Despite the reality that the Nov. 5 general election will be over when this story appears, Rondell Lance, president of Ashville’s Fraternal Order of Police lodge, is insisting that his concerns still need to be addressed about the Buncombe County Board of Elections’ early-voting schedule that ended at 5 p.m. daily, thereby, in Lance’s estimation, preventing working people from voting.

(Regarding the local FOP lodge, its website states that it “has over 250 members. These members are made up of law enforcement officers and civilians from the Asheville Police Department, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, HCSHP, N.C. Probation and Parole, and many others...”)

In a Nov. 1 telephone interview, Lance told the Daily Planet, “I went to the Enka-Candler Library to observe the polls (for early voting) a little over two weeks ago — and I said, ‘I’ll come back after 5 because the polls close at 7:30 p.m.’” 

However, before leaving, the local FOP president said that, to his shock and dismay, he was told that “Buncombe was only (open for early voting) 9 (a.m.) to 5 (p.m.).” 

I said, “What? 5 p.m.?”

Later, after researching the matter via the internet, Lance said that, “I looked everywhere else in North Carolina — and it was 8 (a.m.) to 7:30 (p.m.) Monday through Saturday... And it was until 7:30 p.m. everywhere else in our area.”

In contrast, he noted that Buncombe’s early voting hours were 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., albeit seven days per week, with an early closure on the Saturday (Nov. 2) before the election, which was the last day of early voting. (No early voting was scheduled on Nov. 3 or 4, with Election Day on Nov. 5.) 

In his quest to lengthen early voting hours in the evenings, to serve “working people,” many of whom have to hustle from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Lance said he decided to rais the issue at a meeting of Buncombe Board of Elections. (He actually ended up attending two BOE meetings.)

 The first meeting he attended was on Oct. 23, where he and others with him did not speak because they were told by someone that “they (BOE) took no public comment.” 

At the Oct. 23 meeting, Corinne Duncan, the director of Buncombe Election Services. told the BOE, “We could do 6 p.m. — and no problem,” Lance recalled.

He added, “As we were leaving the meeting, Duncan came out there to where we were at... and asked: ‘What do you want?’ We said: ‘We wanted (the early voting hours extended to) 7:30 p.m,, but we’ll take 6:30 p.m. so that people who work can vote when they get off from work.”

After Lance and other local conservative leaders accompanying him left the meeting, the BOE voted against the proposed extension — but the measure that was presented only would have extended early voting until 6 nightly, instead of the 6:30 he had requsted from Duncan.

Indeed, Lance told the Daily Planet, “The next morning, I learned they (the Board of Elections) voted 3-2 on a partisan vote” not to lengthen the evening hours for early voting in Buncombe County. He explained that the vote came downt to three Democrats against lengthening early-voting hours, with the two Republicans in favor of the proposal.

After a pause, Lance reiterated, “I wondered why they (the three Democrats on the local Board of Elections) were wanting to deny working people from voting.”

“I sent an email to the North Carolina Board of Elections — and they told me (via email) that it (setting hours for early voting) is a local Board of Elections’ decision.”

Undeterred, the FOP president asserted, “I wrote back saying, ‘I know that – we were hoping for your (the state Board of Elections’) help. Please give us some advice on what to do.... I never heard back” from the state BOE regarding his email expressing frustration over the situation. 

Remaining resolute, Lance said that, next,  “I talked to (state Rep.) Michael Clampitt,” R-Bryson City, who represents  Jackson, Swain and Transylvania counties.

Clampitt directed him to the NCGOP Election Hotline. “I called — and they said they would have their attorney to look into it.” 

At that point, Lance paused and asserted enthusiastically: “Mike Clampitt is a statesman — not a politician!”

What’s more, he said, “Clampitt called and filed a complaint himself (on the Buncombe early voting issue that Lance had raised) to the Republican hotline.”

Next, the FOP president said, “I called (state Senator Ralph) Hise — and he said he would have his staff look into it — and I never heard back. (Hise, a Republican, represents Alleghany,  Ashe,  Avery,  Caldwell,  Haywood,  Madison,  Mitchell,  Watauga and Yancey counties.)

After that, Lance noted, “I called (state Senator) Warren Daniel’s office and left a message — and never heard back from him.” (Daniel, a Republican, represents Buncombe, Burke and McDowell counties.)

“And so I went back to the local Board of Elections last Tuesday (Oct. 29),” where “I was told I could do public speaking” at the meeting.

However, prior to the Oct. 29 meeting, Lance said, “I contacted the Buncombe Board of Elections — and they suggested sending the chair (Jake Quinn) an email, seeking two or three minutes to speak to the chair, and letting him know” about the specific concerns Lance would be addressing.

“I also was told you just have to raise your hand” to address the board at its meeting,” he added. 

In turn, Lance noted that Quinn emailed him a polite response, saying, “Thanks for the head’s up” — and confirmed that Lance “would be addressing the board” at its next meeting.

At the Oct. 29 local BOE meeting, Lance said that, “while I’m sitting there, giving my speech, seeking extended evening hours, the Board of Elections” was responding that its election staffers “have worked so hard” — and that working extended early voting hours would be too much to ask of them. “And,” contrary to his criticisms, “that we (the local BOE) have done a great job.”

“So I’m sitting their fuming, as I know (in comparison to Buncombe election staffers), first-responders and law enforcement (officers) are averaging 70 hours per week” in rough circumstances, even rescuing people from trees who were swept out of their homes after Tropical Storm Helene wreacked havoc on Asheville and the surrounding Western North Carolina area.

Speaking slowly, Lance told the Daily Planet that, when pressed for a response to his request to extend early voting hours into the evening to allow working people to vote after they get off work in the evening, Quinn said:

“The juice wouldn’t be worth the squeeze!

The FOP president also said that Quinn also commented that “it would be hard on our staff to extend the hours.”

After another pause, Lance said, “So now I’m livid. I told him (Quinn): ‘You’re a complete failure!’”

Lance said he also told Quinn: “How dare you you tell me your staff is tired,” when local first-responders and law enforcement are working, regularly, much longer workweeks and under much tougher working conditions, often involving life and death, when compared to his election staffers.

“When I’m speaking, he (Quinn) calls me ‘out of order’... ‘You’re out of order! You’re out of order!’”

 Indeed, Lance recounted, “He (Quinn) kept saying I was ‘out of order’ and he was banging the gavel,” over and over again.

“I told him (Quinn) that you Democrats are suppressing the votes of Democrats and Republicans in this county. You’ve suppressed working people from voting with no reason to limit the hours. All of the (other) counties around us are open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily for early voting...”

Lance added, “Eventually, I said: “‘You (Quinn) don’t have to throw me out of the meeting because I’m leaving!’”

As he heatedly departed, the FOP president, who is retired from a career in law enforcement, said he noted that “they (the Board of Elections’ members) were looking at me like, ‘Who is this guy?”

Happily, Lance said, “It (the meeting) was recorded. “

Speaking generally, he reiterated to the Daily Planet, “I see it as a deliberate move by the (Buncombe County) Democratic Party to stop the early vote.

“Why is no elected Democrat coming out (in opposition to the lack of evening hours for early voting in Buncombe) — (state Rep.) Lindsey Prather or Buncombe commissioners Terri Wells and Amanda Edwards — and asking to extend the vote? Lance asked, rhetorically.

“It’s an intentional play by the Democratic Party to suppress the vote...

“Is it too late to change it?,” Lance asked, rhetorically.

“Yes,” he said, in answering his own question. ‘So my goal is to expose the Democratcic Party of Buncombe County and the Buncombe Board of Elections in this. as it’s such a blatantly clear suppression of votes of the working men and women of Buncombe County.”

“It’s just a shame and a disgrace. The Board of Elections here in Buncombe County is a joke,” Lance asserted, in concluding his interview with the Daily Planet.

Meanwhile, the Daily Planet emailed Quinn on Nov. 3, seeking a statement presenting his side in the local BOE’s clash with Lance, but the newspaper did not receive a response by its 9 a.m. Nov. 4 news deadline for this edition.