Democracy NC: Ruling Overturning Gerrymandered Legislative Districts a “Tremendous Victory”
A three-judge panel ruled Thursday afternoon that North Carolina legislators unconstitutionally used race when they drew legislative boundaries for state House and Senate members. The ruling, which overturned 28 N.C. House and Senate districts, is the latest federal ruling tossing district lines drawn by lawmakers. Statewide voting rights organization Democracy North Carolina applauded the ruling, calling [...]
Democracy NC Highlights Need for Strong Early Voting Plans: 73,500 Extra Hours – More Voters, Needing More Time to Vote
Raleigh, N.C. – New figures released today during a Democracy North Carolina press conference show that North Carolina voters will need more time to cast ballots this fall, and they’ll face longer lines at the polls if action is not taken in the next 10 days by county and state officials. Democracy North Carolina, a [...]
Birthplace of Sit-In Movement Takes Center Stage In Next Chapter of NC’s Voting Wars
WHAT: Despite the recent federal court ruling against voting restrictions, the Republican majority on the Guilford County Board of Elections (Greensboro) wants to reduce the 2016 Early Voting plan from what the county offered in 2012. On Monday, August 8, the Board will take up and likely vote on a plan that would: cut by [...]
Federal Court Strikes Down NC Voting Restrictions
RICHMOND, Va. — On July 29, a federal appeals court struck down North Carolina’s restrictive omnibus voting law in a sweeping victory for voting rights, holding that it was “passed with racially discriminatory intent.” Democracy North Carolina, the state’s largest voting-rights organization, praised the ruling. “We applaud the appeals court for recognizing the discriminatory [...]
Court Protects Two Safety-Net Provisions in Election Law that Save Thousands of Voters
In a significant decision this afternoon, the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a ruling by federal District Court Justice Thomas Schroeder that would have repealed same-day registration during early voting and out-of-precinct voting on Election Day. The two provisions were in place for the March and June 2016 primaries and, because of today’s [...]
Democracy NC Responds to Statewide Canvass of March Primary
DEMOCRACY NC STATEMENT ON STATEWIDE CANVASS OF MARCH PRIMARY: “Such a fragile method of protecting people’s votes, by rescuing them after the election, cannot be tolerated.” RALEIGH (May 31, 2016) – Today the N.C. State Board of Elections (NCSBOE) is meeting to certify the results of the 2016 March Primary – the first election with [...]
Democracy NC: March Primary Signals Big Problems for NC Voters
Statewide Voting Rights Organization Reveals Negative Impact of New Photo ID Law Raleigh, N.C. (May 26, 2016) – Democracy North Carolina released key findings from the March 2016 Primary on Thursday, providing mounting evidence that North Carolina’s 2013 voting law is having a negative impact on North Carolina voters. The research was included as part [...]
Democracy NC Responds to Forsyth County Decision to Count Provisional Ballots From March Primary
Winston-Salem, N.C. – Tonight, in a victory for voters and voting rights advocates, the Forsyth County Board of Elections approved 130 provisional ballots that it had originally not counted due to a lack of signatures. Last month, Forsyth County officials admitted that 130 voters had their ballots rejected in the March 2016 primary through no fault [...]
Democracy NC Demands Provisional Recount in Forsyth
Democracy North Carolina has found big problems with the handling of more than 100 provisional ballots in Forsyth County's March Primary. The organization is demanding 130 ballots be counted. WHAT HAPPENED: Forsyth County Board of Elections' staff director Tim Tsujii says that the coverslip for provisional ballots lacked a designated area for a voter's signature [...]