Don’t do it.

The North Carolina General Assembly should not pass a bill that would reduce North Carolina’s early voting period.

The proposal to reduce the early voting period is plain wrong.

Debate on the proposal was delayed in the N.C. House of Representatives on Monday so the bill’s chief sponsor could consider changes that would satisfy some of the bill’s critics and provide more time for early voting. We applaud Rep. Bert Jones’ decision to delay debate for those reasons.

We’d be even happier if Jones, from Rockingham County and the only unaffiliated member of the Legislature, would withdraw his bill.

What’s also worrisome is the bill received tentative approval last week by a close vote after an hour of debate, according to a report by The Associated Press.

An old saying comes to mind: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Early voting is popular in Beaufort County. So much so that about 90 percent of the voters in the Gilead precinct vote early, according to Anita Bullock Branch, deputy director of the Beaufort County Board of Elections. In the 2010 general election, 37 percent of Beaufort County voters voted early, she said.

We believe the proposed change, backed by Republicans, is nothing more than an effort to dilute voting opportunities for some segments of the voting population.

Data released by the N.C. State Board of Elections show that 52 percent of registered black voters cast ballots in the 2008 general election through early voting or traditional absentee voting, compared to 40 percent of registered white voters.

Early voting in North Carolina isn’t broken, so it doesn’t need fixing.