would be serving a larger site, so you would have more staffing,” Allen said.
Pavey concerned about staffing.
“The only thing I would add is I know that we’ve had some staffing issues in the last couple of years, so it’s gonna put a burden on us from a staffing level,” Pavey said.
Despite concerns, the board voted to move forward with the two sites, something students at WCU believe will provide more access to voters.
