LOD: Gotta Serve Somebody

The chair of the Stanly County Board of Elections sets Lt. Gov. Dan Forest straight about provisional ballots in this column. In an earlier column, Forest revealed an embarrassing ignorance of election law when he claimed that provisional ballots are arbitrarily counted or discounted, without any standard, and a photo ID requirement would be the perfect solution – what magical powers it hath. As Lt. Governor, Forest presides over the state Senate and has a host of other responsibilities; Americans for Prosperity says it plans to tap his skills for a $500,000 propaganda campaign to shift more of the state’s tax burden onto the backs of poorer people, or away from business. Forest may be confused about who he works for – or maybe we are. The Stanly County BOE leader notes that throughout his six years on the board, the decisions about counting each provisional ballot have been unanimous. Republicans and Democrats on the board have put aside partisan bias to focus on facts and the law. The membership and partisan balance on all the county election boards will shift soon, and one hopes their allegiance to a higher duty will prevail. Their service might inspire some state officials.