Souls to the Polls at St. Paul UMC on Saturday
Photo by Tevin Stinson
A poll worker helps citizens cast their ballots at the Forsyth County Board of Elections on Friday, March 4. This is the first time N.C. voters are required to show photo ID to vote.
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
Democracy N.C. and the local NAACP will be conducting Souls to the Polls Saturday, March 12, at St. Paul United Methodist Church.
This is St. Paul’s first year as an early voting site and organizers are hoping to attract voters to cast their ballots at the church on the final day of early voting. Volunteers will be providing refreshments and nonpartisan voting information. The event will be held at St. Paul, 2400 Dellabrook Road, when polls are open from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. While Souls to the Polls is commonly done on Sunday, that’s not an option in Forsyth County since there are no Sunday hours for early voting.
Democracy N.C. Field Organizer Linda Sutton said people should come out any way they can during early voting to exercise their hard-fought right to vote during a vital election.
“Voting is the hallmark of what this country stands for,” she said. “It’s the hallmark of democracy.”
Sutton said St. Paul had the lowest turnout when the satellite early voting sites opened on Monday, and she is hoping to increase its turnout with the event.
Since same day registration is still in effect due to a court action, eligible voters can register on the spot. For voters who are registered, if a problem is discovered with their registration, it can be fixed during early voting.
Though most voters are required to show a government issued photo ID like a driver’s license, the N.C. Board of Elections is promising no voter will be turned away because they lack an ID. Voters who are unable to get an acceptable ID can still vote by providing their date of birth and the last four digits of their social security number (or by presenting their voter ID card or an accept-able document bearing their name and address like a utility bill), and sign a declaration stating the impediment that prevented them from getting the ID.
