Here’s a link to a short and powerful video that documents the impact of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United (“corporations may buy elections”) decision on North Carolina politics – and what North Carolinians can do about it. The video was produced in conjunction with Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies. Speakers are available to show [...]
Here’s an essay from the Center for American Progress about the need for reforming how judicial elections are financed. It features North Carolina’s public financing program and discusses ways it could be improved with a new provision that said qualifying candidates could receive supplementary public funds to match small donations they raise from voters, up [...]
A Democracy NC staffer was tagged in this Facebook post from a volunteer who helped give rides to the polls in Durham on Election Day. We were inspired by the political awakening she describes and received permission to re-post her message on our blog. Wednesday, November 07, 2012 My consciousness shifted yesterday. I've always thought [...]
The NC State Board of Elections has released a letter in response to trumped up allegations by NC Civitas blogger Sue Myrick that thousands of 112 year olds are on the voter rolls and voted in North Carolina this year. The Board's response emphatically states that these reports are not accurate and gives the facts [...]
Despite the flood of self-serving money swamping the 2012 elections, better souls are not giving up: They're taking the long view, looking for an alternative to elections as auctions among billionaires. One component of any long-term strategy involves creating new streams of clean money for campaign financing. Even if a constitutional amendment reversed the worst of [...]
It looks like Speaker Thom Tillis’ squeeze on lobbyists and PACs (described in the LOD two days ago) is working very well. Thanks to his aggressive approach, Tillis is on track to break all records for raising big money from special-interest groups, according to research released today by Democracy North Carolina. Senate President Pro Tem [...]
Mother Jones magazine has boiled the history of political money deals in the United States into a clever annotated timeline and a highly readable article, starring a host of shady characters in “a dramatic battle between the forces of reform and influence that goes back more than 250 years before the birth of the super-PAC."
In the midst of Super PAC spending and candidates hustling big-dollar donors, here’s a positive story from North Carolina: Candidates are actually agreeing to accept strict campaign spending limits and to rely only on small donations and a public grant authorized by hundreds of registered voters! Today, the State Board of Elections sent notices to [...]
US Supreme Court decisions hit home today in two ways (not counting the Court-blessed, corporate-funded slug fest now going on between surrogates of North Carolina’s Democratic and Republican gubernatorial candidates). A lower court today ruled that the rescue funds provision of NC’s public campaign financing programs are illegal, because of the US Supreme Court’s decision [...]
You may be surprised by the names you see on the ballot in this election – especially if you’re among the millions of North Carolina voters with new General Assembly and Congressional districts. You may even get the wrong ballot – but how will you know!?! Be prepared – preview YOUR ballot before you vote; learn [...]