Welcome to the YES! Weekly Pop Quiz,
where we ask politicians and public servants
about their jobs. This week, we address
questions to Forsyth County Elections
Director Rob Kauffman and George Gilbert,
his counterpart in Guilford County. The rules
are simple: no research, no callbacks.
QUESTIONS
- True or false: If you wear an Obama T-shirt to the polls, you’ll be turned away.
- True or false: College students from out of town can’t register to vote where they go to school.
- True or false: Poll workers can’t ask you to show identification in order to vote, unless your registration has been flagged by the board of elections.
- True or false: If you haven’t registered
to vote by Oct. 10, you can’t vote. - True or false: If your home is in foreclosure,
your vote can be challenged. - True or false: If you’ve ever been
convicted of a felony, you can’t vote. - What is considered acceptable identification
to prove residency and register to
district for at least 30 days and show proof of identification
to vote.
Rob Kauffman, Forsyth
County Board of Elections
False.
False.
True.
False.
False.
False.
A North Carolina driver’s license, a current
lease agreement, current rent receipt, utility
bill, or any document from a state or federal agency with
name and address listed. [half-credit]
George Gilbert, Guilford
County Board of Elections
False.
False.
True.
False.
False
False.
Any government-issued document with your
name and address on it. In addition, voters are
required to live in a community for 30 days to qualify to
vote in that same community. [half-credit]
ANSWERS
- False. In North Carolina, it’s considered a
First Amendment right to wear a T-shirt, button,
or anything on your person showing your support
for a particular party or candidate. However, you are not
allowed to campaign for that party or candidate once
you are inside the 50-foot electioneering buffer of the
polling place. - False. A college student living in the
community has a right to vote like anybody
else. As long as they can provide proper identification,
college students can register to vote prior to the Oct. 10
deadline, or register through one-stop voting, which
runs through Saturday. - True. North Carolina does not have an
identification requirement for voting like some
states. Poll workers cannot ask a voter for their ID, unless
the voter’s name has been flagged by the local board of
elections. Proof of identification is required for one-stop
voting. - False. Voters can register and vote at the
same time during one-stop voting, which runs
through Nov. 1. Voters must have lived in that voting
vote? - False. North Carolina voting law does not
have a home ownership requirement, nor any
provisions regarding indebtedness. - False. The only time a convicted felon cannot
vote is while they’re incarcerated or serving
the probation and restitution phase of their sentence.
Once a felon completes their sentence, including probation
and restitution, they are eligible to vote. - According to the NC Board of Elections website,
acceptable forms of ID for voting include
a North Carolina driver’s license with current address; a
utility bill with name and current address; a document
with current name and address from a government
agency, such as a passport, military ID, hunting license,
property tax bill, vehicle registration or birth certificate;
a check or invoice from government agency; documentation
of naturalization; a student photo ID with a school
document that lists name and current address; a
paycheck or W-2 statement from current employer; a
bank statement or bank-issued credit card statement.
