[State Board of Elections] Arnold Schwarzenegger Pumps Up NC Election Workers as Election Day Nears | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Raleigh, N.C.     Film legend and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger surprised election workers across North Carolina Monday morning when he spoke on a video call to motivate them for the final stretch before the November 8 election.

    Schwarzenegger called the workers from the 100 county boards of elections in North Carolina "the true democracy action heroes."

    "We never should forget the people who work at the poll sites and that really organize and make it possible for us to vote," he said.

    Watch video.

    Election Day is eight days away, and early and absentee voting are under way in North Carolina.

    "I just want to pump you up and say you are extremely important. You are doing a fantastic job," Schwarzenegger said. "There is no job that is more important right now, this next week, than your job."

    Schwarzenegger also mentioned the well-documented threats and harassment of elections official over the past couple of years.

    "I know poll workers have a tough time this time. People try to intimidate them. People try to threaten them," he said. "But nothing should intimidate you because whatever you do, it is such wonderful, wonderful work to make it possible for all of us to vote and to participate in this democracy."

    Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, recruited Schwarzenegger through contacts at the University of Southern California's Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy.

    "I wanted to show our election workers how much folks appreciate the work they do to secure our elections and ensure all eligible voters can cast ballots," Brinson Bell said. "Who could possibly be better to pump us up for November 8? Thank you, Governor Schwarzenegger, for providing an unforgettable moment for our team."

    Elections are feats of logistics, and the bipartisan county boards of elections and poll workers provide the manpower and skill to pull them off.

    Across North Carolina, 359 early voting sites are open now for voters. On Election Day, more than 2,650 polling places will be open statewide.

    "All of these voting sites are operated by election workers of all political stripes. These are your friends, your neighbors, fellow members of your community," Brinson Bell said. "They make sure you can cast your ballot and that it counts. Please say thanks when you go vote."

• Anita Bullock Branch
• Deputy Director
• Beaufort County Board of Elections
• 1308 Highland Drive, Suite 104 / PO Box 1016
• Washington, NC 27889
• Ph: 252.946.2321
• Fax: 252.974.2962