JACKSON – There’s been a change in plans.

Due to a decision made by the State Board of Elections, Northampton County has been forced to close its One-Stop voting location at the Woodland-Olney Apartments. In the past, the Northampton County Board of Elections has operated One-Stop voting sites at Woodland-Olney and the E.E. Odom Center in Gaston as well as at the Elections office in Jackson. The Gaston and Jackson locations will continue to operate.

According to Tonya Pitts, Director of the Northampton County Board of Elections, the Woodland-Olney site was disqualified by the state as a useable location for One-Stop voting. Through the Help America Vote Act, passed by the United States Congress in 2002, Northampton County received a grant to operate two additional One-Stop voting sights. Now that the state has disqualified the Woodland site from that list, Northampton County must return the funds pertaining to that location.

&uot;We rely on the federal funds to operate our One-Stop voting locations in Woodland and Gaston,&uot; said Pitts. &uot;Since we do not have the money in our budget to pick-up the tab on the Woodland location, we unfortunately cannot maintain that site. The other site in Gaston will operate as normal, as will our One-Stop voting location here in Jackson.&uot;

The following is a schedule of the One-Stop voting sites in Northampton County:

Board of Elections Office (9495 NC 305 North, Jackson): Oct. 14-29 (Mondays through Fridays) from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and 1:30-5 p.m.; Oct. 24 (Sunday) from 1-6 p.m. and Oct. 30 (Saturday) from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

E.E. Odom Center (221 Craige St., Gaston): Oct. 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 22 from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and 1:30-5 p.m.; Oct. 24 (Sunday) from 1-6 p.m.; Oct. 25, 26, 27, 29 from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and 1:30-6 p.m.; and Oct. 30 (Saturday) from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

For additional information, contact the Northampton County Board of Elections office at 534-5681.