State board to decide election appeals

When the State Board of Elections meets today, it will determine the final outcomes of decisions that critics say will curb student voting and involvement.

The board will hear appeals at 1 p.m. at its public meeting today at 441 N. Harrington St. in Raleigh.

Montravias King, an Elizabeth City State University senior, appealed the Pasquotank County Board of Elections’ decision to ban him from running for Elizabeth City’s city council using his campus address.

King said he thinks the board will reverse the decision.

“I’m excited. I can’t even hardly sleep,” he said. “I’m very optimistic that the state board will uphold the law in this matter.”

King said he has been speaking with his attorneys every day to prepare for the meeting. He said while the appeals process has been nerve-racking at times, he has remained committed to his campaign.

“I’ve just been praying and just (keeping) my circle close,” he said. “Just staying focused.”

Gerry Cohen, special counsel with the N.C. General Assembly, said he thinks the decision regarding King’s candidacy will be reversed.

Cohen, who served on a town council while in college, said the U.S. Supreme Court and the N.C. State Supreme Court upheld a dorm as a place of residence for voter registration and running for office.

“They are wrong on the law and wrong on the facts,” he said.

Derwin Montgomery, a Winston-Salem State University graduate, won a seat on the Winston Salem City Council four years ago while still living on campus, Cohen said.

The state board will also hear an appeal of Watauga County election officials’ decision to eliminate the early voting location on Appalachian State University’s campus.

Members from ASU College Democrats, ASU student government and other organizations in the Boone area say they are planning to attend the meeting.

“We are planning on having quite a few people down there,” said Jocelyn Hunt, a member of the ASU College Democrats who is also the director of state relations for the UNC-system Association of Student Governments.

Hunt said she hopes the board will realize the on-campus voting location is popular and convenient.

“Ultimately, we really hope that the State Board of Elections will put voting back to a reasonable distance from campus and hopefully on campus,” she said.

Hunt said she believes there will be an opportunity for public comment, and she said a few members of College Democrats are hoping to speak.

Dylan Russell, ASU’s student body president, said in an email that he hopes the board will not only restore voting on campus but also bolster the argument against future threats to student voting.

“I hope that this will establish a clear precedent that any and all revisions to voting policies and procedures should only serve to make voting more accessible and guarantee civic engagement,” he said.

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