Source: Salisbury Post
As state Republicans push forth measures to make it harder for North Carolinians to vote, residents in Rowan County are speaking out about the need for voting accessibility.
For Rowan County residents, the early voting period was limited last year. According to the Salisbury Post, residents were not able to vote every day during the early voting period.
The early voting period ran for 17 days, and voters could only cast their ballots on 15 of those days; with the Rowan County Board of Elections opening one weekend for voting, and the second weekend closed.
Around 40 Rowan County residents voiced their support for expanding early voting days, concerns about absentee ballot restrictions, and voter ID at a recent board of elections meeting. More than a dozen residents advocated for the board to add extra Saturdays and Sundays.
“We asked that the board just keep voting open until early voting ends,” Pam Bloom, a Rowan County resident, told Salisbury Post.
North Carolina mandates that counties must keep polling locations open for early voting, and are required to keep them open every weekday and the last Saturday before Election Day, Nov. 4.
“The voices of the people need to be heard, and that can’t happen if people can’t get to the polls,” Bloom stated.
According to the Salisbury Post, the Rowan board did not vote on the early voting schedule, however, it is on the agenda for the board of elections meeting on Aug. 1.
