John Lassiter Has My Vote Too...Decision 2009

Limited early vote could hurt Foxx


Anthony Foxx's Charlotte mayoral campaign is relying on an extensive voter turnout effort, but faces a hurdle.

There are only eight days of countywide early voting this election, compared with 13 days in the 2007 election and 15 days in last year's presidential election.

The shorter early voting calendar is due to a lack of money at the Mecklenburg Board of Elections. Elections supervisor Michael Dickerson said his office couldn't afford to staff multiple early voting sites for two weeks.

Foxx hopes to defeat Republican John Lassiter, in part, by getting infrequent Democratic voters to the polls. Foxx campaign manager Bruce Clark has said that without good early voting, that task would be "exponentially harder."

Lassiter is also urging supporters to vote early, though it's not as critical to his campaign.

Charlotte political consultant Michael Ellison, a Republican, said fewer early voting days has put greater pressure on both campaigns. "And if one campaign is relying more on a grass-roots strategy, the pressure will be greater."

As of Monday, with five days left in early voting, 5,809 people had voted in Mecklenburg. In 2007, when Republican Pat McCrory defeated Democrat Beverly Earle for Charlotte mayor, 9,484 people had voted with the same number of early voting days remaining.

"Clearly, there is room for improvement," said Joel Ford, chairman of the Mecklenburg Democratic party. "We're working the phones, walking the neighborhoods."

Dickerson said his office had no complaints from either political party when the board voted for the shorter early voting period. He said the compressed calendar could affect campaign tactics.

"If you are planning on doing an early-vote only campaign, an Obama campaign, it's harder," Dickerson said.

The Mecklenburg Board of Elections started early voting Oct. 15 by opening one site - the Hal Marshall Annex uptown. Early voting at 11 other sites countywide started Saturday.

In the November 2007 election, the Board of Elections held early voting at its headquarters for two days, and then opened 11 other sites countywide on a Monday.

At the Beatties Ford Road Library and West Boulevard Library, which are surrounded by Democratic precincts, 798 people had voted on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, compared with 277 people in the first three days of early voting in 2007.

Early voting sites in Republican south Charlotte have also seen increases, though not to the same degree as the libraries in Democratic-heavy areas. The Morrison Regional Library near SouthPark and the South Regional Library on Rea Road had 1,864 people vote from Saturday to Monday. Turnout at those two sites was 1,456 voters on the first three days in 2007.

Lassiter said Tuesday he's pleased with turnout, especially in places where he has historically received large support. He said his campaign isn't necessarily trying to surpass 2007 early voting totals.

"We want to make sure that whoever votes is an informed voter," Lassiter said. "We want them to know about my experience and my leadership."

Mecklenburg residents can register and vote at any early voting site through Saturday.

In Charlotte, 49.5 percent of registered voters are Democrats and 26 percent are Republicans. But Republican precincts in south Charlotte historically have significantly higher turnout than many Democratic-dominated precincts.

As of Monday night, 48 percent of the Charlotte early voters were Democrats and 31 percent were Republicans.

The Lassiter campaign has also focused on early voting. It held an early voting rally Saturday, and U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, a Charlotte Republican, has made a robo-call urging Republicans to vote early.

Foxx campaign spokesperson Jill Santuccio said having fewer early voting days wouldn't be an issue.

She joked Monday that the campaign would like to have "842 early voting days." She added: "It is what it is. We can't change the election."

Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-leaning firm, released a poll Tuesday that found Foxx and Lassiter tied with 45 percent of the vote.

Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling said African-Americans and young voters supported Foxx the most.

"They don't turn out at high rates for municipal elections," Jensen said. "They will determine whether Foxx wins by whether they show up or not."



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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, Google Maps