The Jackson County Board of Elections voted 3-2 on Tuesday, Sept. 1, for the Health and Human Sciences building to serve as the official polling site for Election Day.
The HHS building on Western Carolina University’s millennial campus will replace the Cullowhee Recreation Center as the polling location for voters beginning Nov. 3. See the Jackson County BOE resolution on moving the election day site.
After the state BOE approved two Cullowhee early voting sites, HHS and the Cullowhee Recreation Center, the county board had to decide where Election Day voting would take place.
Board members said the Cullowhee Recreation Center will be a minimally manned site during the early voting period from Oct. 15 to Oct. 31 and BOE will emphasize use of HHS location as a bigger voting space with more machines for voting.
“[We ] Put the minimum up there at the Rec Center, and we put a sign and let people clearly know that there’s a minimum and this is going to be a minimally manned site,” said BOE member Jay Pavey. “I just think we should focus on directing people to go up to the HHS building.”
The Board chair, Bill Thompson and the new member of the board and third representative of Republican Party on the board, David Brooks, mentioned accessibility concerns with the HHS building. They said the location could be more difficult for older voters or people with limited mobility because of the distance from some parking areas.
“I’m concerned about the older people,” said Brooks. “Their knowledge of the college they probably don’t have, like me, to get up and go on in the college and find their way around.”
Thompson said that the Cullowhee Recreation Center is better because all the residents know it well.
“It’s the easiest place because everyone knows where it is. I mean, we’ve been using that same site for 18 years,” said Thompson.
BOE secretary and member, Betsy Swift, said: “The older people are fine. They are being taken care of.”
“I’m 83 years old, and I’m not having any fear of going to HHS and voting,” said BOE Democratic member Roy Osborn.
Cullowhee is the largest precinct in Jackson County with around 6,500 registered voters. For the majority of the BOE members, HHS is the better site because it is larger and uses the same room for early voting, so there is no need to move any equipment and set up at a new location, which is something that has been done at the Recreation Center. Moving the equipment would require workers to take down and transport as many as 12 to 15 voting machines after early voting ends which is an additional expense for the EOB and the county. In addition, WCU is reserving 20 parking spots on the top level in front of HHS for voters to use. WCU will have signs to guide voters to the polling site at HHS as well as CatTran to transport students.
The return of the voting place to WCU during early voting and for the first time on Election Day makes access for students much easier.
There was also discussion about staffing the early voting sites. Board members said the HHS location will need more staff because of students who may need same-day registration during early voting.
“If per-voter time is faster at the Rec Park, we would want more people to be able to do longer transactions at WCU because they’re going to be doing same-day registration,” said BOE Director Amanda Allen.
“It takes a lot longer to do same-day registration, and Western will have a higher number than the regular voting site because they’re just regular residents,” said Thompson.
“We’re going to have a robust number of machines and people working out of the HHS during the early voting period,” said Pavey. “I cannot see tearing all of that down just to carry it down to the Rec Center where we’re going to have a minimal presence. So, I think it would be easier if we just leave everything up at the HHS and that’s where we do the day of voting.”
Allen said the building has undergone an Americans with Disabilities Act assessment and meets accessibility requirements.
A county vehicle will be available to transport voters from a secondary parking area to the building if needed.
Curbside voting will also be available at the site.
The HHS building is part of WCU but is located separately from the university’s main campus. Board members said signage will be used to direct voters to the correct parking area and building.
The new location will be listed on the BOE website, the state voter search tool and social media. Posters notifying voters of the change will also be placed at early voting sites and the Cullowhee Recreation Center.
Board members said updated voter registration cards will be automatically generated and mailed to voters with the new polling location.
As Election Day approaches, check if you’re registered to vote and search for your voting site here. Friday, Sept. 4 at noon, county election boards started sending out absentee ballots to voters across the state. North Carolina is the first state in the nation to begin mail-in voting in the 2026 general election. To vote by mail you must request a ballot by 5 p.m. on Oct. 20. Military and overseas voters have longer, until 5 p.m. on Nov. 2. To request a ballot through the absentee ballot portal or print out a paper request form and mail or drop it off to their county election board office. See what you need to know about voting by mail.
Check out what Chris Cooper says on voting in North Carolina and why we are first to start voting: The 2026 starts today
As a reminder, here are some important dates to prepare for Nov. 3:
- Oct. 9: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.).
- Oct. 15: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration available.
- Oct. 31: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.).
- Nov. 3: Election Day. Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.).
