Winston-Salem Journal
Take all of the changes that the past 20 years have brought to our lifestyles ó the Internet, iPhones, shopping, etc. ó and one word categorizes them: ěflexibility.î
In 2011, Americans want flexibility in performing their duties and in pursuing their interests. Thatís why a voting bill filed in the state Senate makes absolutely no sense for todayís way of life. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Macon, wants to curtail the flexibility that early voting has given North Carolinians over the past dozen years.
Itís hard to believe that Davis has any motive other than the interests of the Republican Party in mind as he proposes to shrink the early voting period by one week, eliminate Sunday voting and stop ěsame-day registration.î
Republicans have fought early voting going back to the first legislative efforts in the 1990s. By 2001, North Carolina had an early voting law, and the first beneficiaries were Democrats. After expansion of the law in 2007, President Obama benefited in 2008, winning the early voting by a huge margin and then hanging on to win the state by 14,000 votes after losing by 291,000 votes on Election Day.
But a partisan agenda makes no sense, either. Thatís because Republicans have also benefited from early voting. After the initial Democratic advantages in 2002 elections, Republicans caught up in subsequent elections. Early voting is particularly appreciated in the suburbs, which trend Republican, because they provide the same kind of flexibility for busy people as DVRs and cell phones. And, in 2010, Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, put together a concerted early-voting effort and won the pre-Election Day vote.
Davis says his bill has nothing to do with partisan interests; he says he wants to save money.
In a country that spends nearly $1 trillion a year to protect its democracy from foreign threats, Davis wants to save a few bucks by curtailing voter turnout? We donít buy that. …
Voters today want flexibility. This bill should die.