On February 7, 2023 Jeanne Dixon, as a private citizen, presented information on behalf of herself and fellow Kannapolis resident Dianne Sartiano to the Rowan County Board of Elections proposing an additional One/Stop Early Voting site to be located within Kannapolis.
Most people do not know that Kannapolis is in Rowan County. The City of Kannapolis includes a newsletter with their water bill. Every voting season, the newsletter will list the Early Voting sites. However, all the sites listed were in Cabarrus County. Finally, in 2022, the newsletter did include the Rowan County Early Voting sites.
Kannapolis is no longer the ‘City of Looms’. The old mill has been replaced by the Research Center. Duke, UNC, and Rowan Cabarrus Community College have buildings there. Many companies have established research centers in the Core Building. Our new City Hall is magnificent!
Kannapolis, NC is the 19th largest city in North Carolina. The 2020 US Census states that the population was 53,114. It has a current growth rate of 1.9% per year. Currently, the population is 56,261. This is a growth rate of almost 6% since 2020. (The 2020 US Census states that Rowan County had a population of 146,875 and the population of Salisbury was 35,540.)
The majority of Rowan residents in Kannapolis are not aware that there is a South Rowan Library; if they are, they haven’t a clue where it is. They use the Kannapolis Library, which is located conveniently in the center of town, next to the ‘Y’ and the Village Park. In the past, when people got their news from newspapers, Rowan residents of Kannapolis opted for the delivery of the Charlotte Observer or the Independent Tribune, which covered Kannapolis and Concord.
When it comes time to Early Vote, most Rowan residents in Kannapolis either wait to vote on Election Day (local polling places are convenient) or opt out of voting altogether.
It is important that we not shut out Rowan residents of Kannapolis. It is requested that the Board of Elections consider having an Early Voting Site in Kannapolis. Not only will the Rowan residents of East Kannapolis, West Kannapolis and Blackwelder use it, but it will also draw in people from the municipalities of Landis and China Grove. Many people from other precincts, who now work in Kannapolis would benefit from a convenient site near their workplace in southern Rowan County.
I am appending a copy of a paper from the ELECTION LAW JOURNAL, Volume 19, Number 4, 2020 entitled ‘MOBILIZING THE YOUTH VOTE? EARLY VOTING ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES’. Basically, the article states that increasing the number of Early Voting Sites to include College Campuses increases the number of young voters significantly. The article states, “We find evidence that many young registrants, who tend to be low-propensity voters especially in non-presidential elections, turned out in 2018 because information and transportation barriers were lowered, making the voting process more convenient.”
From this, you can say that increasing the Early Voting Sites to include Kannapolis will increase the number of voters significantly!
P.S.
Kannapolis has been getting national attention and recognition. It has one of the 10 best public restrooms in the country – The Pump Station. Also, it is home to the 2022 Best Ballfield in the nation. The Atrium Ballfield not only beat all Minor League Fields, but outdid the Major League ones too. Go Cannon Ballers!
Jeanne Dixon & Dianne Sartiano