Were you frustrated by the long lines at early voting? The Charlotte Observers @tbatten1 writes that the biggest, least talked about election law change was elimination of the convenience of straight party voting. More than half of all voters took advantage of this convenience that dramatically reduces the amount of time to vote while allowing each voter to vote across party lines in whichever race he or she wishes. The Senate leadership knew that this would increase lines at the polls, particularly in African-American precincts since African-Americans traditionally took greater advantage of this option. You dont believe me that they fully understood what they were doing? Watch this exchange between Sen. Rucho and me debating the election bill in 2013, starting at 3:49. I asked what analysis had been done on impact on lines given that eliminating straight party voting would increase each persons time in the booth by a factor of 10-15. Sen. Rucho (starting at 5:02) fails to address my question arguing instead that other states dont do it. That fact was irrelevant to its impact on NC voters. The Senate Republicans didnt need to do the analysis because they knew that it would lengthen lines, which is precisely what they wanted.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 15:56:30 +0000