FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 27, 2016
Contact: Barrett Brown – barrettbrown1906@gmail.com or 336.512.2898
Alamance NAACP to Hold a Press Conference and March to Celebrate Recent Court Victories over State Level Voter Suppression While Condemning the Early Voting Plan Passed Unanimously by the Alamance County Board of Election
GRAHAM, NC – On October 29, 2016, at 12:30 pm, the Alamance Branch of the NC NAACP will hold a press conference and short “March to the Polls.” This event will be part of the statewide “It’s Our Time, It’s Our Vote” campaign to register, educate, mobilize and protect the vote in North Carolina. The Alamance County March is one of more than 50 marches across the state to promote Early Voting.
Join us as we also celebrate the historic voting rights victory in the case of “NC NAACP vs McCrory” when key portions of the voter suppression law, House Bill 589, were overturned by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Shamefully passed with the votes of Alamance County’s state legislators Ross, Riddell and Gunn and signed by Governor McCrory, HB 589 disenfranchised thousands of North Carolina voters in this year’s March Primary elections and would have continued an unconstitutional abridgment of the vote were it not for court action. Because of this victory, North Carolinians will NOT need a Photo ID to vote in this election, Early Voting is available from October 20th until November 5th, and if a voter is not yet registered, they can register and vote on the same-day during Early Voting.
While celebrating our victory over HB 589, we will also gather to condemn the voter suppression Early Voting plan passed unanimously by both Republican and Democrat members of the Alamance County Board of Elections. In particular, we condemn the cutting of Early Voting locations from Mebane and Burlington to a single location in Graham during the first five days of Early Voting. The plan also bunches two Early Voting locations in Burlington only 2.5 miles apart during the remaining days of Early Voting, thus wasting resources and leaving other densely populated areas of the county without convenient early voting. Our BOE also continues to offer fewer Early Voting hours outside of the conventional work week than 66 other NC counties and continues to offer no Sunday voting. These policies that disproportionately affect working poor and minority voters.
Taken together these decisions by the Alamance County BOE have the effect of reducing and limiting access to Early Voting for voters of every age, race, class, gender and political affiliation across our county. These reductions and limitations result in unnecessarily long lines, over-stressed poll workers and polling equipment and potential disorder, especially on Election Day. The effect is the reversal of many of the beneficial effects for voters of the court ruling striking down HB 589, and the consequent disenfranchisement of many Alamance County voters.
WHO: The Alamance Branch of the NAACP
WHAT: Press Conference and a short .2 mile “March to the Polls” as part of the NC NAACP’s statewide “It’s Our Time, It’s Our Vote” campaign to promote early voting and the protection and expansion of voting rights.
WHEN: Saturday, October 29, 2016 – 12:30 pm Press Conference, 1:00 pm March to the Polls
WHERE: Our Press Conference will be held at Graham Court Square, at the Historic Alamance County Courthouse at 1 SE Court Square, Graham NC. The March will begin at the Historic Alamance County Courthouse and end at the Court (Youth) Services Building, at 201 W Elm St, Graham, NC 27253.
Facebook event invite at: https://www.facebook.com/events/594168267441476/
Alamance NAACP Blog 