Number Of Early Voting Sites Cut To One

Many Mecklenburg County residents will only have one place to vote early next month -- the Hal Marshall Annex in uptown Charlotte.

Mecklenburg County election officials said the change is due to budget cuts. They said money's tight, and that they don't have a lot of wiggle room. They can't drop elections, absentee voting, legal ads or voting precincts, so they're trimming early voting.

"Frustrating is not the word -- it's just something you work through," said Board of Elections Director Michael Dickerson.

So instead of having eight early voting sites as usual, the county will have just one for next month's primary.

Some voters worry about elderly residents. Ron Barringer and Taja Carter said they don’t think older voters and people who can't get around easily are going to make it to the Hal Marshall Annex.

"Because it's more convenient when it's in the neighborhoods," Carter said.

Election officials haven't decided if they'll limit early voting sites for November's general election.