When Democracy Is Made Harder, We All Lose
- nigel6835
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Last week, the North Carolina State Board of Elections voted to remove North Carolina A&T State University as an early voting site and to reject expanded Sunday voting.
Let’s be clear about what this means.
NC A&T is the largest HBCU in the nation. It is a historic center of civic engagement, leadership, and social progress. Removing a voting site from this campus does not just inconvenience voters—it sends a message about whose participation is valued and whose is treated as optional.
Sunday voting has long been a critical access point for working families, faith communities, seniors, and students. Eliminating it does not strengthen election integrity. It weakens public trust and creates unnecessary barriers for people who already face challenges participating in our democracy.
I oppose this decision.
Not as a partisan statement—but as a matter of principle.
Democracy works best when participation is encouraged, not restricted. When polling locations are placed where people live, learn, and work. When voting hours reflect the realities of modern life. When access is expanded so that every eligible voter has a fair opportunity to be heard.
As someone who has spent a career in public service—as a law enforcement officer, a probation and parole professional, an educator, and a community leader—I believe accountability cuts both ways. The public must trust elections, and election systems must earn that trust by being fair, transparent, and accessible.
This decision moves us in the wrong direction.
I stand with the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members of NC A&T. I stand with faith leaders and working families who rely on Sunday voting. And I stand with every North Carolinian who believes that voting should be easier, not harder.
If elected to Congress, I will support federal protections that expand early voting, protect campus polling sites, and prevent discriminatory practices that suppress turnout—especially among young voters and communities of color.
Democracy is not something we inherit once and keep forever. It is something we have to protect—every election, every generation.
The people deserve better. And I will continue to speak out when access to the ballot is put at risk.
Nigel Bristow
Candidate for U.S. Congress, NC-09
People First. Always.
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