Today, the Rowan Board of Elections will vote on the schedule for early voting (one-stop voting) for the November general election. The meeting will be virtual.

The key issue will be whether or not to implement Sunday voting for Rowan County.

It’s important that every legal voter take the opportunity to vote. That does not require implementing Sunday voting. If implemented, it will not go away. Currently, election workers are able to have at least one day of rest.

For most of our country’s history, voting was only allowed on Election Day. Our current N.C. system of early voting (one-stop voting) didn’t come into being until 2001.

Now we have:

• Early voting Monday thru Saturday for close to two weeks.

• Voters can register at the early voting location when they go to vote.

• Voters can vote at any of the multiple polling locations during early voting.

• Voters can request an absentee ballot to be sent to them so they can vote in the safety and quiet of their own home. No excuse is required (such as illness, handicap, or travel).

• Curbside voting is available at the polling locations for the handicapped.

The Rowan Board of Elections can follow guidance from the state on minimum voting hours without implementing Sunday voting.

For the small proportion of people who work all the hours of Monday through Saturday voting and who have only Sunday as their day off, they can rest on Sunday and request an absentee ballot to be sent to their home.

There is no need for Sunday voting in Rowan County. Send your input to: Tracy.Speaks@rowancountync.gov.

— Elaine Hewitt

Cleveland