Editorial: Bipartisan local voting officials rightly warn GOP bills will 'harm' election integrity

Monday, July 16, 2023 -- The warnings offered by these knowledgeable and properly concerned local elections officials must be heeded and the misguided GOP elections legislation dropped.

Posted 9:00 a.m. Jul 17 — Updated 4:12 p.m. Jul 17

CBC Editorial: Monday, July 17 2023; editorial #8859

The following is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Company

Why do states have laws to govern elections?

To assure that ALL those who are eligible (regardless of race, gender, place of residence or political affiliation) to vote have the opportunity to register and cast ballots in elections.
To ensure that the administration of elections is conducted in a way that assures the process is transparent, fair, secure and every properly cast vote is counted.

When states adopt laws concerning elections and voting, the intention is to fulfill those objectives. It is to make sure as many people who are eligible to vote – at least 7.3 million in North Carolina today -- have the opportunity to cast their ballots in elections that are conducted in an open and orderly manner.

That’s not what the leaders of the General Assembly appear to want. They believe, based on the kinds of legislation they’re pushing, election laws should be framed to favor: a particular political party; or voters who live in select places; or voters of a certain race.

Polling places, they believe, shouldn’t be convenient and dignified sites where democracy’s most sacred obligation is conducted and the sanctity of the secret ballot is revered. Rather, they believe voting sites should be chaotic madhouses where so-called “observers” wander freely to intimidate elections officials and look over their shoulders as voters fill their ballots.

This is no partisan or knee-jerk assessment. Last week a bipartisan group of experienced local elections officials courageously expressed their worries in a stark and frank letter to members of the General Assembly. Elections legislation proposed by Republican legislative leaders, they warned would “harm rather than protect the integrity of our elections.”

A bill that would give “partisan observers” the ability to move freely around polling places as voters cast ballots and make video and audio recordings “would be disruptive, impossible to supervise, and increase rather than reduce voters’ concerns about secure and secret balloting.”

Would Senate leader Phil Berger or House Speaker Tim Moore permit “observers” to wander the aisles of the House and Senate chambers as legislators voted to be sure all was being done according to law? No way. In the General Assembly they’ve rounded up and arrested peaceful observers who were keeping their appropriate distance.

The letter from the 16 Republican and 16 Democratic local elections officials generously assessed the likely harmful consequences of these election bills as “unintended.”

We’re not so sure we share that polite observation.

Regardless, the clear NONPARTISAN message in these election officials’ letter is this legislation isn’t merely unnecessary but a clear and present danger to our election process and a hindrance to participation by eligible voters.

One most perceptive recommendations these local elections officials suggest – and it would be a radical departure for vacuum the current legislator leaders operate in – is to take up the offer to contact “county elections board members and staff to hear their concerns.” What a concept! Hearing from and considering the views of those who both know the impact and would be most affected by the proposals.

Rather than seeking ways to make it more difficult and disruptive for eligible people to register and cast ballots – and those tasked with administering elections -- our legislators should be looking at ways to make voting easier and more accessible.

For example, rather than reducing programs to help students register to vote as they become eligible, they should be expand a focus on civics and citizenship in our public schools.

Rather than reducing the number of days and sites for early voting, they should be expanded. Rather than limiting the time frame for acceptance of mail-in ballots cast by Election Day, they should make sure every eligible ballot is counted.

It was no small act – courageous is an appropriate description-- for this bipartisan group to raise their concerns in such a frank manner. They well know such an act of temerity can become an opportunity for example setting and retribution directed at those who even appropriately and politely question the actions of legislative leaders.

The warnings offered by these knowledgeable and properly concerned local elections officials must be heeded and the misguided legislation dropped.

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