Henderson
In April of this year, the Henderson County Board of Elections decided to have only one early voting site for its 92,000 registered voters. A motion was made at the Henderson County Board of Elections meeting on Thursday, 10/10/2024 to increase that number to 3 sites, but the motion failed on party lines. Can you guess who voted against!
Note: Section 6.1.(a) of the Disaster Recovery Act appropriated 5 million dollars to the State Board of Elections; Section 9.1.(c) allows the State Board of Elections to use these funds to facilitate voting in the affected counties.
AND, the the definituon of by-partisan majority vote is a majority including at least one vote from a member of the board minorty whch means at least 1 Republican. THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. It was a vote on party lines by the three Ds to maintan only 1 early voting site.
To make this worse, the 3 to 2 vote was based on an 'absurb intrpretation' (humm) by NCSBE Attorney Paul Cox (D) of H149 as prohibing the addition of early voting sites in the 25 listed disaster counties. The NC House Council called him on it and he walked all of this back. Not Too late to Fix!!
Call
NC Rep Jake Johnson, ( District 113) Chair of NC House Oversight and Reform 919 715 4466
Senator Tim Moffitt (District 48) 919 733 5745
Senator Warren Daniel (District 49) 919 715 7823
NC Rep Jennifr Balkcom (District 117) 919 733 5956
The two other sites they rejected were in areas still struggling with power and internet issues and even getting gas. The BOE One Stop Early Voting is not a driving convenience for these disenfranchised folks. So how many are affected with the elimination of the two additional sites ...
Etowah Library site would have served 13,000.
Bible Baptist Church on Upward Rd would have served 15,500.
Isn't this just grand!
Pray nothing happens on election day like a family emergency, the car breaks down, the weather, can't get gas, roads out. Who knows. If you can't get to the BOE One Stop for Early Voting, you may be out of luck. Of course, we want you to vote early to assure your vote gets counter correctly and no one else votes in your place.
Tell these representatives and senators who represent you to get to the BOE today before the 5PM BOE meeting to demand the opening of early voting sites - a correction - and not the early votng disenfranchise of voters.
Call
NC Rep Jake Johnson, ( District 113) Chair of NC House Oversight and Reform 919 715 4466
Senator Tim Moffitt (District 48) 919 733 5745 (He needsto advocate for their constituents!)
Senator Warren Daniel (District 49) 919 715 7823 Senate Rules and Election Committee
NC Rep Jennifr Balkcom (District 117) 919 733 5956 (She needs to advocate for her constituents!)
If you can make it, come to the Tuesday, October 15th BOE meeting at 5PM when this Board will decide which precincts will remain open on Election Day, and which precincts will have to be combined due to the flooding and damage. Also each Tuesday at 5PM during early voting, BOE members will meet to open and approve absentee ballots. Please try to make this. 75 East Central Street, Hendersonville, NC
Should you wish to contact the Henderson Co Board of Elections members about the decision to not increase the number of Early Voting sites to three, their email addresses are as follows:
Clay Eddleman (D)- ceddleman@hendersoncountync.gov
Debbie Dante (R) - ddante@hendersoncountync.gov
Sharon Pearson (D) - spearson@hendersoncountync.gov
Linda Rebuck - lrebuck@hendersoncountync.gov
Cindy Ellis (D) - board.cellis@hendersoncountync.gov
You will probably be told that all us well and it's all working out. Ask them if they checked with the folks in the affected areas about roads and other issues.
FYI: So how could some of this been avoided months ago?
The North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) that is constitutionally bound to run our elections) has appealed directly to the NC Supreme Court for review of S749 (passed in 2023), to reverse a District Court's ruling it is an unconstitutional infringement on separation of powers. That means that the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) would not be run out of the Governor's office (as it is now) but by the Secretary of State. (Right now: 3 wolves and 2 sheep deciding what to have for lunch on all 100 Boards of Elections) The NCSBE would become the State Board and they would be under the scrutiny of a non-partisan board screening all of their 'numbered memos' and out of control re-writing of state statutes. The State Board would consist of 4 Rs and 4 Ds. (Not 3Ds and 2 Rs) They must come to consenses and any pronouncements need to aligh with our NC State Election Law statutes. What a concept!
The expectation was that the NC Supreme Court (a conservative court) would rule in favor of the NCGA realigning the county & state boards for parity sometime this summer. It's Fall. That never happened, so here we are.
Other Henderson Issues at One Stop
The parking situation for Poll Observers who were never considered in the April One-Stop site plan for parking at O'Reilly's has finally been resolved - we hope. Hopefully, the agreement with Animal Care Clinic has been turned into a contract so the POs and the Greeters have parking space at the Animal Care Clinic. Perhaps the 1964 Civil Rights Act that Federally Protects Activities of Poll Watchers and other election officials was persuasive in getting a final resolution.
Porta Potties will be avalable at the BOE One Stop.
Early Voting begins Thursday, October 17th at 8AM to 7:30PM and runs through Saturday, Novmber 2nd from 9AM to 3PM. See complete list here.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5th, 2024.
Please volunteer to be a Poll Observer. We are the guardians of 'Easy to Vote and Hard To Cheat.' Contact Jane.Bilello@gmail.com 209 9863845. Thanks you and good luck to all of us.
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