Saturday's No. 2 editorial.
The Guilford County commissioners were right to reject Commissioner Steve Arnold’s challenge Thursday to the county’s early voting sites. But Arnold has raised a legitimate concern that should be addressed before the county elections board next chooses sites.
Arnold wants early voting to take place only in courthouses and town halls. He doesn’t like the location of most of the county’s sites because he says they have been placed in areas favoring Democrats.
It’s true that some sites are in heavily Democratic areas. That’s inevitable, as the county’s voters are half Democrat and only a third Republican. Still, there are voting sites in areas — such as in Oak Ridge — that lean more Republican than Democratic.
Looking at a map of the county’s 19 sites, one gets the sense that the three-person elections board mainly was trying to pick places that would be convenient to the most voters.
Still, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for improvement in site selection. North High Point — a Republican stronghold — didn’t get an early voting location, but two are located near one other in the city’s core, where more Democratic voters live.
While population density appears to have determined site picks, in the future it might be good for the board to pay more attention to making sure all geographical areas are served.
Arnold’s idea of limiting the sites to a few government buildings is not wise. Fewer sites would likely mean fewer early voters. Is that what Arnold is after?
It may be. The truth is that Arnold doesn’t much like early voting. “I move farther and farther away from appreciating the value of early voting,” he told News & Record reporter Gerald Witt.
Arnold may not like the practice, but personal preference is no reason for trying to discourage it throughout Guilford County.
Comments (1)
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Anyone who believes that the Democrat dominated Guilford County Elections Board did not put these sites where they are for political reason is either a fool or, well they are just a fool.
this is where the newpaper could really tell the truth, but instead tries to cover for the Democrat party in Guilford by justifying their gerrimandering of the early voting sites.
I give for example the voting on Sunday... Now where do we think the buses will be parked to take church goers to vote. We know where they'll be.
This just shows how the Greensboro News and Record is nothing but a Democrat rag, that hides the truth to the people they say they wish to serve,and of course this explains why their readership has declined and revenues are down......
Posted on October 4, 2008 10:02 PM