The Durham County Republican Party is offering free rides to the DMV to any county resident who doesn’t have a photo I.D. to vote and wants to obtain one. An I.D. will be required to ve in North Carolina beginning in 2016. Following is the text of a press release received Thursday morning.
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Durham GOP Announces DMV Day Initiative for Voters In Need of an ID
September 14th-The Durham County Republican Party announced a new program to help Durham voters comply with the Voter ID law, which will give confidence to North Carolina voters that their elections are fair and accurate.
Theodore Hicks, Chairman of the Durham County GOP, made the announcement at a gathering of local Republicans shortly after honoring Mr. Willis Lassiter for serving the Durham County Republican Party for 50 years. Mr. Lassiter was born in 1934, the son of a sharecropper. He served in the US Army for 6 years before beginning a 27-year career with IBM. His work as a Republican election judge started in 1963.
Mr. Lassiter told the audience he went “from the backside of a mule to riding first class in a 747.” He went on to say, “You don’t have to remain in the same environment in which you were born. If you have faith, stick-to-it-ness, and a desire to better yourself, you can be successful. Whatever you are, you are because of God. And with God’s help, all things are possible.”
After bestowing the award, Chairman Hicks spoke briefly about the history of the Republican Party. The Republican Party was responsible for passage of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States. It was again the Republican Party that passed the 15th Amendment, giving the freed slaves the right to vote. In the 1960s, it was again the Republican Party that advanced both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Both laws saw far more support from the Republican Party than the Democratic Party. It was the Republican Party that stopped the 57-day-long filibuster of the 1964 act.
Chairman Hicks stated, “The Democrats and the left claim that the Voter ID law recently passed in this state was passed to disenfranchise the black and the poor voter. In reality, the Voter ID law was passed to protect the integrity of the voting process.” Hicks then quoted scripture by stating, “Faith without works is dead.”
As a result, Chairman Hicks announced that the Durham County Republican Party will offer transportation to the DMV to any Durham County resident who does not have a valid photo ID to facilitate compliance with the new law. This offer is made to any Durham County resident who is eligible to vote regardless of their political affiliation, their race, or their economic status.
Chairman Hicks closed by stating, “The Durham County Republican Party wants every eligible voter to be able to cast a valid vote come Election Day 2016.”
If you or someone you know needs transportation to the Durham DMV to obtain a valid photo ID, please contact the Durham County Republican Party at 919-695-3467 or [email protected].