The elections that just started in Guilford County are the first ones in the history of the county where voters have to show an ID to vote.
So you’d expect some problems to arise – such as, say, an angry voter wannabe, one who didn’t know about the new law, being told he or she cannot vote since they can’t produce a valid accepted ID.
You would certainly expect quite a few problems, but this week Guilford County Board of Elections Director Charlie Collicutt said that, so far at least – based on the limited municipal elections that have opened up at this point – there hasn’t been one case he knows of where this has been an issue.
“It seems to be going very well,” Collicutt said of implementing the new rule.
It’s a little surprising because anytime you introduce a major change to a massive endeavor such as putting on an election, you would expect problems.
It may be a blessing to election officials across the state that the requirement is being introduced now with towns and cities voting first – such as Jamestown and High Point, where early voting is already underway.
The smaller elections in the county’s towns and cities can act as a trial run for the new Voter ID law before the upcoming 2024 presidential election – which promises to be a wild spectacle with angry accusations flying from before the first ballot is cast.
Collicutt said that one thing he thinks has helped is a significant public awareness campaign to get the word out to voters that they will need a valid ID to vote. He said the information campaign so far has targeted those places where the voting has begun, but he added that effort will expand as larger cities start voting.
“We will have bigger outreach as the election goes on,” Collicutt said of advertising the new ID requirement to the electorate.
Amazing! A little common sense being used. Can you imagine that in Greensboro?
A vote is a privilege. Perhaps individuals who have voted so far have been pleased this privilege is finally being taken seriously by the powers that be.
BOUT TIME
And what of absentee ballots?
Wonder if the school system has stopped taking voting age students to polling places? I think that was probably a democrat policy which wanted to get as many yung voting age students to the polls. Of course, if they are of voting age, why would they need the school system to take them to vote when many of them have cars, or go with their parents, etc? Also, I doubt this plan was conceived by democrats and not conservatives.
Many local govt employees are given time off, and transportation to the polls, to vote for their employer.
The rest of us make our own way.