At the conclusion of the Rowan County Board of Elections meeting on June 10, members did not achieve a unanimous vote. At that point Dave Collins, chair, said that the decision would move to the NC State Board with Elaine Hewitt representing the majority with Plan A and Evelyn Medina representing the minority with Plan C. No additional information has been added to the Elections Board website as regards the meeting of the State Board of Elections as of Wednesday, June 17.
Meanwhile, read descriptions of what attendees Keith Carney, Donnie Clifford, John Doherty, and Nan Lund observed at the meeting.
Keith Carney – Can We Get an Explanation?
Keith Carney – I am disappointed by Wednesday’s Rowan County Board of Elections meeting. The board voted on the early voting calendar for this fall’s election, deciding how many days, including weekends, Rowan County voters would have to cast their ballots. Three members, Dave Collins, Elaine Hewitt and John Leatherman, chose Plan A, the most restrictive option, while offering no clear explanation for why a broader schedule was not in the public’s best interest. Board members Evelyn Medina and Deedee Wright repeatedly asked for factual reasons and even offered a compromise by supporting Plan C. Their compromise was rejected. The decision now moves to the N.C. State Board of Elections.
I spoke at that meeting. My message was simple.
The right to vote is sacred. Not sacred in a partisan sense, but sacred in the American sense. It is how every citizen, regardless of income, work schedule, or circumstance, says: my voice counts here.
In 2024, 4.2 million of 5.7 million North Carolina voters, nearly three-quarters, voted early. These are not people gaming the system. They are truck drivers far from home on Election Day, military families managing deployments, and small business owners who cannot close for an afternoon. They are our Rowan County neighbors, not somebody else.
Cutting access does not reduce the number of people who need to vote. It concentrates them, creates longer lines and places an unfair burden on the very election workers the board wants to protect. Every time voting gets harder, it does not get harder equally. People with flexibility and resources will find a way. Those with the least flexibility in their lives feel every hour of access that disappears. That is not just a logistical reality; it is a moral one.
The moment a board supports a system that works better for some citizens than others, it has stopped running elections and started attempting to shape outcomes.
I believe in an election decided by who voted, not by who was able to vote. Rowan County deserves better.
Donald E. Clifford: Election Board Meeting – I came away from the June 10 meeting of the Rowan County election board with a very bad taste in my mouth. It enrages me that people who take on the responsibility of making decisions in the best interest of our fellow citizens can come into a vote discussion with a predisposed opinion. It is very troublesome that a certain member came right out and said he (a Republican) wanted the state to make the decision for us and even after hearing many logical arguments in favor of hours and dates that would enable our citizens, especially the elderly and working parents, he refused to compromise. Instead, he stood pat and forced the decision to go to Raleigh. Funny how people who complain about big government bend a knee to their party’s powerful when it suits their agenda, even when it hampers the rights of the community they supposedly serve
John Doherty: We Know the Real Reason – I attended the June 10 Rowan County Board of Elections (BOE) meeting. The most anticipated agenda item was the BOE’s expected vote on how many early voting days Rowan County citizens would be “allowed.” Wow! What a disappointment!
The BOE consists of three Republicans and two Democrats. The two Democratic members persistently asked their Republican colleagues why the BOE would do anything else but establish “Plan E,” which contains the most days and hours (including two Sundays), as the county’s plan. With “Plan E,” Rowan Countians would have had 17 straight days of opportunities to cast their ballots at a convenient time. These Democratic inquiries were met by the Republicans’ deafening silence or obfuscatory argumentation.
One of the Democratic BOE members asked the Republican BOE chair why there were only 15 minutes allotted for public comment. This query was dismissed by the idea that “We’ve always done it this way.” Given that there were 31 citizens attending the meeting in an adjoining room on Zoom, the public interest was not served. Only five or six citizens were allowed to speak directly to the BOE. Public comments were simply stopped after 15 (!) minutes. This was simply not right.
Had the BOE responded more affirmatively to the idea of sufficient public commentary, it might have been reminded again that North Carolinians, by a wide margin, prefer early voting. In 2024, 74 percent of North Carolinians voted early, the highest percentage ever (Common Cause North Carolina).
There comes a point where political power meets the challenge of societal morality. Rowan County’s BOE has an opportunity to do the ethical thing. Expanding access to the ballot should be what the BOE is about. It unfortunately is not. The atmosphere of the meeting was chillingly dysfunctional. And people of reason know why.
Nan Lund: Bad Day for Democracy – The Rowan County Board of Election meeting held this week was a demonstration on how democracy dies. These open meetings have been an important way for the community to participate and voice opinions about where and when voting will occur. No more. The room was restricted to those who chose to speak and the total time for public comment was set at 15 minutes which allowed for only a few comments to be heard. A large group who hoped to be present were confined to a separate room, which the chair threatened to vacate if any clapping or cheering went on.
Five options for early voting were up for discussion, with the number of days ranging from 10 to 17 days. When the 17-day option, which was the schedule in the last election was voted down by 2 members with no discussion, the proposers of that option requested there be some discussion as to why the maximum opportunities to vote should not be even considered. Those opposing the option would not explain their objections other than it was personal preference.
The option for the shortest time period was then presented and was defeated, primarily due to the lack of a Sunday, which has routinely been available to voters. The 2-to-2 voting continued through multiple options with some compromises offered and rejected. Discussion never led to an understanding of why the shortened time period is preferable to more days.
The final vote ended in a single negative vote from a board member who said the state should determine the days and times rather than individual counties. This lack of consensus sends the decision to the state, with the plan for 10 days being the preferred plan since the chair indicated it was consistent with his political affiliation.
Why have a county board at all if the decisions will be made at the state level? Why is this seen as a partisan issue? The voters of Rowan County are the losers when their interests are secondary to the quest for control by a single party.