By Jason Beck
Staff Writer

A proposition to add Sunday early voting for the November election caused a rift between Hoke County commissioners Monday night, forcing them to table the issue until the next meeting.
The idea, brought to the board by Rev. Neil McPhatter, would allow the board of elections to add two Sunday dates of early voting before the general elections. Currently, early voting is on Saturdays and weekdays.
McPhatter asked the board to provide funding for additional board of elections workers. The concept of Sunday voting didn’t sit well with at least two of the commissioners.
“I think Sunday should be a time for church, not a time for politics,” said Commissioner Bobby Wright.
However, McPhatter, a pastor himself, sees plenty of benefit to voting on Sundays. So did James Leach, the chair of the board of commissioners.
“Cumberland County is doing it, Mecklenburg County is doing it,” Leach said. “We all have different beliefs… That’s why there are five of us… If we want to go out and vote on Sundays.”
Ellen McNeill also said Sunday voting would allow those who may not make it to the poles during the other 13 days of early voting to cast a ballot.
“I’m one of people very much in favor of it,” McNeill said. “The NAACP and so many other organizations are saying so many people work so many different hours and shifts.”
Jean Powell agreed with funding additional voting hours, just not on the South’s traditional day of rest.
“I personally do not approve of the county setting up elections on Sunday,” she said. “It offends me personally and we have early voting for several weeks.
“I think we are trying to extend voting and make it available to people more than we ever have in past and I think that’s a wonderful thing, but I’m not in favor of elections on Sunday,” she said. “We need to be in church.”
Leach countered that funding additional hours was all the board was discussing, and that it would be up to the board of elections to decide whether to hold voting on Sunday. However, before anyone could act, Powell made a motion to approve funding for additional voting hours, contingent upon the voting being done on Saturdays.
“I can’t be in favor of that,” Leach said.
After the motion was made commissioner Tony Hunt inquired about the cost of the additional pole workers and no one knew the answer. Powell pulled her motion and the discussion will be resumed at the board’s next meeting.

Power Lines
County commissioners made two moves in opposition to a proposed high-voltage transmission line Progress Energy plans on constructing through the county.
The first resolution approved, proposed by Save Our Sandhills, a grassroots organization of citizens across the region opposed to the negative consequences additional high-voltage lines would cause in Hoke, Moore and Richmond Counties, asks state and local agencies look into the way Progress Energy picks routes for new lines and deals with construction.
The board of commissioners unanimously passed the resolution.
A group of Hoke citizens met last Thursday, discussing future plans to fight the line’s arrival in Hoke County. Commissioners asked Earl Hendrix, a spokesperson for that group, to update the board on what was said at the meeting.
Hendrix informed the board that the state utilities commission will hold a public meeting on August 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hoke County Offices.
Hunt asked board clerk Linda Revels to write a resolution opposing the power line and encouraging citizens to voice their concern at the meeting.

In other business:

• Commissioners approved a new electronic equipment policy placing limits on cell phone and Internet use for county employees. The measure passed unanimously.

• The Board will meet again on July 28 at 5 p.m. for a special meeting. It is possible a new county manager could be hired at the meeting.