I am writing to thank the NC State Board of Elections. Here’s why:
On July 17, an evenly-split, four-member Brunswick County Board of Elections held a meeting at its offices in Bolivia. In attendance were about one hundred citizens and two representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union. On the agenda was the adoption of Sunday voting for the county. The usual arguments ensued along partisan lines. For Democrats, it was a question of making participation possible for those unable to vote or help their fellow citizens get to the polls on other days due to job requirements. For Republicans, it was a matter of cost, defined here as keeping citizens more likely to vote for Democrats away from the polls. When the vote was taken, the board split evenly along partisan lines and, as required by law, the case was forwarded to the state for a decision. Thanks to the State Board, Brunswick County polls will now be open on the Sunday prior to Election Day.
This marks another chapter in the struggle of the Republican party to suppress the vote. In this time of economic insecurity, too many Americans are forced to work multiple jobs and are at the mercy of their employers when it comes to taking time off to go to the polls. By denying these voters an opportunity to cast a ballot on the only day available to them, they are essentially stripping away the most important entitlement of any democracy – the right to vote. Their continuing effort to suppress voters nationwide is nothing more than an admission that they can no longer win elections on the merits of their positions alone.
Thank you, NC Board of Elections, for doing your job to ensure that all citizens are given the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
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