Political notebook – People complain of Democratic voting guides in voting booths

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Staff report
Local Democratic volunteers are doing their jobs well outside local polling sites.
In fact, they may be doing those jobs a little too well.
Democratic volunteers are distributing blue cards to voters as they enter the polling sites. The cards list the Democratic candidates for various local, state and national offices.
The volunteers are also asking voters to mark a straight Democratic ticket. As long as they adhere to a marked distance past which campaigning is not allowed, there’s nothing wrong with the actions of those volunteers.
But Nancy Evans, director of the Rowan County Board of Elections, said she’s gotten a handful of complaints from people upset that they’re entering voting booths and finding blue cards waiting for them. Those cards are the ones the Democrats are distributing that ask voters to vote Democratic.
Evans said she and her workers are striving to keep those voting booths clean, but it’s almost impossible to make sure that every voter takes his or her brochures as they exit.
Thus far, local Republicans have apparently not followed the actions of their Democratic counterparts and begun distributing voter guides outside area polling sites.
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Secretary of State Elaine Marshall will be at Rowan Democratic Headquarters today from 4 to 6 p.m. for a wine and cheese meet and greet.
The public is invited.
The Rowan Democratic Headquarters is at 121 E. Innes St.
nnnThe Salisbury Post, the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce and Catawba College are sponsoring a candidates forum from 6 to 8:30 p.m. this evening at Hedrick Little Theater at Catawba College.
Candidates for the Rowan County Board of Commissioners, N.C. Senate District 34 and N.C. State House District 77 will present their platforms and take questions.
Dr. Michael BItzer, associate professor of History and Politics, will moderate.
nnnSeveral races in North Carolina remain razor-thin, according to polls by SurveyUSA Election.
According to those surveys, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are deadlocked with support of 47 percent of the voters.
In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Elizabeth Dole and Democratic challenger Kay Hagan are effectively tied ó with 46 percent of voters supporting Hagan and 45 percent backing Dole.
In the race for governor, Republican Pat McCrory has 46 percent of the vote while Democrat Beverly Perdue follows with 43 percent.
Compared to an identical SurveyUSA tracking poll two weeks ago: McCain is down 2 points, Obama is up 1; Dole is up 1; Hagan is up 3; Libertarian Chris Cole is down 2; McCrory is flat;Perdue is down 2; but Libertarian Mike Munger is up 3.