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Board of Elections

Orange County · Board of Elections
Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Regular meeting Elections and districtsAppointments and personnelBudget and appropriationsPublic facilitiesSchools and education

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Approved 5Approval of Board Minutes: December 2, 2025 Approved unanimously
  2. Approved 8.aEfland Precinct Election Day Voting Location Approved unanimously, effective immediately
  3. Approved 8.bAppoint Early Voting Officials for the March 3, 2026 Primary and Orange County Schools Board of Education Election Approved unanimously

Read from the agenda's recorded outcomes. Where the board published minutes, those are the record — this is a pointer to them.

What's on this agenda

Orange County's board of elections considers moving the Efland precinct's Election Day polling place from the Efland Ruritan Club to the Efland-Cheeks Community Center, 1.8 miles away. The director's case rests on facility consistency, cost savings and voter familiarity, plus turnout comparisons showing the new site can handle the volume. Voters there would get an orange postcard and a newspaper notice.

The board also takes up a slate of early voting officials for the March 3 primary and the Orange County Schools Board of Education election, drawn from party recommendations and a survey of officials who worked the 2024 and 2025 elections. The director's report covers voter registration, absentee ballots and the budget.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

The county has 111,783 registered voters, up 911 since December 2. Of those, 782 were 17-year-olds registered on January 2 who will turn 18 by the November 3 general election, which state law allows.

A registration repair project is still working through problem records: 1,120 voters remain on the list and 517 have fixed their registrations.

Absentee voting has begun. As of the meeting, 179 ballots had gone out starting January 12 — 131 overseas, 41 civilian and seven military. The director also handed the board a written explanation of logic and accuracy testing and the mock election, covering how test ballots and scripts are used, how results are verified, and the chain-of-custody safeguards on voting equipment.

The board welcomed a new member who had recently worked as an election day judge and an early voting official, and discussed surveying voters about their experience.

How the votes went

Four unanimous votes: approving the December 2 minutes (Kolbinsky/Mebane), moving the Efland polling place (Mebane/Brooks), appointing the early voting officials (Mebane/Brooks), and adjourning.

From the published minutes.

Who spoke

No members of the public spoke.

No one present wished to address the board.

Read from the records the government published after the meeting. Members of the public are private residents and are not named or indexed.

Speaking at this meeting

Orange County's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (4)

Minutes approval · 1Staff or committee report · 1Other · 1Appointment · 1
  1. 5 Approval of Board Minutes: December 2, 2025
    Minutes approval
    Approved unanimously
  2. 6 Director's Report
    Staff or committee report Budget and appropriationsElections and districts
    Registered voters stand at 111,783, up 911 since December 2, including 782 seventeen-year-olds registered January 2 who turn 18 by the November general election. The registration repair project has 1,120 voters still on its list and 517 repaired. As of the meeting 179 absentee ballots had been sent out since January 12: 131 overseas, 41 civilian, seven military. The budget report showed sufficient funds. The director also explained logic and accuracy testing and the mock election, including verification and chain-of-custody safeguards.
  3. 8.a Efland Precinct Election Day Voting Location
    Other Elections and districtsPublic facilities
    Moving the Efland precinct's election day polling place from the Efland Ruritan Club to the Efland-Cheeks Community Center, about 1.8 miles away, on grounds of facility consistency, cost savings, voter familiarity and logistics, with turnout comparisons showing the community center can handle the volume. Voters will be notified by orange postcard and newspaper notice, and the director will write to thank the Ruritan Club for its service.
    Approved unanimously, effective immediately
  4. 8.b Appoint Early Voting Officials for the March 3, 2026 Primary and Orange County Schools Board of Education Election
    Appointment Appointments and personnelElections and districtsSchools and education
    The slate of early voting officials, drawn from party recommendations and a survey of officials who worked the November 2024 and November 2025 elections, selected on party affiliation, prior service and training, availability and preferred shift and location.
    Approved unanimously

Agenda changes

What moved between published versions of this agenda. Item numbers shift constantly as things are inserted, so only genuine additions and removals are listed.

Other recent meetings of this board