Granville County Officials Warn Early Voting Site Move Could Suppress Oxford Black Vote
In the return of Spectacular Magazine’s PC Politics, three municipal leaders challenge Granville County’s approved early-voting plan and call on residents to turn concern into turnout.
OXFORD, N.C. — Three Granville County municipal leaders say moving Oxford’s busiest early-voting location from the centrally located Public Works Complex to the Granville County Convention and Expo Center could make voting harder for residents without reliable transportation and disproportionately affect Black voters.
Oxford City Commissioners Scotty Brooks and Karen McGhee and Creedmoor City Commissioner Darryl Moss raised those concerns during the return of PC Politics — Real. Raw. Relevant., Spectacular Magazine’s political video interview series hosted by CEO and Publisher Phyllis Coley.
The commissioners described the move as part of a broader struggle involving voting access, political power and representation in Granville County. They also argued that the decision could backfire by energizing voters and community organizations.
What Changed For Granville County Early Voting
The North Carolina State Board of Elections approved Granville County’s early-voting locations and hours on Aug. 20 after the county board failed to reach the unanimous agreement required for a local early-voting plan.
For the Nov. 3, 2026, general election, Oxford Public Works at 127 Penn Avenue will no longer serve as an early-voting location. Early voting in the Oxford area will instead be offered at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center at 4185 U.S. Highway 15, approximately five miles south of downtown Oxford.
Oxford Public Works will remain the Election Day polling place for voters assigned to the Credle precinct.
The approved countywide plan includes four early-voting locations:
- Granville County Convention and Expo Center in Oxford
- South Branch Library in Creedmoor
- Tar River Elementary School near Franklinton
- Stovall Branch Library in Stovall
An earlier county board proposal also would have eliminated South Branch Library as an early-voting location. Following public opposition and the approval of additional county funding, the location was retained in the final plan.
Republican members of the county elections board said their proposal was intended to provide greater geographic distribution of voting locations. They also cited funding considerations and safety concerns involving pedestrian and vehicle traffic near South Branch Library.
Opponents argued that the proposed changes targeted the county’s most-used early-voting locations in communities with larger Black populations and stronger Democratic support.
According to data cited by voting-rights advocates and reported by Carolina Public Press, Oxford Public Works attracted more than 40 percent of Granville County’s early voters during the last two midterm elections.
The Southern Coalition for Social Justice reported that more than 10,200 voters — approximately 40 percent of the county’s early-voting turnout — used Oxford Public Works during the 2024 general election.
Commissioners Say The Move Creates A Transportation Barrier
Brooks said the Public Works location was familiar, centrally located and reachable for residents who do not drive.
“The Public Works building is in town in Oxford, and so it’s very convenient for people that don’t have cars,” Brooks said. “They can walk there. You can easily catch a ride there. Everybody knows where it is.”
By contrast, the Expo Center is outside central Oxford and is not surrounded by banks, grocery stores and other destinations that allow residents to combine voting with necessary errands, the commissioners said.
McGhee argued that the effect reaches beyond race to include class and income.
“When you come to Oxford — and Creedmoor and Butner are the only places that have grocery stores and banks — most people can find a ride to get their groceries or if they need to go to the bank,” McGhee said. “Then they can just add on voting if they need to. But with the early-voting site out in the county, there is nothing there. It’s just that.”
She said the additional distance places a greater burden on people who must depend on someone else for transportation, regardless of race.
Brooks said the decision particularly affects Oxford residents who do not have vehicles because people can still travel around the city and reach many destinations without a car.
“Of all the places they could have attacked, they attacked the one with the people who have the least amount of means to get out to a voting site,” Brooks said.
Moss Connects Dispute To Granville County’s Voting-Rights History
Moss placed the current conflict within the context of a Granville County voting-rights lawsuit filed nearly four decades ago.
“History has repeated itself right here in Granville County,” Moss said.
The federal case was filed in 1987 by Andrew J. McGhee, Lacy Joyner, Darryl Moss, Eugene Fields and Aurelia B. Burton on behalf of Black voters challenging Granville County’s at-large system for electing county commissioners.
Court records show that the county stipulated that the system violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The litigation ultimately led to the implementation of a single-member-district plan.
During the interview, Moss recalled former Congressman G.K. Butterfield’s involvement as an attorney in the local voting-rights fight.
Moss said that history informs how he views the 2026 early-voting dispute. He pointed to increased Black voter participation in Granville County’s 2025 municipal elections and said changing voting patterns have altered the county’s political landscape.
Moss referred to Election Day 2025 as “Black Tuesday” because of the number of Black voters he saw casting ballots in Creedmoor.
“It was a flood of Black people,” Moss said. “It was amazing.”
The three commissioners alleged during PC Politics that race and partisan politics motivated the decision to remove early voting from Oxford Public Works.
No court or regulatory body has ruled that Granville County’s approved early-voting plan constitutes illegal voter suppression. Republican members of the county elections board have defended the changes as an effort to distribute voting opportunities more evenly across Granville County.
Race, Political Power And Class
Brooks said the county’s political landscape has changed as more Black candidates have been elected to municipal offices and the school board.
McGhee added that economic differences among Granville County communities must also be part of the conversation.
Southern Granville County, including Creedmoor and Butner, has experienced considerable residential and economic growth as people priced out of Durham, Raleigh and other Triangle communities move north in search of more affordable housing.
However, McGhee and Brooks argued that residents in and around Oxford who lack transportation should not be placed at a disadvantage because they live in a less prosperous part of the county.
“Those who don’t have means are disenfranchised, whatever color they may be,” McGhee said.
Moss noted that Creedmoor’s population is becoming increasingly diverse while the city continues experiencing rapid growth connected to its proximity to Durham, Raleigh and Research Triangle Park.
That changing population, the commissioners suggested, also has the potential to reshape Granville County elections.
Leaders Say Decision May Galvanize Voters
Despite their objections, all three commissioners predicted that the controversy could motivate rather than discourage residents.
“Their action is going to have the opposite reaction that they were looking for because people — not just Black folks, but people in general — are extremely motivated,” Moss said.
He said organizers are reaching homes, churches and community groups while developing transportation plans for residents who need help getting to an early-voting location.
Brooks said some of those efforts mirror the organizing strategies employed during the Civil Rights Movement.
“My mother is 76 years old, and I find it ironic that her 55-year-old son is having to do some of the same measures that she had — that my grandparents and my parents had to do in the ’60s,” Brooks said. “I think the goal is to catch us sleeping at the wheel. But we have our foot on the gas. We are wide awake.”
Brooks offered another forceful response later in the conversation.
“They’ve tried to break our spirit for centuries now,” he said. “We’re not going away. We ain’t going nowhere.”
McGhee, an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, described the conflict as part of a longstanding struggle over power and inclusion.
“It’s time for everybody to be at the table — not just those who have money, not just those who have a certain skin color, not just males,” McGhee said.
She called the controversy another chapter in the country’s continuing struggle to achieve “justice for all.”
Community Mobilization Moves Forward
Granville County organizers are developing a countywide voter-mobilization effort that includes outreach through churches, homes and community organizations.
With no Sunday early voting approved for Granville County, the organizers plan a major “Souls to the Polls” mobilization on Saturday, Oct. 31, the final day of early voting.
The commissioners said transportation assistance will be organized for voters who need rides to the approved locations.
Moss said the goal is not merely to encourage people to register but to follow through until their ballots are cast.
“We’re touching every house. We’re touching every church. We’re touching every group that we can think of,” Moss said.
What Granville County Voters Need To Know
In-person early voting for the Nov. 3 general election begins Thursday, Oct. 15, and ends at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.
During early voting, Granville County voters may cast a ballot at any of the county’s four approved early-voting locations.
The locations are:
Granville County Convention and Expo Center
4185 U.S. Highway 15
Oxford, NC 27565
South Branch Library
1550 South Campus Drive
Creedmoor, NC 27522
Tar River Elementary School
2642 Philo White Road
Franklinton, NC 27525
Stovall Branch Library
300 Main Street
Stovall, NC 27582
Most locations will operate from 8 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. on designated weekdays. All four will be open from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.
On Election Day, voters must report to their assigned precinct. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Brooks urged residents to check their registration status before voting and make certain that eligible relatives have both a voting plan and transportation.
“Don’t just make sure that you vote,” Brooks said. “Make sure that every member of your family that’s eligible to vote — make sure they vote. Make sure they have a ride.”
PC Politics Welcomes Responses From Election Officials
The Granville County commissioners presented strong allegations concerning the motivations behind the early-voting changes.
PC Politics has not independently established that the decision constituted illegal voter suppression. However, the documented use of Oxford Public Works by thousands of voters, its location in a heavily Black community and the party-line votes leading to state review have made the decision a significant matter of public interest.
Spectacular Magazine and PC Politics welcome responses from the Granville County Board of Elections, the North Carolina State Board of Elections and other officials involved in developing or approving the county’s early-voting plan.
Watch the complete PC Politics conversation above.
For official polling locations, voter-registration information and election updates, visit the Granville County Board of Elections or North Carolina State Board of Elections websites.