News

Town hall on safe, secure elections coming to BRCC

By Lightning Reports, Published: August 9, 2024

The North Carolina Network for Fair, Safe and Secure Elections will host a town hall on the 2024 election cycle from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19, in the Wyatt Auditorium at Blue Ridge Community College.

Moderated by Dr. Christopher Cooper of Western Carolina University, the event is part of a series that will feature dozens of events across the state to address public concerns around voting in North Carolina and to strengthen civil discourse. The panel will also feature Polk County’s Election Director Cliff Mar, as well as Board of Elections Member Ron Mau from Jackson County, Jake Quinn from Buncombe County, and former Attorney for the NC State Board of Elections Kelly Tornow.
"We have found that when voters hear current information from their local election professionals, their confidence in our elections system increases,” said Jennifer Roberts, co-lead of the North Carolina Network for Fair, Safe and Secure Elections.
In a time where elections remain contentious, Democrats and Republicans across North Carolina deserve to submit a vote of confidence in democracy. The Trusted Elections Tour, sponsored by the North Carolina Network for Fair, Safe and Secure Elections, the League of Women Voters of North Carolina and Veterans for All Voters, aims to provide information on the electoral process, build trust in our voting system, and build support for peaceful political engagement.
"The democratic principle of election by the people is the fundamental foundation on which our government and our democracy are built," said Bob Orr, co-lead of the North Carolina Network for Fair, Safe and Secure Elections. “Our election officials from Cullowhee to Carrboro, Morganton to Mocksville, and Raleigh to Roanoke all work relentlessly to make sure that our elections, so vital to American Democracy, proceed fairly, safely and securely.”
The 90-minute town halls will feature cybersecurity experts, election officials and election law attorneys from both sides of the aisle. They will address public concerns about electronic voting machines and hacking, explain the secure process for collecting and counting votes and explain how challenges, recounts and fraud allegations are dealt with through proper legal channels.
All events are free, open to the public and media. For more information about the network and the tour schedule, visit https://nctrustedelections.org/.