Voting rights advocates and community members gathered together at the “We Will Protect Our Vote” rally at Halifax Mall in protest against House Bill 958, a harmful voter suppression bill that places unnecessary obstacles to toss ballots. The bill also makes our elections less transparent by exempting some Republican-led State Board of Elections communications from public records law, keeping them hidden from the public.
“So there’s really no way to point out the worst thing about the bill is its really what is the reason behind the bill, and we can’t figure that out other than creating barriers for voters who are interested in turning out for candidates all across the board this fall,” said Sailor Jones, State Director for Common Cause NC.
Republican attempts to suppress and disenfranchise voters to maintain power are commonplace and are also exhibited in the State Board of Elections voting to eliminate campus voting sites at historically Black colleges and universities, such as NC A&T State University and Western Carolina University. State Republicans have also targeted Sunday voting in several counties across the state.
“If everybody’s voice isn’t heard, it’s not real democracy,” said voting advocate Allison Jacokes.
Join the fight against HB 958:
- You can submit a public comment,
- Call your legislators and tell them to vote NO on this bill,
- And spreading the word about voter suppression and disenfranchisement.
