SALISBURY — A group of local residents showed up to the Rowan County Board of Elections meeting Tuesday to voice their support for adding days to the early voting period to make voting as accessible as possible for everyone.

According to a board of elections official, between 30 and 40 people arrived at the meeting and voiced their concerns about not having every day open for early voting. Last year, the early voting period ran for a 17-day period, and voters could cast their ballots on 15 of those days. The board opened one weekend for voting and kept a second weekend closed.

The state mandates a certain period, this year from Oct. 19 to Nov. 4, that counties must keep open for early voting. The state requires the counties to keep polling locations open every weekday and the last Saturday before Election Day, Nov. 4. Each county’s board of elections can then choose which other Saturdays and Sundays to open for voting.

The board did not vote on the early voting schedule on Tuesday. It is on the agenda for the board of elections meeting on Aug. 1.

According to Pam Bloom, who was one of the residents who attended the meeting, more than a dozen of the attendees voiced specific reasons that the board should add extra Saturdays and Sundays during public comment period.

“We asked that the board just keep voting open until early voting ends,” said Bloom.

Bloom said people came from communities such as Scotch Irish and Kannapolis to speak to the board about the advantages of being able to vote on the weekends. When a voter is making the lengthy trip from the corners of the county to Salisbury to vote early, it helps people with children and people who work on weekdays if they can make the trip on weekends, Bloom said.

Chris Sharpe, who drives the transportation van for First Cavalry Baptist Church in Salisbury, also mentioned that people who need assistance with transportation would benefit from extra voting days. Sharpe said that he was there as part of an effort from his church to help educate its members about voting changes this year.

Rowan County only has one polling location open for early voting this year, the Board of Elections office at West End Plaza at 1935 Jake Alexander Blvd. in Salisbury.

Bloom also brought up changes to voting laws such as voter ID and stricter absentee voting laws. She said that these new rules and regulations could drive more people to vote in person. That could cause longer lines during early voting, something that more voting days could help alleviate.

“The voices of the people need to be heard, and that can’t happen if people can’t get to the polls,” Bloom said.