Officials, ABC proponents protest August

date for mixed-drink vote

By Scott Nicholson

and Frank Ruggiero

The Watauga County Board of Elections heard from people unhappy with the August date for a liquor-by-the-drink referendum, but a change appears unlikely.

The elections board held a required meeting to certify results from the June 24 runoff race, but public comment on the liquor vote dominated the session. The board had scheduled Aug. 19 for the referendum and supporters said the vote would limit participation because Appalachian State University students would not yet be in town for the fall semester.

Stephen “Skip” Sinanian, chairman of the ABC Task Force, requested the date change to Sept. 16, and presented a document dated March 20 in which the task force sought a September voting date.

Sinanian said the set date had arisen due to “simple miscommunication.”

Boone Town Council member Stephen Phillips said there was a communication problem and that the task force had made the request for September, and it had not been forwarded to the elections board.

Elections Board member Stacey "Four" Eggers IV, left, receives an ABC task force request from Stephen Sinanian during Tuesday's meeting. Photo by Scott Nicholson

He said there was a potential procedural issue because the elections board had set the referendum date the day after the town council approved the referendum and proper public notice might not have been given.

“There will be a perception that the town does not want the students to vote and the town deliberately set the date when students would be out of town,” Phillips said, adding that he thought the perception of ignoring students would be damaging to the town.

James Milner, who works as a researcher for commercial developers, said students contribute $78 million to the local economy and deserved to have a voice in the town's future, and moving the referendum date “would be advantageous to all parties involved.”

ASU student body president David Mofford said his generation may be considered apathetic, but students were excited about this issue and students were aware of the referendum.

“They really believe their vote can make a difference this time,” he said, adding college students might learn that their votes don’t matter if the date isn't changed.

Town council member Liz Aycock asked the board to change the referendum date to September so ASU faculty, staff and students would be able to vote.

Jeff Templeton of Boone said any change would cause some people to miss the vote.

“There is no perfect date to schedule a referendum,” he said, saying year-round residents might be on vacation in September.

He said the elections board had the authority to set the date and that any change would give the presumption of the desire for a predetermined outcome.

“I hardly call that democracy,” Templeton said.

Board chairwoman Stella Anderson said the board wanted anyone eligible and interested to have ample opportunity to vote.

She said the board’s statutory obligation was to set the referendum date of 60 to 120 days from the request and had to be at least 30 days from the General Election.

“We gave a great deal of consideration to various factors,” she said, with the decision based on available resources and staff available for the election, which would also include an early-voting period.

Anderson said the decision was based on the work required in preparation for the upcoming general election in November, and there was no single date that would satisfy everyone.

“I honestly believe that anyone who wants to vote in this election, as well as any election, will have ample opportunity to do that,” Anderson said, adding that the board wasn’t aware of the request for a September date.

She said as an ASU employee, she was aware most students would not be in town for the Aug. 19 vote.

She said the request would be only one of many factors the board would have to consider in setting the date.

Elections board member Stacey “Four” Eggers IV said he wasn’t sure of the board’s legal authority to change the date.

He said the board’s intent was not to disenfranchise ASU students and that not every date was ideal for every person.

“Unfortunately, we’re not the board of elections for ASU, we’re the board of elections for the whole county,” board member Rusty Henson said.

He said the board merely set the date and voters decided the outcome.

Phillips asked if the town council could rescind its vote to bring the referendum forward, and Eggers said it would be “a legal question.”

Aycock said she felt the referendum should be set at a time when the most people were available to participate.

Anderson said the board had made it “amply clear” over the last few years that its actions were designed to be as inclusive as possible and provide the widest possible participation.

Anderson said the board wasn’t prepared to make a change and would have to discuss a possible special meeting to reconsider.

Mail-in absentee ballots can be requested at least 30 days before the election, meaning the ballots would be available by July 18.

Those registered to vote within the town limits by July 25 are eligible to vote in the referendum as it is now scheduled.

Elections director Jane Hodges, who wasn't at Tuesday's meeting, said, “We just looked at our calendar and we have to set it between 60 and 120 days, and we discussed when (elementary) school would start back.

"It was determined that most of the families would have returned from vacation at that point, so the board asked my opinion, and I told them better sooner than later, because of November elections.”

Anderson said the board was open to a change, but Eggers said it would have to be a compelling reason to change the date, since public notices had already been mailed.

He said the public might be confused by a change.

The board also approved additional one-stop voting sites, for the General Election only, at Appalachian State University Plemmons Student Union, Boone Mall and, for one week prior to the election, at the Mountaineer Ruritan Club in Sugar Grove.

One-stop voting will continue to be held at the previous two sites, the Agricultural Conference Center and the board of elections office in Boone.

"The board also approved additional one-stop voting sites, for the General Election only, at Appalachian State University Plemmons Student Union, Boone Mall and, for one week prior to the election, at the Mountaineer Ruritan Club in Sugar Grove. One-stop voting will continue to be held at the previous two sites, the Agricultural Conference Center and the board of elections office in Boone."

Anderson said the N.C. Board of Elections had encouraged expansion of one-stop voting locations, which led to the expansion from two polls to five polls.

Anderson said the state had recommended up to 10 locations, but she said the county lacked the resources and voters might be confused.

The elections board has already finalized arrangements for use of the sites, which all meet state requirements.

Later Tuesday, the Board of Elections released a statement saying, "Upon consultation with Director Hodges, the Watauga County Board of Elections will not be scheduling a special meeting regarding the date of the Aug. 19, 2008, mixed-drink election for the Town of Boone. The next scheduled meeting of the Board of Elections will be held on July 29, 2008, at 5 p.m. for consideration of absentee ballots for the Aug. 19, 2008 election."