From the desk of the County Manager, 

Election season is nearly here. So, this week I would like to take a moment to shout out the wonderful staff we have over at the Durham County Board of Elections (DCoBOE)! 

Just these past two weeks, the staff have received two major recognitions for their work at making sure our elections in Durham are accurate, safe, and available for all of our residents. (This comes on the heels of earning a National Association of Counties Achievement Award for the fifth straight year that we highlighted earlier in the summer!) 

First, I’m excited to share that the DCoBOE has received a 2025 Civic Excellence in Innovation Award from the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) for creating the DCo Votes mobile application! 

Built in-house using WordPress and in partnership with Durham County’s Information Systems & Technology (IS&T) Department, the application launched in the fall of 2024, just in time for the Statewide General Election. It was designed to make election information easily accessible for Durham County residents. 

Using Google Analytics, we organized the app around the most commonly searched topics, so everything a resident may need is right at their fingertips. One feature we’re especially proud of is the ability to send in-app notifications. Thanks to an integration with RAVE Alert (used by the County’s Office of Emergency Services), we can quickly send out key updates and press releases to anyone who subscribes to receive BOE news. 

The Board of Elections is always looking for new ways to better serve Durham County residents, and the DCo Votes application is just one of the tools helping us do that.  

The DCo Votes application is free to download on both the App Store for Apple devices and the Google Play Store for Android devices.  

As we get ready for the 2025 Municipal Primary on Tuesday, October 7th, and the General Election on Tuesday, November 4th, we’re excited to keep improving and finding more ways to connect with our community. 

And don’t forget, Early Voting begins in less than two weeks beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 18th and runs through Saturday, October 4th. 

Durham County Board of Elections Director Derek Bowens – who you can watch on the latest edition of the “In Touch with Durham County” show – was also honored recently with the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Election Officials(NAEO). 

The non-partisan NAEO is the nation's first and only certification program for election professionals.  

The organization’s Board of Directors bestows the Lifetime Achievement Award to recipients for unparalleled service to the profession and the NAEO. Bowens, alongside Clayton County (Georgia) Director of Elections and Registration Shauna Dozier, were honored during the NAEO’s 40th annual conference in Salt Lake City, Utah in August. 

As someone who has worked alongside Derek since his arrival in Durham County in 2017, I know that our elections will run the best in the state of North Carolina each year under his leadership. He has guided the Durham County Elections office through the ever-changing landscape of local, state, and federal elections with distinction, has modernized the administration of elections through technology, transparency, and community-focused strategies, and has brought in top-notch talent to be a true innovator in the field. 

You can see this in real time action with the County’s Voter Registration Repair Dashboard that was published last week in response to the North Carolina State Board of Elections’ Registration Repair Project, a statewide effort led by the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) to update voter records by collecting missing identification numbers. 

The Repair Dashboard is a visual report that specifically highlights the 4,000+ Durham County voters affected by the Registration Repair Project. 

The dashboard allows residents to view a list of voters who must provide their N.C. driver’s license/DMV ID number or the last four digits of their Social Security Number to election officials. On August 18, 2025, the NCSBE began mailing letters to impacted voters providing them with details on how to update their voter registration record.   

“The Registration Repair Dashboard, created by staff, provides a Durham County–specific resource for residents. It is intended to support affected voters in updating their voter registration record alongside the correspondence issued by the State Board of Elections”, says Board of Elections Chairman David Boone. 

The fact that we were able to have this dashboard ready so quickly after those letters were mailed is a true testament to the dedication and innovative spirit that lives in our DCo Board of Elections office. 

Want to learn more? Visit the Board of Elections website at DCOVOTES.COM. You can also check out the first Durham County Board of Elections Annual Report for 2024 here. 

I thank them for all their efforts, past, present, and future that assure all of us the sanctity of our elections. 

Until next week, 

Claudia Hager | County Manager