State Elections Board to hear Montravias King, Watauga County appeals

[struggle4progress]

Submitted by cjarvis on 2013-08-27 15:50

Watauga County's plan to eliminate a campus voting location and Montravias King stifled political bid will get a hearing before the State Board of Elections next week in a meeting that is sure to draw a crowd.

The state board announced late Monday it would hold a Sept. 3 meeting to address the hotly debated elections moves that are generating national attention.

The new Republican-led board will hear appeals toWatauga County’s plans to eliminate a one-stop voting location on the Appalachian State University campus for the 2013 municipal election, a move that may carry broader implications for future elections.

King will appeal a Republican effort to keep him from running for city council using his dorm address as his residency. The story of King, an Elizabeth City college student, is getting huge play from Rachel Maddow on MSNBC. The meeting starts at 1 p.m. at the SBOE offices in Raleigh.

http://projects.newsobserver.com/node/28272

[MostlyAmused]

1. There is also a Pitt County appeal on the agenda for this meeting - do you know what that is about?

The agenda lists three appeals to be heard at this meeting - Montravias King, the Watauga alternative one stop voting plan, and the Pitt County alternative one stop voting plan.

I know about King and Watauga, but cannot track down the Pitt Co issue for background. Do you know anything about it?

I'm planning to be at the State BoE meeting, and would like to be prepared. Have left a voice mail with the NAACP looking for info, but have not heard anything from them either.

Is Pitt County appeal just a formality, or is there a story there to watch?

[struggle4progress]

2. Dunno. Mebbe try contacting these folk:

www.democracy-nc.org

[struggle4progress]

3. State elections board says Elizabeth City college student can seek local office

Published: September 3, 2013
Updated 4 minutes ago

By Anne Blythe — [e-mail]

RALEIGH — The state Board of Elections on Tuesday unanimously agreed that an Elizabeth City State University student can run for local office, reversing a decision by the Pasquotank County elections board ...

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/09/03/3161001/state-elections-board-says-elizabeth.html

[marions ghost]

5. Whew

Go Montravias.

I like his confidence. And his willingness to get into the gladiator ring....

[gklagan]

4. Watauga

Low voter turn out in municipal elections used to justify the Watauga plan.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/09/03/3160764/nc-general-assembly-returns-for.html

[marions ghost]

6. Here's the bad news about Wautauga County:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/09/03/3161001/state-elections-board-says-elizabeth.html

--"But in a 4-1 vote, the state board brushed aside an attempt to overturn a Watauga County elections board decision to close an early-voting site on the Appalachian State University campus for the coming municipal election.

The decisions came amid extensive state and national attention to rulings and proposals by new Republican-controlled county boards that critics describe as attempts to squelch the under-30 vote.

“They’re not leaning in favor of access for voters when they have discretion,” said Bob Hall of Democracy North Carolina, an election advocacy group. “But in the cases where the law’s very clear and there’s case-law precedent, they don’t want to look extreme so they don’t go beyond that.”