Thread: Catawba County Jail registers 21 inmates to vote

Catawba County Jail registers 21 inmates to vote


06:18 PM EDT on Wednesday, October 15, 2008

By BETH SHAYNE / NewsChannel 36
E-mail Beth: BShayne@WCNC.com

NEWTON, N.C. -- There are 21 new voters on Catawba County’s rolls this week whose address on the registration is the county jail.

With the help of the local NACCP, Sheriff David Huffman arranged to register eligible and willing inmates for the upcoming November election.

Eligibility is tricky in jail. The North Carolina constitution specifies that convicted felons currently serving a sentence, including probation, are not eligible to vote. That means all inmates awaiting trial, or serving on a misdemeanor are eligible. It also means that convicted felons can be reinstated once they’ve served their time.

Catawba County carefully screened the 230-plus inmates in the jail, and found 21 both eligible and interested. Huffman plans to have the Board of Elections bring polls to the jail for early voting sometime during the week of Oct. 20.

“It’s nothing that we are required to do. It’s nothing we have to do. It’s just that we thought it was the right thing to do,â€

Hmmm...........I don't think Sheriff Huffman was hired by Catawba County citizens to register voters. IT'S NOT IN HIS JOB DESCRIPTION!

In fact, the Republican sheriff says 19 of the inmates registered as Democrats.

Leaving no acorn or jail cell unturned....