Campaign Watch: Making Voting Easier?

Counties around North Carolina have been hammering out deals—or failing to reach a deal—on what has become a key option for voter turnout in our state: early voting.

In at least two counties (Wake, Orange), the local Board of Elections was unable to reach an agreement. By splitting 2-2 along partisan lines, those boards ended up kicking the final decisions up to the statewide board. The state board is split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, plus one independent named by the governor.

Key points of contention in these and other cases include locations and hours of early voting. The one-stop in-person early voting option is disproportionately used by minority voters. Voting rights advocates say that efforts to shorten the hours or days of early voting, and to block the use of more sites (especially campus-based sites) are partisan attempts to discourage minority voting by eliminating weekend hours and restricting sites in more urban locations.

For a review of how recent law changes affect early voting opportunities this fall, see Democracy NC’s early voting advocacy page here. NCLCV and other citizen conservation groups support encouraging voting by making popular options like early voting more readily available, not less.

Up next, Stein, Environmental Groups Sue EPA Over Dirty Diesel Rule >>