MEMPHIS, Tenn. — If there is one positive takeaway from a court hearing Monday about opening more sites this week for early voting, it should be this: Community leaders are promising to increase turnout for the May 3rd Shelby County primary.
If they are successful, it will be wonderful. Nothing says democracy better than everyone who’s eligible casting a ballot.
It’s just too bad that we are once again at odds over voting, which only breeds more distrust in the process. Local groups, including the NAACP, went to court to force the Shelby County Election Commission to open more locations when early voting for the primary begins Wednesday. But a special judge denied the request, saying a last-minute change now would be disruptive.
The election commission says only one site downtown will be open Wednesday and Thursday because in the past, churches that are used for early voting were not available during Holy Week leading up to Easter. The problem is, no election officials contacted the churches this year. They just assumed.
And yet, this is not the travesty that some are claiming. This primary only draws about a 14% or so turnout. And there will be ample time over the next two weeks for anyone to cast an early vote.
I’m just happy that there will be a concerted effort to increase the turnout - no matter how many early voting sites are open.