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North Carolina Republicans are doing just about any and everything to suppress the African-American vote, says NewsOne Now host, Roland Martin.

Just days after courts restored a week of early voting, Republicans are now drastically cutting early-voting hours.

The Charlotte Observer reported: “Mecklenburg County elections officials voted Monday to cut the overall number of hours from the 2012 election by 238.”

The Nation quoted an email sent out by North Carolina Republican Party executive director Dallas Woodhouse, which called on his party to restrict voting hours. A portion of that email reads:

Republicans should fight with all they have to promote safe and secure voting and for rules that are fair to our side.

[…]

Democrats are mobilizing to fill this weeks board of election meetings. Past experience suggests these meetings will be loud and hostile. Our Republican Board members should feel empowered to make legal changes to early voting plans, that are supported by Republicans.

On Wednesday’s edition of NewsOne Now, Martin and his panel of guests discussed the GOP’s continued efforts to restrict access to the polls by people of color.

Martin explained to his panel of guests, “This is a clear effort to suppress the vote.”

Joia Jefferson Nuri said Republicans “know they cannot stop the voter registration campaigns. As you can see from this email, they talk about how the Democrats are mobilizing to get out the vote.

“Republicans have to stop saying that they’re not doing voter suppression. They can’t say in one teleprompter speech that they’re reaching out to the Black community and then have all this evidence around the country that’s been pointed out on this show and other shows, all through the media, that the Republicans on the state and local are actually targeting Black people.”

Farajii Muhammad, host of Listen Up!, reminded viewers that during the 2012 presidential election, “Seventy percent of African-Americans came out to vote during the early voting period” in Charlotte, North Carolina. “That’s how President Obama was able to get elected.”

Martin then challenged RNC Chairman Reince Priebus to hold a press conference and address the GOP’s blatant attempt to restrict access to the polls in North Carolina.

Priebus “has the power to hold a news conference and say to the nation, to North Carolina Republicans, ‘Stop voter suppression.'”

He continued, “He has the bully pulpit, but he will not use it.”

Martin vowed to keep the pressure on Republicans: “We’re going to call these folks out, because this is an effort to seriously try to steal an election.”

Watch Roland Martin and the NewsOne Now panel discuss North Carolina Republicans’ brazen attempt to suppress Black votes in the video clip above.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

Watch NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, in its new time slot on TV One.

SEE ALSO:

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RNC Grilled About Flawed Plan To Woo Black Voters

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