Republican leaders in the N.C. General Assembly have made no bones about their views on voting.

They passed legislation last year that would have required voters to present photo IDs at North Carolina polling places. They want integrity in the ballot box.

So why do they oppose applying federal money to help elections run smoothly?

As Telegram staff writer Darla Slipke reported over the weekend, the state has an opportunity to receive $4 million in federal funds that elections officials from all over North Carolina say would provide “vital assistance” in this year’s elections.

To receive the money, the state would have to allocate about $660,000 to the N.C. State Board of Elections. That’s not a small sum to most of us, but it would go a long way toward keeping one of the basic tenets of our republic running smoothly.

Florida voters in 2000 learned how ballot glitches can affect a close election. Voters in North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District in 1986 learned the same lesson on a smaller scale when “hanging chads” threw a U.S. House race into question. Longtime U.S. Rep. Howard Coble held onto the slimmest of leads – fewer than 100 votes – to keep his House seat.

Elections officials from more than 85 counties – including Edgecombe, but not Nash – have asked the legislature to approve the state allocation and secure the federal funds. Some Republican legislators say the expenditure isn’t necessary.

We tend to put more faith in the opinions of hundreds of experienced elections officials.

In a year in which redistricting has split dozens of precincts across the state and voters have more questions than usual, this decision should be simple: Give the local elections boards some help.