The day before election day, Warren Wilson College faculty and students continued to work with the Buncombe County Board of Elections to try to sort out confusion over the proper ballots and voting locations for campus residents.
This email was sent today, Nov. 5, at about 5:30 p.m. to all Warren Wilson College students and employees by Cathy Kramer, the school’s dean of service:
Greetings,
We have continued to work with the Board of Elections to clarify how Warren Wilson students will vote and have their votes counted given the confusion about the campus now being in two different districts. For tomorrow, election day, students should go to the precinct that corresponds to their physical home on campus. All those living on the north side of Warren Wilson Road (Sage Circle, Ballfields, etc.) will vote at WD Williams School. All those living on the south side of the road (Village, Vining, Sunderland) will vote at the Swannanoa Bee Tree Fire Station. Students will be asked to give the name of the residence hall that they live in and then a change of address will be processed and you will be given a regular (not provisional) ballot. Your votes will be counted as all others cast in the election.
We will run a shuttle on a continuous loop leaving from Gladfelter and stopping at both polling places. The shuttle will run between 7:00 am and 7:15 pm and since it will be on a loop, just wait at Gladfelter. During peak times, 11:00-1:00 and 4:00-7:15, we will run multiple vehicles so no one should have to wait too long.
If you voted early before last Wednesday, you were given a regular ballot. Those submitted from our address were then reviewed and if you received the correct ballot your vote will be counted as part of the regular election process. If you received the wrong ballot, you should have been sent the correct one to fill out and re-submit. If you early voted from last Wednesday on, you received a provisional ballot and your ballot will be reviewed beginning on Wednesday after the election. If it is the correct ballot, it will be submitted for the final vote count. If it is the wrong ballot, your votes in races not related to the difference in district will be counted and your votes for those that are district specific (state legislature and county commissioner) will be thrown out.
I know this process has been confusing and frustrating, but we are staying focused on the goal of getting students out to vote and having your votes counted. I hope that in some (maybe twisted) way, this can help us all appreciate and exercise our right to vote as active participants in this imperfect democracy that is our community.
One more note: If you receive a call or email directly from the news media regarding the Warren Wilson voting situation, please contact media relations director Ben Anderson at 771-3758 or benjand@warren-wilson.edu so that he can help with a reply that includes the most up-to-date information.
Please let me know if you have questions and if you do experience any difficulties at the polls tomorrow, call me at 828-318-3558.
Thank you,
Cathy
—
Cathy Kramer
Dean of Service
Warren Wilson College
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