The Forsyth County Board of Elections voted Tuesday to table proposals introduced by Chairman Ken Raymond that would have placed security officers at the county’s One Stop early voting site and required a stricter policy on returning voter registration forms collected during registration drives.
The topic of security officers at One Stop sites was not listed on the agenda. Raymond brought it up during the “Other Business” portion of the meeting.
Raymond, a Republican, proposed that the board acquire at least two building security officers “specifically to help election workers maintain order at the government center during One-Stop voting.”
He said that at a Board of Elections meeting on Feb. 7, 2011, several residents alleged that election law violations occurred during the 2009 municipal elections.
Fleming El-Amin, the lone Democrat on the board, raised concerns about the “Gestapo” appearance of having officers at the site and how it could discourage voting.
“For most people, perception is the only reality,” El-Amin said.
El-Amin asked Raymond to clarify “maintain order.” Raymond gave as an example if an overzealous campaign worker was electioneering within the voting enclosure.
Stuart Russell, a Republican and the board secretary, said he would like to know how much such a plan would cost. He said there may be other ways to address election issues without posting security officers there. He made a motion to table the item, which was unanimously approved by the board.
The votes were taken before a packed house, as more than 40 students from Winston-Salem State University attended the meeting in response to earlier comments from Raymond that he was considering shutting down the early voting site at the Anderson Center at WSSU.
Olivia Sedwick, chief of staff for the WSSU Student Government Association, said, “I saw glimpses of partisan politics tonight.”
She said though students had heard that the board would not vote on the Anderson issue, they still wanted to attend the meeting to engage in government and show the board that they are paying attention.
Raymond read a statement at the start of the meeting that the Anderson Center item would not be discussed until next year. He stated after the meeting that it had never been his intention to bring up the matter for a vote on Tuesday. The board did not allow public comments about the Anderson Center.
Bryant Bell, president of the student body at WSSU, said he understood why the board postponed the item.
He said students are also interested in seeing if other policies could be implemented that would affect them.
“We will be watching,” Bell said.
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