By Gordon Anderson | gordon@rantnc.com
A state elections official recommended eliminating Sunday from the county’s early voting schedule in the 2026 general election to two members of the Lee County Board of Elections, according to public records.
The official, Dallas Woodhouse, was reassigned last month from his role as a liaison to county elections boards from the Office of the State Auditor, after allegations that he had improperly pressured election boards in another North Carolina county over whether to eliminate early voting sites.
Audio of the July 13 Lee County Board of Elections meeting shows the members later acknowledging those discussions with Woodhouse.
Woodhouse suggested eliminating Sunday voting while increasing Saturday early voting hours in a May text message to Jay Delancy, a member of the Lee County board. Woodhouse also emailed a similar suggestion to Lee elections board Chair Tom Duncan.
“We are going to get shit removing Sundays in so many places and the overall increase in hours makes it easier to sell plus it is better for voters,” Woodhouse wrote in the text to Delancy, which began with the word “Confidential.”
“I think we are in one accord on this,” Delancy replied.
The text exchange, along with related emails involving Delancey and Duncan, was obtained through a public records request.
The Lee County Board of Elections considered several early voting plans on July 13 but failed to approve any unanimously, as required by state law. Lee County Elections Director Jane Fawcett forwarded the three plans that received votes to the State Board of Elections, which will now determine Lee County’s early voting schedule.
Four of the five members of each county board of elections are appointed by the State Board of Elections from lists of nominees submitted by the state chairs of the Republican and Democratic parties. The state auditor appoints each county board’s chair.
Woodhouse’s May communications with Delancey and Duncan followed an April email from Woodhouse to county election board chairs in which he said the State Board had accepted reductions in Sunday voting during the March primary when counties extended hours on other days, added Saturday hours, or opened additional locations. He also asked county officials to notify his office before adopting their plans “just so we know what is happening before it occurs and can ask questions if needed.”
The contacts between Woodhouse, Delancy and Duncan became public at the July 13 meeting when Democratic Board Member Becky Whitaker asked questions about why the board was being asked to consider adopting early voting plans that eliminated Sunday voting.
“I think it’s really interesting that in a year where the State Auditor’s Office has reassigned someone for inappropriately pressuring county boards to eliminate Sunday voting that we’re suddenly having this conversation,” she said, later asking whether anyone on the board had been contacted “by anyone from the state auditor’s office.”
Both Delancy and Duncan acknowledged talking with Woodhouse, with Duncan being the first to name him.
“He’s trying to talk us into having another precinct for early voting, and I flat out told him that’s not happening,” Duncan said. “Then he started on me about the Sunday voting stuff and all that. But he never pushed me. He just gave me statistics.”
Delancy said Whitaker’s “suspicions are correct, I’ll confirm that,” but said Woodhouse was only informing him that Sunday voting isn’t required by law, something he claimed he didn’t know until that discussion.
“It’s interesting that he contacted you two and not me,” Whitaker said.
“He contacted me because I’m the chairman,” Duncan replied.
“Jay’s not the chairman,” Whitaker said back.
“Jay’s in meetings with him,” Duncan replied again.
When asked what kind of meetings Delancy and Woodhouse were in together, Delancy said “it’s election integrity meetings. Was. I don’t think he goes there anymore. He was an invited guest in those meetings. So he called me on the side and said ‘you know you can do this?’”
Duncan closed that part of the discussion by saying “for the record, I don’t particularly care for Mr. Woodhouse. Never have.”
Delancy told The Rant on Wednesday that the issue on which he felt “in one accord” with Woodhouse was “overall the principle of getting rid of Sunday voting,” citing his religion and “seeing what a pain it can be” for election workers.
“Until I got on the (Lee County Board of Elections), I was agnostic on it,” he said.
This has become the crookedest county in N.C. Let’s just leave and let them finish destroying it. Commissioners are crooked bringing in what ever Jimmy Randolph (SAGA) and developers want here. Now election board itself has someone already caught being crooked calling the shots. Makes you think if you go vote some of the clowns out will it be counted !!!
“Confidential” ? Wow, I wonder if they people at the Lee County Board of Elections think of themselves? Floating above the rest of the world?
For the those who dare prop up election integrity, and claim elections are being stolen, what do you call this? I call it election interference. Removing Sunday voting, leaves less opportunities for US citizens to have their voice heard. Do you really want that? Or would you rather corrupt officials dictate what you can and cant do with your Constitutional Rights?