Sometimes it's the little things that preserve your right to vote

Sometimes it's the little things that preserve your right to vote, little things like words and HTML.

We've been inquiring for several days now about the NC State Board of Elections policy regarding real postmarks and absentee ballots. We asked why the voter education section of their web site makes no mention of the postmark issue while the campaign finance section does. Yesterday we received a response.

It turns out that the SBOE's policy is.....their policy.

Every elections official with whom I have communicated has done the same think when replying. They've quoted SBOE policy back to me, i.e. GS 163-231, which states that mail-in absentee ballots submitted after 5PM on election day will only be accepted if:

"a. Federal law so requires.

"b. The ballots issued under this Article are postmarked and that postmark is dated on or before the day of the statewide primary or general election or county bond election and are received by the county board of elections not later than three days after the election by 5:00 p.m.

"c. The ballots issued under Article 21A of this Chapter are received by the county board of elections not later than the end of business on the business day before the canvass conducted by the county board of elections held pursuant to G.S. 163-182.5."

That's the policy. But thus far the implementation of the policy has not involved communicating with the voters about the postmark issue.  So in addition to not mentioning postmarks on their web site, that information is also not included when the ballot is mailed to the voter.

That's unconscionable, and especially so when the fix is such an easy one.

SBOE is going "to see" about adding the postmark information to their web site. I'm thinking there needs to be another letter-writing campaign.

Because sometimes it's the little things that preserve your right to vote. Little things like words, an email account, and your willingness to take 10 minutes out of your life to make a stand for what's right.