The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) today sent a letter to officials in McLennan County, Texas asking that they relieve an election worker from her duties for failing to comply with state election law. During early voting at the Waco Multi-Purpose Community Center, the worker, Bonnie Belanger, reportedly refused to assist voters seeking to cast ballots that didn’t align with her political preferences.
Voters across Texas have experienced irregularities in recent weeks when attempting to cast straight-ticket ballots on the certain electronic voting machines. In response, the Texas Secretary of State’s office encouraged voters to seek assistance from poll workers if they encountered any irregularities. Despite this context—and despite Texas law’s requirement that poll workers must assist voters impartially—Ms. Belanger reportedly stated that she was tempted to refuse to assist voters seeking to cast straight-ticket ballots for Democratic candidates.
Read our letter here
