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It's time to stop voting on church property

Submitted by scharrison on Thu, 05/10/2012 - 12:26pm

Blurring the line between church and state:

Some are questioning whether a Wilmington church that posted an Amendment One-related sign on primary Election Day should remain a polling place. On Tuesday, Devon Park United Methodist Church's permanent church sign carried this message: "A true marriage is male and female and God."

When I first received my (newest) voter registration card and noticed that I would be voting in a church, I did a triple-take. It just didn't seem right. And even though I've voted there several times, it still doesn't seem right.

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Comments

Don't have a choice

Submitted by GrayNewman on Thu, 05/10/2012 - 2:43pm.

Here in Mecklenburg we have 195 precincts, many without a public building in them but what we do have are "restricted" and "unrestricted" precincts. Our church precincts are mostly "restricted". This means that there can not be any politicing on the property. While this was put in place in protect the churches and their 501c3 status, it came back to bite a couple of them this week. We had a couple churches that had to remove messages about Amendment One, both pro and con.

But then again

Submitted by SPLib on Thu, 05/10/2012 - 3:25pm.

Here in Southern Pines, which went against the amendment in deeply red Moore County, the precinct voting place that went the most against it was also the only one in a church. And it was a Catholic church too...

Steerage

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 05/10/2012 - 4:08pm.

Amendment One was a religiously charged action to limit constitutional protection for all the people. Think about why more people voted on this one item than any other. People actually skipped primarily candidates but did vote on the Amendment. Is there any wonder why…when so many polling places are in churches? In my county Guilford 89 out 165 polling stations were in churches. Many of those good people were led there through the pulpit…I hope some enterprising reporter will soon come up with a great story on political stearage from the pulpit.

NO restricted polling places!

Submitted by KatyMunger on Thu, 05/10/2012 - 4:34pm.

No churches should be used for polling places, period -- separation of church and state, thanks -- and no restricted sites should be allowed, either. Either all polls allow for politicking or none of them do. There is a lot of room for manipulating the vote by campaigning to have mostly restricted polling places in one section of town, for example. It drives me crazy here in Durham, with the churches that are "restricted" polling places. Raleigh even had a couple early voting sites restricted a few years ago. Not sure about this year. I think it's unconstitutional.

Katy Munger,
Progress North Carolina Action
www.progressncaction.org

Lead, follow or get out of the way....

so, whats the answer?

Submitted by GrayNewman on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 8:53pm.

I hear what you say but give us a solution.

I don't see this as a big deal

Submitted by usna77 on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 6:46pm.

As long as polling place rules are enforced on election day.

Sometimes churches are the only reasonable places to set up in many precincts.

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Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. -- sign on Einstein's office wall.

Seniors centers are best

Submitted by loftT on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 8:39pm.

I really liked early voting in a selection of Senior's centers in Guilford County. They are already handicapped friendly and there's no aura swirling around like in a church. Don't most communities have these?

Progressives are the true conservatives.