democracy nc

You may recall a recent blog entry I wrote called Ever wondered what an organizer does? It's not a job title that comes with as much immediate understanding as say doctor, lawyer, cop, or teacher so I wanted to share a little bit about what it is like. In so doing I discussed two issue-campaigns going on at that time. I didn't want to leave folks hanging on how those turned out, so I've swung back around to share what happened with those, and what's ahead.

That the utilities commission picked this out-of-the-way location as the site of the regional energy rate hike hearing made me wonder whether they expected much of a turnout. And why should they? After all, some of the preceding rate hike hearings hadn’t garnered that much public interest. To make matters worse, a major storm was rolling through the day of the hearing that put many of North Carolina’s counties under various severe weather watches and warnings.

I don’t think anyone expected...

We're hiring! With the General Assembly being distracted from jobs by breast bills, attempts to fire oversight personnel, and attacks on voting rights and education, those might not be words you hear too often in NC these days. But Democracy North Carolina is hiring undergraduate student summer interns, who are interested in non-partisan organizing, to join the team for the summer.

Interns earn a $2,500 stipend, while they build relationships and receive training that will help them start a career in social and political change. Now in its 14th year, Democracy Summer is ideal for college students interested in working in social and economic justice, community-based advocacy, research, politics, law, nonprofits, or public service.

You’re not alone. Growing up, none of the adults in my life were organizers. In college, no one majors in “organizing.” I sometimes still struggle myself to explain to relatives at Thanksgiving or friends over coffee what I do for a living as “Eastern NC Organizer.” And yet organizing is an incredibly important part of building grassroots power in our democracy. My hope is that through contributions to this blog I can share glimpses into the world of organizing and the issues facing Democracy North Carolina and our state. I’ll start by sharing about my past few days on the job!

Though I've been blogging on Blue NC for years, this was my first go at blogging on the job. I hope you'll click over to see the rest, give it a read, and leave a comment if you like what you see!

Via the Winston-Salem Journal via Progressive Pulse

Here’s a list of 20 tips that we’ve verified with the State Board of Elections:

You may wear a button, hat or shirt with a candidate’s name as you quietly vote, but you may not actively draw attention to your choices.

You may take a list of your choices into the polling place to help you remember, but do not show it to others or leave it behind. Put the list on paper, not a cell phone. Cell phones can be cameras, so their use is prohibited inside the polls.

You may vote for any candidate of your choice, regardless of your political party affiliation.

Action opportunity from Democracy NC

Via email

You know how destructive big-money special interests have become to our political process. When individuals and corporations can spend millions to elect the candidates of their choice, it's like a bullhorn drowning out the voice of the rest of us. You know that's not how it should be, and that's why you keep speaking up and fighting back.

Many organizations, including Democracy North Carolina, have been helping educate the public about political "puppet masters" like Art Pope, CEO of Roses and Maxway and the largest political donor in North Carolina.

Early voting does not start for over a month (Oct. 18), but you can see the sites for NC at the Board of Elections site now.

This is info from Democracy NC as posted by NC Policy Watch:

You can visit the Board at www.ncsbe.gov or go directly to http://www.ncsbe.gov/GetDocument.aspx?id=2562 to view the sites. You can also view them on a map by going to https://batchgeo.com/map/NCEarlyVoteSites.

NCWU member Democracy NC and the organization NC Voters for Clean Elections Coalition are co-sponsoring a "barnstorming" tour across NC to build a movement for an amendment to the US Constitution that unequivocally states that inalienable rights belong to human beings only, and that money is not a form of protected free speech under the First Amendment and can be regulated in political campaigns.

Come to the Unitarian UniversalistFR on Wade Avenue in Raleigh on Wednesday, July 11 - 6:30pm to 8:30pm to be educated and activated about this issue. If the recent affirmation by the Supreme Court of its 2010 Citizens United case is keeping you up at nights, this event is for you!

email from Tara Romano
NCWU Executive Committee
______________________________________________
This message was brought to you by the Wake County Women's Agenda Assembly mailing list.

From Democracy NC this afternoon:

Looks like the NC House put the HAVA money back in the budget! Help us keep the pressure on by calling Sen Berger - ask for the Senate to do the same: (919) 733-5708

These funds will be matched by federal funds and help to keep 2012 elections manageable on election day and at the polls.

From the Democracy NC website, this explanation:

"Editorial writers in Asheville, Wilmington, Raleigh, and other cities are rightly blasting the General Assembly’s leadership for eliminating $660,000 in the state funding that would have released $4.1 million in federal money for voting machines, poll workers, and Early Voting centers. Why give up a $7 return on a $1 investment?"

After this latest round of radical redistricting, we're not in Kansas any more, and we may not even be in our old districts either.

Election Alert: Preview Your Ballot Before Voting!

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!?!

North Carolina has $4,000,000 to help voters sitting unused and unavailable until the General Assembly appropriates $660,000 in matching funds.

The $4,000,000 in federal funds via the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002, is intended to help administer the 2012 elections with poll worker training, testing of voting equipment, and other technical support needs.

Take action to release the HAVA funds by contacting legislators, via NC Conservation Network:
Tell state legislators to release the HAVA funds.

Information on HAVA in North Carolina from Democracy NC HAVA Funds Memo

• HAVA Funds Factsheet
• County Boards of Elections Letter
• HAVA Letter Press Release
• HAVA Heart Flyer

Commentary on HAVA by Action NC: What's in your wallet?