Black civil rights activists in North Carolina want to make sure voters get to go to the polls on Sundays ahead of Election Day. They say denying that opportunity would suppress Black voter turnout.
On Tuesday the state elections board will discuss plans for 10 counties whose bipartisan boards failed to reach unanimity on whether to open polls on Sundays during the 17-day one-stop period. They include Bladen and Robeson counties.
Sunday voting is big among Black churchgoers who participate in the Souls to the Polls movement.
At a news conference outside the State Board on Monday, Pastor Daran Mitchell of Greensboro's Trinity A.M.E. Zion Church implored the board to recognize the importance of Sunday voting in his community.
"That Sunday morning is more than just a time for the Black church to gather to thank God for its blessings but it's also an opportunity for us to put faith and feet together,” he said.
One-stop early voting starts on October 20th.