Click here for a video and a narrative overview of the arguments today in the lawsuit challenging the redistricting plans drawn for the state legislature and Congress. The witnesses and attorneys are arguing this week on key aspects of the case related to whether or not the Republicans were justified by law in packing more [...]
Maybe you’ve heard of the growing demonstrations occurring at the General Assembly in Raleigh on Monday evenings. Under the leadership of the Rev. William J. Barber II of the NC NAACP, thousands of people have rallied against regressive legislation and FOR economic justice, quality education and health care, and voting rights. In addition to the [...]
People who think Early Voting costs too much and Same-Day Registration promotes fraud will not be happy to see this short video featuring George Gilbert, the 25-year veteran director of the Guilford County Board of Elections. He recently retired but he’s not retiring; he speaks plainly about the value of Early Voting and SDR and [...]
North Carolina has the (sad) distinction of having one of the worst-funded public education systems in the nation, and the NC General Assembly appears committed to keep it that way. Legislative leaders are not only extending the education budget cuts, they also want to divert taxpayer dollars from public to private schools. An analysis by NC [...]
If you haven’t seen this already, here’s a rundown of the wonderful things happening in North Carolina that the billionaire Koch brothers hope to replicate in other states. Not that they’ve given up on controlling the US Senate, White House, several major newspapers, energy policy . . . the list goes on. But their current [...]
Piles of money from pro-Democratic sources could not overcome the deeply conservative make-up of the Congressional district that on Tuesday elected tarnished former SC Gov. Mark Sanford over Elizabeth Colbert Busch. Groups backing Busch spent nearly $1 million on mostly negative broadcast ads, about five times the spending by outside groups supporting Sanford. Busch also [...]
Amid prayers, songs, and speeches condemning a litany of new policies attacking the poor, seventeen protesters were arrested as they blocked the giant gold doors leading into the state Senate chamber. Adam Sotak of Democracy North Carolina joined the Rev. William J. Barber II of the NC NAACP and 15 others who followed the tradition [...]
Here’s an assessment from the Guardian of how rightwing mega-millionaires are fueling cultural war in states like North Carolina to gain unusual political power and implement their economic goals (Art Pope is featured). Says the report, “It is no secret that if you want to get large numbers of lower-income people to support a rightwing fiscal agenda, social [...]
On Wednesday, the NC House passed H 589, one of the most restrictive government photo ID bills in the country. The bill's sponsors opposed amendments to accept photo IDs from high schools or private colleges. Several other amendments were rejected, including a backup provision acceptable to 70% of NC voters: the backup would allow the [...]
A new State Board of Elections analysis pinpoints who will be most harmed by a photo ID law. It says 318,643 out of 6.4 million voters don’t appear to have a NC driver’s license or identity card from the Division of Motor Vehicles. African Americans are a disproportionate share of this group. They’re 23% of all [...]