Idea of absentee voting gaining attention
Photo by Donna Rogers
Members of the African-American Caucus of the Forsyth County Democratic Party Jacquelyne Barber Branch pose with several candidates for elected office after its Candidate Meet and Greet on Saturday, Jan. 30. Shown here are on the front row (L-R) Sophia Kennedy, secretary of the caucus; Sarah Hill Carter, member; Chenita Johnson, caucus president; Gardenia Henley, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives District 12; Sean Grier, representing Chris Rey, candidate for U.S. Senate; and Ronald Buchanan, member. Shown on the second row (L-R) are Daniel Blue III, candidate for N.C. treasurer; Earline Parmon representing Rep. Alma Adams, incumbent candidate for U.S. House of Representatives District 12; and Henry J. Pankey, candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Shown on the back row (L-R) John Lawson, candidate for Winston-Salem City Council-South Ward; and Bobby Wilson, member.
By Donna Rogers
The Chronicle
An event that allowed voters to meet and greet candidates ended with a surprise plea: Encourage people to vote absentee.
Earline Parmon, first vice president of the Winston-Salem Branch of the NAACP, asked the audience to encourage people to get absentee ballots to vote “so they will not have to face the embarrassment of being turned away in this era of voter disenfranchisement.”
Several groups are advocating this tactic for voting in the March 15 primaries in light of the 2013 N.C. law that restricts voting mechanisms.
The African-American Caucus of the Forsyth County Democratic Party Jacquelyne Barber Branch held its Candidate Meet and Greet on Saturday, Jan. 30 at Forsyth County Democratic Party Headquarters on Burke Street.
“You can actually start requesting absentee ballots as of today,” Parmon said. People can go online and request those ballots at http://www.ncsbe.gov/Voting/Absentee-Voting.
“You can vote ‘no excuse’ absentee ballot,” Parmon said. “I’m encouraging people to vote absentee and vote in the privacy of their home, because you don’t have to stand in line, you don’t have to be confused.”
Parmon said people are going to be confused during the primary elections because the voting rules are confusing since not all parts of the 2013 N.C. voting law will be implemented on March 15.
She mentioned that early voting is March 2 through the 12, although Forsyth County voters don’t know the early voting sites yet because the N.C. State Board of Elections must rule on a contested site.
The African American Caucus (AAC) of the Forsyth County Democratic Party Jacquelyne Barber Branch was the first branch formed under the statewide African-American Caucus of the North Carolina Democratic Party. It was officially organized in May 2003. In May 2007, the name was changed to honor longtime Democrat and founding AAC member Jacquelyne Barber.
According to a pamphlet, the branch “seeks the full representation of African-Americans and their affairs at all levels in all activities to support their continued success within the Forsyth County Democratic Party.”
Chenita Johnson, president, said the organization holds forums in barber shops to discuss issues in the community, disseminates a Voter Check-up list to help voters determine whether they have everything they need to vote, and holds primary forums in Winston-Salem wards that have contested races. She said the caucus might hold such a forum in the Northeast Ward before the March 15 Democratic Primary because it is contested.
Go to https://www.facebook.com/africanamericancaucusforsythncdp or contact Johnson at chenitajohn@hotmail.com to reach the organization.
Candidates listed on the printed program for the African-American Caucus of the Forsyth County Democratic Party Jacquelyne Barber Branch event were:
*Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives District 12: Rep. Alma Adams (incumbent, sent representative)
*Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives District 12: Gardenia Henley (Winston- Salem)
*Candidate for Lieutenant Governor: Robert Earl Wilson (Cary)
*Candidate for Lieutenant Governor: Linda Coleman (Raleigh)
*Candidate for N.C. Attorney General: Marcus W. Williams (Lumberton)
*Candidate for N.C. Treasurer: Daniel Blue III (Raleigh)
*Candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction: Henry J. Pankey (Durham)
*Candidate for Winston-Salem City Council-South Ward: Carolyn Highsmith (Winston-Salem)
*Candidate for Winston-Salem City Council-South Ward: John Lawson (Winston-Salem)
*Candidate for U.S. Senate: Chris Rey (Spring Lake) – (sent representative)
Other candidates who showed up included Keith King, a candidate for Winston-Salem City Council-Northeast Ward; and Mazie Butler Ferguson of Greensboro, a candidate for Labor Commissioner.
