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You may also be aware that the last two days of One Stop Early Voting are the <br />very heaviest in terms of turn-out. Often on the last Saturday in particular we observe a <br />huge spike in the number of voters per hour, often four or five times above the average <br />voter turnout for the rest of the period. This has been true for all election cycles, whether <br />presidential, municipal, primary, second primary or midterm, and whether we have all <br />sites open for the full One Stop period or staggered hours over the course of the early <br />voting schedule. Holding a festival that will generate heavy traffic, block streets and <br />cause confusion for voters during our very busiest days merely exacerbates the problem <br />and increases the chances that voters will choose not to wade through the chaos to cast <br />their ballot. Our task is to ensure that all voters of Orange County are able to exercise <br />their franchise to vote, and so this would be an unacceptable result. <br /> <br />We have asked the organizers to consider shifting the event to Saturday <br />afternoon/Sunday to avoid the conflict. We understand there are objections to that <br />proposal, and would suggest that if that is not a possibility, they consider another <br />weekend. Since they are rescheduling the event from when it was previously planned, <br />we believe they have enough flexibility to choose dates that will not interfere with the <br />busiest days of Early Voting. In the alternative, perhaps they could consider holding the <br />event at another facility, such as Blackwood Farm Park, which recently hosted a very <br />successful regional event and would be convenient for citizens of both Northern and <br />Southern Orange. <br /> <br />As much as we want to see the Hog Day festival succeed, our first priority is to <br />the voters of this county, and we must therefore respectfully request that your respective <br />Boards decline to issue permits or grant approvals for this event if the organizers will not <br />agree to shift the time, dates, or location to avoid the conflict with the One Stop Early <br />Voting period. <br /> <br />We welcome the opportunity to discuss this with you further. <br /> <br />Sincerely, <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS <br />Katherine Knight, Board Chair <br />Jamie Cox, Board Vice Chair <br />Elvira Mebane, Board Secretary <br />Bob Randall, Board Member <br /> <br />cc: Orange County Manager <br />Hillsborough Town Manager <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />5