A nonpartisan advocacy group plans to station a poll observer at one Mecklenburg County voting site during early voting and on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Voters in Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville cast ballots at Mecklenburg County sites and could see observers during the early voting period, which begins Oct. 15.

N.C. Asian Americans Together (NCAAT), a nonprofit, will deploy observers to one site each in Mecklenburg, Cumberland, Orange and Cabarrus counties, plus three sites in Wake County, WFAE first reported Tuesday, Oct. 6. NCAAT is partnering with Underwire, a local group of mothers focused on voter engagement.

The deployment comes as NCAAT and El Pueblo, a Latino advocacy organization, say community members have expressed fear about immigration enforcement at polling sites. The groups attribute that anxiety to a rise in immigration arrests over the past two years.

Chavi Khanna Koneru, executive director of NCAAT, said the group wants to ensure turnout.

"We know, especially in North Carolina, the margins are so slim in some of these races. So every vote counts, and we need to make sure that everyone's able to safely cast those votes," Koneru said.

The fear persists despite federal law prohibiting immigration officers at polling sites. President Donald Trump said as recently as Saturday, Oct. 3, that he would not send enforcement officers to the polls.

A new state law adds context. Senate Bill 153, the "North Carolina Border Protection Act," took effect Thursday, Oct. 1. The law requires officers at four state agencies to sign agreements to collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The N.C. General Assembly passed the law by overriding the governor's veto.

Both organizations are running multilingual voter hotlines. NCAAT's line, 1-833-VOTE-NCAAT, operates in nine languages including Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Hindi and Urdu. El Pueblo will activate a Spanish-language hotline, 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA, on Thursday, Oct. 15, the first day of early voting. That hotline is staffed by volunteers trained in North Carolina election law and operates in partnership with the NALEO Educational Fund.

NCAAT is also holding webinars and clinics to help voters navigate vote-by-mail rules. Koneru said more Asian voters in North Carolina choose to vote by mail compared to other racial groups in the state. NCAAT is one of several organizations that have filed suit to block new absentee ballot guidelines approved by the N.C. Board of Elections, arguing the rules could disenfranchise mail-in voters.

Alissa Lopez, a board volunteer at El Pueblo, said Democracy NC is training volunteers to watch for unusual activity at the polls. NCAAT and El Pueblo are also connected with Carolina Migrant Network and Siembra NC, local groups that verify reports of ICE presence, and will activate that network if they suspect enforcement activity near polling sites.

North Carolina's voter registration deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9. Early voting runs Oct. 15 through 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Voters who miss the registration deadline can register and vote during early voting at any site in their county with proof of residency and a photo ID.