To hold Election Day in a pandemic, some want a holiday. But it’s not likely in NC. | Raleigh News & Observer

Lawmakers are responding to the coronavirus pandemic with changes to the state’s voting and election policies. And they have put on a display of bipartisanship, passing a bill through the state House that has sponsors from both parties and a wealth of support.

But one thing they have set aside as a priority is a state holiday on Election Day, which advocates have long argued would expand access to voting for those who are not given time off to vote. The policy has been pushed by Democrats at the national and state level, but has repeatedly failed to gain Republican support, even as some worry that an election held amid a viral pandemic could pose unique threats on Election Day.

According to the State Board of Elections, which recommended the General Assembly adopt a state holiday in March, the average age of poll workers is 70 years old. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns those aged 65 years or older are at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

The agency has endorsed a holiday as a way to allow a greater number of people outside the high-risk age range to work the polls, as the burden would fall less upon retirees.

A state holiday would also provide safer options for voting locations, advocates argue, freeing up larger spaces like schools and better enabling physical distancing practices.

But Rep. Holly Grange, a Wilmington Republican and one of the lawmakers who negotiated House Bill 1169, said their focus was “to find bipartisan consensus on every issue,” adding that the idea was discussed, but didn’t resonate with the group.

“There were more immediate issues that needed to be addressed,” she said. “No one person killed the idea.”

Even though the concept “makes perfect sense” to Rep. Allison Dahle, a Raleigh Democrat and a primary sponsor of the bill, she said it wasn’t one she felt needed to be pushed for in the bill.

“I wish that we could all have this wonderful moment where we agree on everything,” she said. “But bipartisanship includes compromise.”

With early and absentee voting options available as alternatives to Election Day, Dahle and other Democrats chose to prioritize other concerns.

Voter safety

On Wednesday, a coalition of civil rights activism groups organized a virtual rally in support of a state holiday, pre-paid postage, and other provisions not included in the House bill.

Marcus Bass, the deputy director of the North Carolina Black Alliance, a civil rights group that co-hosted the rally, said advocates of a state holiday are trying to avoid the dangers that might accompany a rushed vote. For some workers, the only window to vote may be a 30-minute lunch break, he said, warning that may not be enough time to prepare for voting amid a pandemic.

“Giving someone a day allows them the opportunity to prepare effectively for whatever situation may arise at the polls in regards to their safety,” he said.

To Bass, Republican control of both the House and Senate gives bipartisanship another meaning. He argued Democrats are forced to leave out important provisions, skewing bipartisan bills to the right.

“If the standard is being bipartisan in the North Carolina General Assembly, that still has not passed the state budget, then that is a very low bar for the voters to feel like they have relief in November,” he said.

Lauren Horsch, a spokeswoman for Senate leader Phil Berger, said in an email that a state holiday was unnecessary, pointing to the state’s 17-day early voting period and no-excuse absentee voting option as popular alternatives to voting on Election Day.

During the 2016 presidential election, more than 3.1 million people voted early, or 46% of the state’s registered voters at the time, The News & Observer has reported.

The state elections board said 4% of North Carolina voters cast their ballots by mail in that election — and the board projects that could rise to between 30% and 40% if pandemic conditions continue into November.

“With multiple weekend days already available for early voting, making Election Day a holiday isn’t related to COVID-19,” Horsch said.

Opponents of a state holiday also worry that, for some voters, the cancellation of school on Election Day could pose complications. Grange said in early discussions of the bill, concern arose that parent voters may struggle to find childcare.

Some lawmakers are also hesitant to cancel another school day this year, as COVID-19 has already heavily disrupted classrooms. In April, Gov. Roy Cooper announced that public schools would remain closed through the end of the academic year, as learning moved online.

Though she supports a state holiday, Dahle shares the concerns of Grange and other lawmakers when it comes to closing down schools on Election Day.

“Thinking about closing the schools after they’ve been closed for two months,” she said. “I can’t even think about that.”

New bill emerges

On Thursday, the same day the state House passed HB 1169, Democratic Sens. Natasha Marcus of Davidson, Valerie Foushee of Hillsborough and Jay Chaudhuri of Raleigh proposed an alternative.

Like the House-passed bill, Senate Bill 861 also provides funding to local election boards and eases restrictions on absentee ballots — changes that lawmakers hope will prepare the state to hold an election amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the bill adds two additional provisions, supplying absentee voters with pre-paid postage and envelopes, as well as establishing the 2020 general election day as a state holiday.

“Ours is the comprehensive bill,” Marcus said. “Ours is the one that sets out everything we need to do.”

She added that she supported the House bill too, believing it outlines “good first steps.”

“But it was important to me to show a plan to our state for what we really should be doing if we actually want to address the issues that COVID-19 is bringing up for the 2020 election,” she said.

In a statement Thursday, Democracy North Carolina, a voter advocacy group and co-host of the virtual rally, supported the Senate bill over House proposals.

“This comprehensive plan is North Carolina’s best chance to avoid the mistakes of other states that have unnecessarily exposed voters to the deadly coronavirus and keep our state’s voters safe and voting secure during the fast-approaching 2020 elections, and should be supported by lawmakers in both chambers,” said Tomas Lopez, the executive director of the organization.

As Marcus looks ahead, she hopes to find bipartisan support for the Senate bill, or to change the House bill to adopt some of the additional provisions it includes. To her, an Election Day holiday is not a “deal breaker,” and is something she’s willing to negotiate.

Though the House bill passed 116-3 on Thursday, the absence of a state holiday proposal was not missed by some House Democrats, who named it among their concerns as they took to the floor.

Rep. Zack Hawkins, a Durham Democrat, said he would support the bill because the funding it provided was important.

“But I am listening to the people, and they say that this is not enough,” he added. “There is more to be done: Prepaid postage, election day as a holiday, giving flexibility to early voting sites.”

The House bill now moves to the Senate, where it is expected to pass.