{"id":4432,"date":"2020-10-29T16:32:46","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T16:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=4432"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:52:56","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:52:56","slug":"i-voted-pens-are-an-odd-souvenir-of-the-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/10\/29\/i-voted-pens-are-an-odd-souvenir-of-the-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I voted\u2019 pens are an odd souvenir of the pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"
When it was time to buy pens for the 2020 election, the North Carolina State Board of Elections went big:\u00a0 6 million. Well, <\/span>5,909,820<\/span><\/a> to be exact. That\u2019s enough to cover 520 miles and weigh more than six school buses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The pens \u201cminimize the potential spread of the coronavirus because <\/span>the voter will be the only person to touch their own pen,\u201d<\/span> said Noah Grant, a spokesman for the board of elections. Also, they\u2019re a souvenir of an election you\u2019ll never forget.<\/span><\/p>\n They\u2019re paid for by a $1 million grant from the <\/span>Center for Tech and Civic Life<\/span><\/a>, a pro-democracy group funded by tech companies and foundations.<\/span><\/p>\n