What people who wear masks should know about voting

CHARLOTTE — A cold has sent Mecklenburg County resident Cat Williams to the hospital. As a double lung transplant recipient living with cystic fibrosis, she is extra cautious and always wears a mask indoors.

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“I’m three years since my lung transplant and I’m very careful,” she said. “To take my mask down and take risks really dishonors the family that donated the lungs to me.”

She wore a mask to the Marion Diehl Center to cast a vote Thursday night. But she says she almost couldn’t do her civic duty because the poll worker claimed she couldn’t verify she was the person in her photo ID.

“Women change their styles,” she said. “Women don’t look the same all the time. You’re not frozen in time with your driver’s license picture.”

If election officials can’t tell the picture is you because of your mask, they are not allowed to tell you to remove or lower it. You must do that or not do that yourself. But Williams says a poll worker tried to make her take her mask off. She refused. Another worker came over and looked at her ID and was able to confirm it was her so she could vote.

“I just wanted to do my civic duty,” she said.

The Mecklenburg County Board of Elections says people whose identities can’t be verified will have to cast a provisional ballot, which may require more action, including visiting the Board of Elections to ensure their vote will count. But officials are encouraging immunocompromised people to vote curbside where poll workers can verify identities from a distance and outdoors.

Williams wants poll workers to get more training. She says it is obvious she wasn’t trying to engage in any voter fraud.

“I don’t want a felony for voting for city council,” she said. “Nice people, but I don’t think it is worth it.”

The Mecklenburg County Board of Elections says whenever there is a question about someone’s identity, the site supervisor will be summoned to make a final determination, which happened in this case.

VIDEO: PART 1- The Political Beat with Ch. 9′s Joe Bruno (October 29,2023)