My Turn, by Pam Bloom and Nan Lund: 10 Reasons for Saturday and Sunday Voting in Rowan in 2023

Published 12:00 am Sunday, July 16, 2023

1. Please add 2 additional Saturdays and 2 Sundays to the required One Stop/Early Voting Days for consecutive voting days beginning on the state mandated Oct. 19th and ending on the state mandated Nov. 4th.

2. Extended early voting helps solve expected issues. Saturday and Sunday voting is more important than ever with the implementation of the new Voter ID requirement for all voters that will result in longer wait times for many working people in our community.

3. More days, more opportunities for all voters. As of mid July, the current budget proposed by the NC legislature does not include budgeting for voter education about Voter ID or proposed changes in absentee voting. This lack of concern for educating the public makes it more important than ever to locally maintain the most accessible voting hours possible for all voters.

4. Voting is a constitutional right in NC, not a privilege. All voters deserve ample opportunity to make their voice heard through their vote.

5. Rowan County is a large county and there is only one Early Voting site available for the entire county during this year’s early voting period. Additional weekend days would help voters who work full time and other voters who must travel a long distance to the election site.

6. Transportation. Many elderly and working people who choose to vote in person and do not have transportation would benefit from more weekend voting times in order to coordinate with family and friends to get a ride to vote.

7. Confidence in our local Elections Board. With all the changes to our voting process dictated from Raleigh this year, voters will need to depend upon their local Election Boards to provide voting times accessible to as many eligible voters as possible.

8. Confusion with changes. All the new changes to our voting process will inevitably cause confusion for voters in 2023, but more voting times will cut down on the number of voters who may end up having to cast provisional ballots, and thereby save time and money in the long term.

9. Why limit voting? Why would you want to limit voting if you can provide accessible voting to all voters?

10. Tradition. Rowan County Voters are accustomed to Saturday and Sunday voting in Rowan County.

Pam Bloom and Nan Lund live in Rowan County and are known as The Two Nanas.