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For immediate release.
Feb. 7, 2012
Contact: Bryan Warner, N.C. Center for Voter Education, 919-783-8811 or

Center for Voter Education Calls on N.C. Legislature to Release Election Funds

RALEIGH – When state lawmakers return to Raleigh on Feb. 16, they will have the opportunity to release $4 million in federal funds designated for the basic functions of North Carolina’s election system, such as training polling place staff and maintaining voting machines.

Currently those funds are frozen as the legislature weighs allocating $664,000 in state funds to meet requirements to receive the federal money. Without those state and federal funds, election boards across North Carolina could see voting machine errors and long delays for voters at the polls.

The nonpartisan N.C. Center for Voter Education is calling on lawmakers to appropriately fund North Carolina’s election system.

“We must not shortchange voters in a year when a record number of North Carolinians could go to the polls and exercise their most fundamental right as American citizens,” said Damon Circosta, executive director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education. “Without these funds, voters throughout the state could suffer from long lines and confusion at the polls, undermining confidence in our elections.”

“This is not a partisan issue – a poorly funded election system will hurt Republican and Democratic voters alike,” Circosta added. “We are certain that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle can agree that fair and open elections are a sound investment for North Carolina.”

Founded in 1999, the Raleigh-based N.C. Center for Voter Education is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping all citizens fully participate in democracy.

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