At its meeting, the Dare County Board of Elections certified absentee ballots, appointed emergency election-day staff for Kitty Hawk precinct and approved an early voting schedule for the March primary.

The board reviewed 14 civilian absentee ballots to confirm signatures, witness/notary marks and attached identification. After review, a board member moved to "approve all of the absentee ballots which we have reviewed" and the board voted in favor. The motion as recorded did not list a roll-call with names; the public vote on the motion was recorded as "Aye." The board chair asked staff to proceed with processing the ballots and to include them in the official tabulation.

The board appointed Catherine Heath to serve as the Kitty Hawk precinct judge on election day in an emergency capacity to replace Judge Michael Ross, who has the flu. The board also appointed Margaret Wells and Sandra Midgette as additional assistants for Kitty Hawk for election day. A board member moved to approve the three appointments "as read," the motion was seconded and passed. Board staff noted the change "does not change the overall balance of party." The public notification requirement for the party was acknowledged; staff said the public party was notified of Catherine Heath's reassignment.

The board reviewed and approved an early voting plan for the March primary. Staff stated the primary is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, with early voting proposed to begin Feb. 12. The planned early voting sites are Buxton, Kill Devil Hills Town Hall and the Dare County Board of Elections office (the same three sites used previously). Standard hours were proposed as 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the final Saturday before the election (Feb. 28). Staff noted these hours reflect the state's minimum requirements for even-numbered years and that the dates could change if redistricting or map updates move the primary; in that case staff would submit an amended early voting plan to match new official dates.

During the director's report, staff reported 1,142 early votes taken at two early-voting sites combined and 29 absentee-by-mail ballots received as of the meeting, for a total of 1,171 ballots cast so far. Staff reminded the board that absentee ballots continue to be accepted through 7:30 p.m. on election day for civilian voters, and through 5 p.m. the day before for military and overseas ballots; any ballots arriving after the deadline would be handled per statutory procedures and any supplemental counts would be tabulated according to normal rules.

Motions recorded during the meeting included approval of the agenda and meeting minutes from Oct. 28, a motion to certify the reviewed absentee ballots, the appointments of three election-day workers, approval of the early voting plan, and a motion to adjourn. Each motion was seconded and carried with an "Aye" vote recorded in the meeting transcript.