Displaying items by tag: elections

WASHINGTON — The American Oath Initiative, a 501(c)4 dedicated to recruiting, training, and supporting veterans who are willing to step forward to seek political office as a means to honoring their Oath to “Defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic” officially launched its efforts (Thursday) in advance of the 2022 elections.

There’s a debate raging on social media this weekend about the direction of the Democratic Party. It started with an article written by Ezra Klein about a young data analyst name David Shor. Shor has been arguing that Democrats are heading for a long-term disaster if they don’t refocus their message onto more bread-and-butter issues and talk less about social justice issues. The activist wing of the party disagrees vehemently, but I think Shor is largely right. 

DURHAM — Members of the N.C. House Freedom Caucus said that they plan to inspect voting machines in Durham County to check for an internet connection, which could make them vulnerable to fraud.

RALEIGH — The N.C. House committee charged with drawing new state election maps will start the formal map-drawing process Wednesday morning. Members can work on maps from 9 a.m. to as late as 5 p.m. each weekday until the process is complete.

DURHAM — There is broad agreement that North Carolina is better suited to handle redistricting in a more transparent fashion than a decade ago, but further improvements can be made to the process according to a wide spectrum of speakers at Duke University's Redistricting and American Democracy two-day symposium.

RALEIGH — Felons who registered to vote in North Carolina during an 11-day window between recent court rulings will be allowed to vote in upcoming elections. The state Supreme Court ruled Friday in favor of those quick-acting prospective voters.

RALEIGH — The legislative committees charged with drawing North Carolina's new congressional and legislative election maps will take public comment at 13 different hearings during the next month. Participating lawmakers will head as far east as Elizabeth City and as far west as Cullowhee.

The U.S. Supreme Court backed donor privacy in a decision released Thursday, July 1.  The closely watched ruling was based on a case from California in which the state's then-Attorney General Kamala Harris tried to require nonprofit organizations to disclose the identities of donors by requiring them to file an unredacted “Schedule B” with their taxes, which would reveal the identities of anyone giving $5,000 or more in money or goods.

For years, but especially since the George Floyd protests, Republicans have claimed to be the law-and-order party, while painting Democrats as soft on crime. They’ve tried to wrap Democrats around the Defund the Police crowd, despite Democrats’ long commitment to the public servants who make up our justice system. A new group called Democrats Serve is pushing back, recruiting and supporting candidates who have served on the front lines of our efforts to ensure public safety and provide human services that make a difference in day-to-day lives. They want to put more police officers, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, social workers and other public servants into policy making positions. 

RALEIGH — Republican lawmakers grilled State Board of Elections Director Karen Brinson Bell over her handling of the 2020 election in a testy back-and-forth hearing.