RICHMOND, Va. -- The Richmond Electoral Board voted Friday to reverse an earlier decision to close two early voting locations in Richmond.
Last month the board voted 2-1 to remove Hickory Hill on Richmond's Southside and City Hall as early voting sites for the upcoming election.
That vote left only one early-voting site in Richmond, the election office's Laburnum site.
Richmond Democratic leaders called the move a politically-motivated effort to suppress minority voices.
Richmond City Attorney Laura Drewry also weighed in, saying the board's decision was illegal because local governing bodies have the authority to establish satellite voting locations, and the Richmond City Council had already allocated funding for the sites.
The Republican-controlled board countered it was simply a cost-cutting move.
“Our vote last week to not open the satellite was due to budgetary concerns," Richmond Electoral Board Chair Starlet Stevens said at Friday's meeting. "The cost is astronomical when you look at how many voters are coming into vote versus what the city of Richmond is spending.”
Stevens said last year, Richmond spent $100,000 on those two satellite voting locations. The total turnout for early voting was 2,844 people.
During the meeting's public comment portion, City Councilmember Katherine Jordan (2nd District) told the board money should not be a factor in their decision.
"You cannot put a price on exercising your right to vote. I don't care if one person votes for $100,000. You cannot put a price on that access to voicing your opinions," Jordan said.
CBS 6 asked Stevens to elaborate on the board's position.
“Why do you think 2,800 people are not worth spending $100,000 on so that they can vote?” CBS 6 reporter Tyler Layne asked.
“I’m not going to go there," Stevens replied.
Ultimately, the three-person board unanimously voted to reverse their decision and open the satellite locations for 45 days.
However, they voted 2-1 to close the locations on Sundays. Republicans Stevens and Vice Chair John Ambrose voted 'yes,' while democrat Joyce Smith voted 'no.'
"[The election workers] have families. They have church activities,” Stevens said about the decision to close the polls on Sundays.
“Did the staff ask to have Sundays off?” Layne asked.
“Uh, no,” she replied.
Richmond City Council President Mike Jones said he believed not being able to vote early on Sundays was problematic.
“I have residents that work Monday through Saturday, and the only day they have off to vote is Sunday," Jones said. "We work in this country. We work in this city. I know that we can find volunteers that will serve on Sunday. I know that we can find workers that will flex and come in on Sundays, and so that's just a cop out."
Richmond voter Linda Woods added her perspective to the discussion.
"There are people who won’t come on Fridays and Saturdays because that’s their Sabbath," she said. "There are people who work weekends and people who don’t."
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney celebrated the board's subsequent reversal but said the board did not go far enough.
“After our public pressure, the Richmond Electoral Board voted to reverse course on their decision to remove early voting locations in predominantly Black and Brown areas," Stoney said in a statement. "While I celebrate their decision to reverse course, I cannot hide the fact that I am disappointed to see them vote to close Sunday early voting locations – a time where many Black and Brown Richmonders cast their ballots."
Richmond Republicans called the entire episode a "shameless attempt to manufacture a controversy."
"To be clear: the Richmond City Republican Committee wants every eligible Richmond voter to have safe and secure access to early voting. It is unfortunate when our elected leaders and candidates make statements that discredit not only the Electoral Board members but also the General Registrar, his staff, and the many others who facilitate our democratic process," GOP Chair Kristen Cannon said in a statement. "The RCRC continues to support and encourage all Richmond citizens eligible to vote to do so by visiting SecureYourVoteVirginia.com to join the permanent absentee list and to learn more about early voting."
Full Statement RVA GOP
Recently, Virginia Democrat leaders and some media outlets have accused Republicans on the Richmond Electoral Board of “voter suppression.” Not only is this accusation completely false, it ignores that the supposedly controversial decision on early voting locations was first made by a Democrat majority.
On December 28, 2022, in preparation for the February 21, 2023, special election, the former Democrat-controlled Richmond Electoral Board voted against using City Hall for early voting, and significantly reduced early in-person voting at the Hickory Hill Community Center. As the minutes of that meeting make clear, neither Mayor Stoney, the Richmond City Council, the Richmond City Attorney, nor anyone else raised objections to this decision.
The new Republican majority which assumed control of the Richmond Electoral Board this year kept this Democrat-established precedent in place for special elections on both March 28, and June 20 – again without objections from any Democrat city leaders.
But in recent weeks, Democrats have suddenly become outraged that their own early voting plan was going to be used again for the upcoming statewide elections this November. After three consecutive elections without raising an objection, Mayor Stoney and other Democrat leaders bizarrely accused Republicans of “voter suppression.”
This shameless attempt to manufacture a controversy where none exists does a massive disservice to voters in Richmond and to the work of the Richmond Electoral Board to make early voting secure and accessible for everyone.
Richmond GOP Chair Kristen Cannon issued the following statement in support of the Richmond Electoral Board:
“To be clear: the Richmond City Republican Committee wants every eligible Richmond voter to have safe and secure access to early voting. It is unfortunate when our elected leaders and candidates make statements that discredit not only the Electoral Board members but also the General Registrar, his staff, and the many others who facilitate our democratic process. The RCRC continues to support and encourage all Richmond citizens eligible to vote to do so by visiting SecureYourVoteVirginia.com to join the permanent absentee list and to learn more about early voting."
Full Statement Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney
Today, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney released the following statement on the Richmond Electoral Board voting to reverse their decision to close two early voting locations in Richmond.
“Last week, I posed the question to the Richmond Electoral Board, ‘Is it early voting for ALL or early voting for some?’ And after our public pressure, the Richmond Electoral Board voted to reverse course on their decision to remove early voting locations in predominantly Black and Brown areas.
“While I celebrate their decision to reverse course, I cannot hide the fact that I am disappointed to see them vote to close Sunday early voting locations – a time where many Black and Brown Richmonders cast their ballots.
“Ensuring proper access to the ballot box is neither a Democrat nor Republican issue, it’s an American issue. One that we should uphold to the highest standards upon which our sacred democracy was founded. I will keep advocating for Richmonders voting rights and I urge other localities across Virginia that are also currently facing an assault against ballot access to follow Richmond’s lead and ensure access to the ballot box for ALL Virginians.”
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