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Redistricting

Gerrymandering, voter suppression at center stage

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

The latest hot topic in the world of North Carolina politics is sadly, even maddeningly, familiar. Republican leaders of the General Assembly plan once again to redraw the state’s U.S. House district map as they seek to increase their party’s already lopsided edge in the state’s congressional delegation. Even one additional seat – bringing the […]

Gerrymandering, voter suppression at center stage

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

The latest hot topic in the world of North Carolina politics is sadly, even maddeningly, familiar. Republican leaders of the General Assembly plan once again to redraw the state’s U.S. House district map as they seek to increase their party’s already lopsided edge in the state’s congressional delegation. Even one additional seat – bringing the […]

Gerrymander games get going

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Not for the first time, let’s recall the quasi-consolation offered by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. as the U.S. Supreme Court declared – in a case involving North Carolina – that extreme partisan gerrymandering is something it lacks the authority to fix.  “Excessive partisanship in districting leads to results that reasonably seem unjust,” Roberts acknowledged […]

Gerrymander games get going

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Not for the first time, let’s recall the quasi-consolation offered by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. as the U.S. Supreme Court declared – in a case involving North Carolina – that extreme partisan gerrymandering is something it lacks the authority to fix.  “Excessive partisanship in districting leads to results that reasonably seem unjust,” Roberts acknowledged […]

Secrecy-obsessed legislators turn to new maps

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Well, that was quick. We’d barely had time to reckon with all the bullying packed into the new state budget approved on Sept. 22 when the N.C. General Assembly’s Republican majority pivoted to what could be its favorite sport – redrawing election districts.  What makes that arcane process so much fun? It’s when the politicians […]

Secrecy-obsessed legislators turn to new maps

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Well, that was quick. We’d barely had time to reckon with all the bullying packed into the new state budget approved on Sept. 22 when the N.C. General Assembly’s Republican majority pivoted to what could be its favorite sport – redrawing election districts.  What makes that arcane process so much fun? It’s when the politicians […]

Out of the starting gate — sideways

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

We weren’t expecting it to be pretty – “it” being the launch of the N.C. General Assembly’s new session, with freshly emboldened conservatives eager to flex their muscles. The reality, one month after things got under way, hasn’t failed to disappoint. Two themes stand out: 1) Efforts to further entrench the legislature’s majority Republicans in […]

Out of the starting gate — sideways

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

We weren’t expecting it to be pretty – “it” being the launch of the N.C. General Assembly’s new session, with freshly emboldened conservatives eager to flex their muscles. The reality, one month after things got under way, hasn’t failed to disappoint. Two themes stand out: 1) Efforts to further entrench the legislature’s majority Republicans in […]

Democracy Rooted in Imago Dei

By Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director

The following remarks were delivered by the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland at the #MapOurFuture: People Over Politics virtual town hall on Thursday, September 1, 2022. The event focused on Moore v. Harper, the latest North Carolina redistricting case to head to the U.S. Supreme Court. The recording of the event can be found here. Some of […]

Democracy Rooted in Imago Dei

by Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director

The following remarks were delivered by the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland at the #MapOurFuture: People Over Politics virtual town hall on Thursday, September 1, 2022. The event focused on Moore v. Harper, the latest North Carolina redistricting case to head to the U.S. Supreme Court. The recording of the event can be found here. Some of […]

Map Showdown: Rights on the Line

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Four months after the N.C. General Assembly enacted a new alignment of the districts in which our state’s congressional representatives are chosen, the gavel has come down: That district map was so skewed to benefit the Republican Party that it violated voters’ rights under the state constitution. So declared the state Supreme Court in its […]

Map Showdown: Rights on the Line

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Four months after the N.C. General Assembly enacted a new alignment of the districts in which our state’s congressional representatives are chosen, the gavel has come down: That district map was so skewed to benefit the Republican Party that it violated voters’ rights under the state constitution. So declared the state Supreme Court in its […]

Decision points on districts, schools

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Among all the issues and challenges confronting North Carolina as 2022 gets under way – overcoming the pandemic, easing rural poverty, alleviating environmental threats, improving access to health care, on and on down the sobering list – it’s fair to say none is more urgent than shoring up our beleaguered public schools and strengthening citizens’ […]

Decision points on districts, schools

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Among all the issues and challenges confronting North Carolina as 2022 gets under way – overcoming the pandemic, easing rural poverty, alleviating environmental threats, improving access to health care, on and on down the sobering list – it’s fair to say none is more urgent than shoring up our beleaguered public schools and strengthening citizens’ […]

‘For the People’ – or for whom?

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

When an ambitious bill designated as H.R. 1 was approved by the newly empowered Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives back on March 8, 2019, perhaps a fitting salute to the sponsors would have been “Bless their hearts!” The bill, earnestly nicknamed the “For the People Act,” aimed broadly to shore up Americans’ […]

‘For the People’ – or for whom?

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

When an ambitious bill designated as H.R. 1 was approved by the newly empowered Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives back on March 8, 2019, perhaps a fitting salute to the sponsors would have been “Bless their hearts!” The bill, earnestly nicknamed the “For the People Act,” aimed broadly to shore up Americans’ […]

Gerrymanderers Seeing the Light, or Scared Straight?

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Perhaps the Republicans who control North Carolina’s General Assembly have finally gotten the message: their decade-long efforts to rig the state’s congressional voting district boundaries in their party’s favor simply won’t fly when challenged in the courts. Perhaps they’re starting to take seriously the views of those, including the N.C. Council of Churches, who have […]

Gerrymanderers Seeing the Light, or Scared Straight?

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Perhaps the Republicans who control North Carolina’s General Assembly have finally gotten the message: their decade-long efforts to rig the state’s congressional voting district boundaries in their party’s favor simply won’t fly when challenged in the courts. Perhaps they’re starting to take seriously the views of those, including the N.C. Council of Churches, who have […]

Ambush at Override Gulch

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

When N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore called the House to order for its scheduled 8:30 a.m. session on Sept. 11, he made a fateful decision bearing not only on a host of the state’s most important policy choices but also on his own character. For weeks, the top House Republican had listed on daily legislative […]

Ambush at Override Gulch

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

When N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore called the House to order for its scheduled 8:30 a.m. session on Sept. 11, he made a fateful decision bearing not only on a host of the state’s most important policy choices but also on his own character. For weeks, the top House Republican had listed on daily legislative […]

Ambush at Override Gulch

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

When N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore called the House to order for its scheduled 8:30 a.m. session on Sept. 11, he made a fateful decision bearing not only on a host of the state’s most important policy choices but also on his own character. For weeks, the top House Republican had listed on daily legislative […]

Ambush at Override Gulch

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

When N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore called the House to order for its scheduled 8:30 a.m. session on Sept. 11, he made a fateful decision bearing not only on a host of the state’s most important policy choices but also on his own character. For weeks, the top House Republican had listed on daily legislative […]

Raleigh Report – April 11, 2019

By George Reed, Former Executive Director

INTRODUCED BILLS CRIMINAL JUSTICE HB 587 – Repeal Death Penalty would abolish the death penalty, and all prisoners currently on Death Row would be resentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Introduced by Reps. Meyer (D-Hillsborough), Black (D-Durham), and Hawkins (D-Durham) and referred to House Judiciary and then to Rules.   ECONOMIC JUSTICE/WORKERS RIGHTS HB 533 […]

Raleigh Report – April 11, 2019

by George Reed, Former Executive Director

INTRODUCED BILLS CRIMINAL JUSTICE HB 587 – Repeal Death Penalty would abolish the death penalty, and all prisoners currently on Death Row would be resentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Introduced by Reps. Meyer (D-Hillsborough), Black (D-Durham), and Hawkins (D-Durham) and referred to House Judiciary and then to Rules.   ECONOMIC JUSTICE/WORKERS RIGHTS HB 533 […]

Raleigh Report – February 26, 2019

By George Reed, Former Executive Director

INTRODUCED BILLS ECONOMIC JUSTICE HB 46 – Economic Security Act of 2019HB 46 is a collection of issues long of concern to workers and worker advocates. Specific provisions would: Increase the minimum wage to $15/hour over the next five years. Prohibit employers from paying less to one gender than to the other for the same […]

Raleigh Report – February 26, 2019

by George Reed, Former Executive Director

INTRODUCED BILLS ECONOMIC JUSTICE HB 46 – Economic Security Act of 2019HB 46 is a collection of issues long of concern to workers and worker advocates. Specific provisions would: Increase the minimum wage to $15/hour over the next five years. Prohibit employers from paying less to one gender than to the other for the same […]

Looking for Help?

By Mary Elizabeth Hanchey, Program Associate for Legislative Advocacy and Interfaith Outreach

The Federal Government of the United States of America shut down at midnight on Friday. It reopened yesterday, but may shut down again in February.  Uncertainty and disorientation abound.             I lift my eyes up to the mountains. At stake are protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients which […]

Looking for Help?

by Mary Elizabeth Hanchey, Program Associate for Legislative Advocacy and Interfaith Outreach

The Federal Government of the United States of America shut down at midnight on Friday. It reopened yesterday, but may shut down again in February.  Uncertainty and disorientation abound.             I lift my eyes up to the mountains. At stake are protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients which […]

Thumbs-up to Fairer Districts

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Progress in rooting out North Carolina’s gerrymandered voting districts hasn’t always occurred in a straight line. But the trend – thanks to federal judges honoring their duty to uphold the Constitution – bodes well for giving all voters an equal chance to help choose their leaders. That’s the essence of a democratic system in which […]

Thumbs-up to Fairer Districts

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Progress in rooting out North Carolina’s gerrymandered voting districts hasn’t always occurred in a straight line. But the trend – thanks to federal judges honoring their duty to uphold the Constitution – bodes well for giving all voters an equal chance to help choose their leaders. That’s the essence of a democratic system in which […]

U.S. Court: Those Districts Won’t Fly

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Grand constitutional questions in this country aren’t settled until the Supreme Court has its say, either by affirming or reversing the rulings of lower-court judges or simply by declining to hear challenges to those rulings. So it’s too early to conclude definitively that North Carolina’s Republican-controlled General Assembly has set a sorry standard leading to […]

U.S. Court: Those Districts Won’t Fly

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

Grand constitutional questions in this country aren’t settled until the Supreme Court has its say, either by affirming or reversing the rulings of lower-court judges or simply by declining to hear challenges to those rulings. So it’s too early to conclude definitively that North Carolina’s Republican-controlled General Assembly has set a sorry standard leading to […]

Democracy Under the Reign of God

By Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director

As I continue to follow court cases addressing Gerrymandering at both the federal level (Gill v. Whitford) and in North Carolina (Common Cause v. Rucho), along with the latest move by the North Carolina General Assembly to make judicial elections more partisan, I despair for our democracy. I’ve spoken at press conferences, sat on panel […]

Democracy Under the Reign of God

by Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director

As I continue to follow court cases addressing Gerrymandering at both the federal level (Gill v. Whitford) and in North Carolina (Common Cause v. Rucho), along with the latest move by the North Carolina General Assembly to make judicial elections more partisan, I despair for our democracy. I’ve spoken at press conferences, sat on panel […]

GOP’s Goal: A Tilted Bench

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

To the Republicans who run the N.C. General Assembly, the concept of judicial independence – central to our bedrock American principle of checks and balances and to the rule of law – must seem as alien as the one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people-eater of vintage Top 40 radio. Yes, it must be a strange concept […]

GOP’s Goal: A Tilted Bench

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

To the Republicans who run the N.C. General Assembly, the concept of judicial independence – central to our bedrock American principle of checks and balances and to the rule of law – must seem as alien as the one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people-eater of vintage Top 40 radio. Yes, it must be a strange concept […]

Regaining our Faith in Democracy

By Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director

In surveys conducted during the months leading up to the 2016 election, large numbers of Americans reported little interest in the political process. They said things like, “nothing will change,” “the elected leaders just do what they want to,” and “my vote doesn’t really count.” And that, my friends, is the beginning of the end […]

Regaining our Faith in Democracy

by Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director

In surveys conducted during the months leading up to the 2016 election, large numbers of Americans reported little interest in the political process. They said things like, “nothing will change,” “the elected leaders just do what they want to,” and “my vote doesn’t really count.” And that, my friends, is the beginning of the end […]

Marching Orders for New Maps

By Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

The three federal judges could have just come right out and said it: The Republicans who rule the N.C. General Assembly have elevated foot-dragging to a fine art. Their stall tactics take the cake. Instead, the trio overseeing the legislature’s efforts to draw new voting district maps seems to have angled for another prize – […]

Marching Orders for New Maps

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

The three federal judges could have just come right out and said it: The Republicans who rule the N.C. General Assembly have elevated foot-dragging to a fine art. Their stall tactics take the cake. Instead, the trio overseeing the legislature’s efforts to draw new voting district maps seems to have angled for another prize – […]