BOONE — The North Carolina State Board of Elections declined to extend voting hours at an Appalachian State University polling precinct in Boone on Tuesday, following a brief voting interruption caused by a disruptive voter earlier in the afternoon.
Watauga County election officials reported the incident to the state board during a 3:30 p.m. meeting. According to Watauga County Board of Elections Director Matt Snyder, the disruption led to a pause in voting that lasted approximately 15 minutes at the Plemmons Student Union precinct.
During the interruption, election workers moved all voters to the opposite side of the room to keep them away from the disruptive individual while voting was temporarily halted. Officials indicated that the person involved had objected to waiting in line and became disruptive after being told to get back into line. Snyder noted that police officers subsequently escorted the individual out of the building.
State board members expressed hope during the meeting that charges would be filed in connection with the incident, and board staff confirmed they are reviewing the matter to determine whether any potential charges should be pursued. No formal charges had been announced as of Tuesday evening.
According to information provided by Snyder to the state board, the precinct’s chief judge reported that no voters appeared to have left the site during the disruption, whether they were waiting in the outside line or inside the precinct room itself. Based on that assessment, the state board concluded there was no necessary reason to grant an extension of voting hours for the location.
Because no extension was authorized for the App State campus precinct, the polling place remained scheduled to close at its regular time of 7:30 p.m. Election officials reminded the public that any voter who is standing in line at 7:30 p.m. maintains the legal right to cast a ballot.
While the state board denied the extension request for Watauga County’s student union location, it did approve voting hour extensions for several other polling places across North Carolina. Extensions were granted for specific voting sites located in Columbus, Hertford, Lenoir, and Wilson counties.
Across the rest of Watauga County and North Carolina, polls remain open until the standard 7:30 p.m. close. State election guidelines require voters to cast their ballots at their assigned local precinct and to present an acceptable photo ID when checking in to vote.
