Durham County's early-voting polls are going to be open until 3 p.m. Saturday, two hours longer than originally scheduled.

The county Board of Elections voted for the extension Tuesday, after the state board asked counties to consider longer hours. Their decision has no effect on other counties.

Elections Director Michael Perry said he preferred sticking with the original 1 p.m. closing to allow his staff plenty of time to prepare for Tuesday's polling, and Elections Board Member Bill Brian said he saw no compelling reason for adding hours on Saturday.

Board Chairwoman Carol Anderson, though, said the state could issue a last-minute order for local boards to keep voting open and it would be easier to go ahead with the extension. The board's third member, Dawn Baxton, said she had no objection to extra voting hours.

Legally, early voting could have been extended until 5 p.m. The 3 p.m. cutoff was a compromise, since extension required a unanimous vote.

Anyone in line to vote at 3 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot, though elections officials said that could keep poll workers occupied as long as an hour and a half after closing if last-day turnout is heavy. Voters have been coming early in record numbers this election.

With Durham's city council considering a change in how it gets elected, the League of Women Voters of Orange, Durham, and Chatham Counties holds a forum on  election methods at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the main Durham County Library.

The public is invited.

The City Council holds a public hearing April 6 on changing from a primary-general election system to a single plurality election.

The Durham County Board of Elections estimates that, by eliminating the primary, Durham taxpayers would save between $170,000 and $180,000 each municipal election year.

The change would not affect elections for county and school-board positions.

Participants in the League forum include:

• Donald L. Horowitz, James B. Duke Professor of Law and Political Science
• Robert P. Joyce, UNC Professor of Public Law and Government
• Torrey Dixon of FairVoteNC
• Bob Hall, Executive Director of Democracy NC

Citizens who wish to speak at the April 6 hearing may call the City Clerk at 560-4166 to have their names put on the list. The clerk's office is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Durham County election officials began counting votes in today's election at 2 p.m.

Absentee ballots, that is. Votes of the 97,697 Durham County citizens (56 percent of eligible voters) who went to the polls early remain secreted in tabulation machines, and won't be added up until today's tallies are in from the county's 55 precincts.

According to the Durham County Board of Elections, the only glitch so far has been a power outage at Pearsontown School. That precinct is staying open an extra 20 minutes, until 7:50, to make up the lost time.