Baptist Ministers’ Union Speaks Out on Voter Challenges
“The Baptist Ministers’ Union of Asheville and Surrounding Counties was recently informed that The Voter Integrity Project has challenged 182 voters,” said BMU President Reverend Dr. L. C. Ray.
He pointed out that the challenged voters are residents of 11 Asheville precincts including Hall Fletcher, Shiloh, Burton Street, and the public housing developments of Hillcrest, Livingston, and Aston Park Towers.
“We agree with the League of Women Voters that the Voter Integrity Project appears to target low-income communities and African Americans communities, since the other 69 precincts were not challenged. The Baptist Ministers’ Union of Asheville will contact the Board of Elections to voice our concerns about the process in which these individual voters or group of voters is unfairly targeted by the Voter Integrity Project,” Ray continued.
In a statement, Ray encouraged all community members “to become aware of the new rules for voting and to be prepared to combat any unfounded challenges with information to validate their eligibility and Constitutional right to vote.”
The “new rules” he referred to are laws passed by the Republican majority in the state legislature in 2013 that have made numerous changes to the voting and registration processes and limited times and opportunities to vote.
Many organizations have pointed out that the changes will have a disparate impact on minority voters, the elderly, the poor, and students—groups that disproportionately vote Democratic. More information about the new rules is available from Democracy North Carolina at (888) 687-8683.
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