ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — North Carolina’s court system has been shifting from paper recordkeeping to electronic access, and Buncombe is among the 11 Western North Carolina counties set to switch over on Monday, July 22.
Eleven Western North Carolina counties — Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Polk, Swain and Transylvania — comprise Track 5 of the eCourts implementation project.
The project is an effort to modernize the court system with the latest applications and technologies, moving it to digital and cloud-based technology, according to the North Carolina Judicial Branch website.
“By replacing paper processes with online access, eCourts empowers the public with electronic filing and a free online search portal to display court records and case events. As Enterprise Justice expands statewide, millions more North Carolinians gain mobile access to their courthouse, saving time and providing transparency,” the website said.
Track 1 rolled out in February 2023, followed by Track 2 in October 2023, Track 3 in February 2024 and Track 4 in April 2024.
Court officials will be required to use the eCourt system.
“But the public can also use it if they like,” Buncombe County Clerk of Court Jean Marie Christy said.
That means, instead of having to go to the courthouse to file paperwork or request copies of paperwork, people may access that information from a computer.
“Historically, roughly 30 million pieces of paper were added to court files each year in North Carolina,” the state website said. “The historic transition from paper court records to digital files is also shifting data storage from obsolete mainframe technology to cloud hosting and storage, allowing NCAOC (North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts) to retire outdated onsite application hosting and storage infrastructure while improving cybersecurity and online accessibility long-term.”
Christy said her office has been working on the transition since March.
“But some of it’s such a big transition from our system, which has been in use for about 40 years,” Christy said. “The transition, there’s going to be a learning curve.”
With each track the transition gets a little bit smoother, Christy said, but the challenge is that it’s a whole new system.
“Change is scary,” she said. “My biggest concern is mostly going to be frustration with it, being patient with ourselves and everyone else as we learn.”
It’s going to be a busy weekend for the Clerk of Court staff.
“We’re all going to come in on Sunday to prepare for the new system Monday,” Christy said.