Asheville City Council voted to open more precincts for early voting in Asheville. At first, members of council spoke conservatively. Dr. Carl Mumpower asked to be recused, stating it was a moral, if not a legal, conflict of interest for somebody who has announced his candidacy to vote to change the way elections would be conducted. (The incrimination applied as well to three others who were unwilling to understand Mumpower’s position.) Bill Russell asked where the precincts would be, and named various regions biased greatly toward one party or the other. Robin Cape said she still had scars from the last time council tried to change the rules right before an election.
Then, the floor was opened for public comment. Former Senator Charles Carter and Mayor Terry Bellamy’s former campaign manager Isaac Coleman advocated for four more precincts. Fred English spoke about ACORN and voter fraud. Then, council agreed to open four more precincts for an additional week for the general election at a cost of $44,000 to $60,000.
My beef is that ACORN liked early voting. I surmise they liked it because they could swarm the precincts extra days swooping up drunks and whatnot. Carter said additional early voting will improve election results. With same-day registration, passersby need only fill out a form, pick up a partisan cheat sheet, and vote. Ballots from these people are so much more valuable than those of people invested enough to read the candidates’ web sites, attend debates, read candidate surveys, contact the candidates personally, and then haul themselves to the polls at any cost. Besides, the folks drifting around during business hours are inclined to advocate growing government to make sure those tied to a desk will pay for their entitlements.
