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Forsyth elections board extends early-voting hours
Journal photo by Jennifer Rotenizer
Voters lined up in the Forsyth County Government Center for early voting Friday.
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Published: October 31, 2008
Updated: 10/31/2008 12:48 pm
The Forsyth County Board of Elections voted 2-1 Friday to extend the hours for early voting on Saturday until 5 p.m.
Early voting had been scheduled to stop at 1 p.m. The state elections board on Thursday ordered all counties to extend the Saturday voting time to 5 p.m. unless a local elections board decided unanimously that it was not necessary.
The elections board had planned to make the decision on Saturday, but state elections officials ordered the Forsyth board to meet by noon today or face the removal of some of its members.
Eric Elliott, a Democrat and the chairman of the Forsyth County board of elections, cast the only dissenting vote. Elliott complained that the state was trying to intimidate the local board into changing the rules of the election after the election had already begun. He called it a terrible precedent that could expose the local board to accusations of partisanship.
Linda Sutton, the other Democrat on the three-member board, backed extending early voting to 5 p.m.
Elliott and Jerry Jordan, the board's only Republican, both slammed state elections officials for requiring that early voting be extended if only one of any county's three-member boards wanted the extension.
Jordan called that requirement "unconstitutional" and "un-American," but then surprised people by voting in favor of the extension.
Jordan said that he was voting in favor because GOP officials thought longer hours would help their party. Jordan said he also was voting in favor to preserve the principle of majority rule.
Election boards in North Carolina always consist of three members, with the party holding the office of state governor granted the majority on the board.
The local board has faced pressure in recent days to make more early voting sites available or otherwise make it possible for more people to vote early. Until today, the local elections board had declined to alter the voting arrangements.
By a 2-1 vote on Tuesday, the board decided against distributing a handout to voters reminding them that a straight-party vote does not cast a vote in the presidential race.
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