Officials tout safety measures as they brace for Election Day

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Tuesday is the big day — the last chance for eligible registered voters to cast their ballots and make their voices heard.

It’s another election cycle marred by claims of fraud and cheating — and the count hasn’t even begun.

A joint statement issued Monday by the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors said election officials have been working for four years to prepare for the Nov. 5 presidential election and have devoted “extensive time, energy and resources to safeguard America’s elections.”

State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell and the board’s general counsel Paul Cox urged voters, poll workers, observers and campaigners to treat others with dignity and respect.

“We want to remind all North Carolinians that state and federal laws forbid intimidation or interference with voters. It is also a crime to interfere with election officials carrying out their duties,” Bell said.

Penalties for violations include prison time, a fine or both.

“We just completed 17 days of in-person early voting with record turnout. And even with the tremendous turnout, aside from some long lines at some locations, few, very few voters had any issue casting their ballot,” Bell said.

“So, despite all of the naysayers, despite all false information and sensationalistic rhetoric out there about elections and despite a devastating hurricane, we are making this happen in North Carolina.”

Bell said officials expect about 1 million people will cast ballots in North Carolina on Tuesday. Voters who are harassed or intimidated should notify an election official immediately.

“We know the political climate in our country is tense. North Carolinians proved throughout the early voting period that they can put that aside and participate peacefully in this election process,” Bell said. “Let’s continue that momentum on Election Day. Let’s make North Carolina a model for accessible safe, secure and accurate elections.”

Officials said they are monitoring for physical security as well as cybersecurity. Some offices have installed panic buttons, and others reconfigured their entry spaces to create a protective barrier between the workers and the public areas.

“Really, the hostility and so forth has been at a very minimum. There’s been a few verbal, more than anything, altercations between campaigners or individuals who have inappropriately approached voters in the buffers zone or as they approach to vote. But all in all, it’s been very calm,” Cox said.

Bell said post-election threats, hostility and harassment were not something that officials used to have to plan for. But that changed after election officials in Georgia. Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania and even North Carolina were subjected to death threats, harassment and hostility.

“It stands without reason that we have tried to learn from them, understand the relationships that we need to have with law enforcement, make sure that law enforcement is aware of the level of threat that we could face, particularly as a battleground state with so much attention on us,” Bell said. “I think what we’ve done is to prepare as best we can and consider it more of an insurance policy that we hope we never have to exercise.”

Bell said even with the extra precautions, the State Board of Elections will maintain its transparency.

“We encourage people to come watch those sample, hand-to-eye counts that we do to verify that the tabulators have tabulated correctly, come to the canvas meeting and learn how we present the results to the board members and prove that these elections have been conducted accurately and fairly and securely and understand why we are able to certify these elections because I have no doubt that that’s what’s going to happen. And then, you know, I would just, you know, make a plea to the candidates and elected officials to have a peaceful transition of power,” she said.

Polling places will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters in line at 7:30 p.m. will be able to cast their ballots.

Voters should go to their assigned polling place. The Voter Search Tool on the State Board website can help you find your polling place. Don’t forget to take your photo ID.

If you have received an absentee ballot but have not returned it yet, do NOT mail it, Bell said.

“Absolutely positively do not mail your ballot at this point. It will not make it in time to be counted,” she said.

Instead, deliver it by hand to your County Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Or you can discard your absentee ballot and vote in person at your Election Day polling place.