Lt. Gov. Robinson says there are too many days to vote in NC, mocks Taylor Swift

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – As early voting sites opened Thursday in North Carolina ahead of the March 5 primary, Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s campaign urged supporters to find their polling places.

But at a campaign event in Wake County in December, Robinson was highly critical of the amount of time available to vote in the state as “outrageous” and suggested it should only be available to certain people. Polling has shown Robinson to lead the GOP field to be his party’s nominee in the race for governor this year.

In an audio clip obtained by CBS 17, Robinson told supporters there should be “one day to vote. Early voting should be left to those who desperately need it: the infirmed, the ill, the handicapped.”

He also brought up Taylor Swift.

“You know how you do it? You get up and you go vote. Same way you got up and went stood in line for 15-and-a-half hours for Trailer Shift concert tickets, the same way you could stand in that line,” he said. Robinson has referred to Swift as “Trailer Shift” on social media.

North Carolina has a 17-day period for early in-person voting. Additionally, people can vote by mail. Those ballots began being sent out to voters on Jan. 19.

Robinson’s comments come as national Republicans have sought to push their voters to take advantage of early voting even if they don’t like the practice. The RNC launched its “Bank Your Vote” initiative, noting it can also save campaigns time and money by no longer having to reach out to voters who’ve already cast their ballots.

State House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) weighed in on the issue, saying he also believes the early voting period is too long.

“I would think that one week of early voting should be sufficient. I like early voting. I like making it easier to vote. But, I think it’s just too long at three weeks. It adds a lot of cost,” he said. “I’m gonna be studying it, see where the drop off is if you have a surge at the beginning, a surge at the end and then just kind of nothing going on in the middle.”

Last spring as Republicans drafted new legislation affecting various aspects of the state’s election laws, Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell) told CBS 17 they did discuss the issue of the length of the early voting period. But, he doubted the legislature could change it.

“I personally don’t believe with the federal court decisions that there’s a path for reducing the early voting period even though I think it’s a real challenge for rural areas,” Sen. Hise said at the time.

Atty. Gen. Josh Stein, who has led the Democratic field in the governor’s race, cast his ballot Thursday at Chavis Park in Raleigh.

“The lieutenant governor and the Speaker think that voters should have fewer days of opportunity to cast their ballots is wrong-headed. As governor, I would certainly veto any such efforts,” Stein said. “You never know what Election Day will hold. Your car may break down or, like what was up in New York this past week, a huge snowstorm could come.”

Robinson’s campaign has not responded to a request for comment including any changes to early voting he would pursue as governor.

In-person voting will continue through Mar. 2. For more information, click here.

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