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Attachment B <br /> <br />Kathy Knight, Chair <br />Jamie Cox, Vice Chair <br />Elvira Mebane, Secretary <br />Bob Randall, Member <br />Rachel B. Raper, Director <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />October 4, 2018 <br />VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL <br />Orange County Board of County Commissioners <br />Town of Hillsborough Town Commissioners <br /> <br />RE: HOG DAY <br /> <br />Dear Honorable Members of the Board of County Commissioner and Hillsborough Town <br />Commission <br /> <br />The Orange County Board of Elections (OCBOE) has recently been made aware <br />that the Hog Day festival which was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence has been <br />proposed to be rescheduled for Friday and Saturday, November 2 & 3, 2018 in and <br />around River Park and downtown Hillsborough. <br /> <br />We are delighted that this long-standing celebration of food and community will <br />return to Hillsborough and we personally welcome the opportunity to enjoy local crafts <br />and outstanding BBQ! However, we are deeply concerned that the organizers have <br />chosen to reschedule this festival for a time that conflicts with the last two days of One <br />Stop Early Voting. <br /> <br />As you know, the Board of Elections office on Cameron Street must serve as an <br />Early Voting site, as mandated by state statute. The site has been designated as such in <br />the One Stop Early Voting Plan adopted by the State Board of Elections for Orange <br />County, and the One Stop Early Voting Period begins in a matter of days. We are <br />therefore unable to relocate this voting site to accommodate the festival. Even if <br />relocating the site were within the power of the OCBOE at this time, we would not wish <br />to do so, as this site has been an Early Voting site for every election in recent history and <br />relocating it would cause confusion for voters as well as create administrative difficulties <br />for our staff and poll workers. <br /> <br />We have observed that in the past that the Hog Day festival brings a very large <br />number of people into the downtown area, requires blocking streets and re-routing traffic, <br />generates high volumes of vehicular traffic, and makes parking scarce. Given that voting <br />must take place at the OCBOE office on these days, we believe that the festival will <br />cause confusion for voters, increase the amount of time required for voters to get into and <br />out of the BOE office, and has the potential to dissuade some from casting their ballot. <br />In addition, the congestion around the festival will make it that much more difficult for <br />our election crews from other sites around the county to return ballots and equipment to <br />the BOE office after the One Stop period closes and they shut down their satellite sites <br />Saturday afternoon. <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS <br />208 S. Cameron Street <br />Post Office Box 220 <br /> Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 <br />4