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Monday numbers: NC voter rolls look different than they did eight years ago
The latest data show that North Carolina’s voter rolls continue to grow at a steady pace. However, because a growing number of voters do not designate their race, in some ways we know less about today’s voters than in the past. Overall, the state has seen a net increase of almost 1 million voters since October 2015. […]
NC voter turnout in the midterms: What the data show for various groups
This report about voter turnout follows one from last week about changes in voter registration. This new spreadsheet – 12 pages – compares voter turnout statewide, by county and by voting groups for 2022 with 2018. Turnout rate = Number of ballots cast divided by number of registered voters. Each county has two rows on […]
Veteran democracy advocate: Latest North Carolina voter stats reveal some worrisome trends
Overall numbers are up, but we know less about the state’s voters than before Before offering a profile of voter turnout in 2022 [check back in this space next week], it’s sobering to look at the changes in voter registration since the last mid-term election. As readers can see by clicking here, I’ve prepared a […]
Veteran NC government watchdog Bob Hall: GOP hypocrisy and the current controversies at the state Supreme Court
Republican legislators have filed a formal motion calling on North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls, a Democrat, to recuse herself from the current redistricting litigation. Why? According to the Republicans’ press release, she “faces an insurmountable conflict” because her election was heavily supported by a donor with a partisan interest in the outcome of […]
15 Tips for NC voters ahead of Tuesday’s primary
All kinds of myths and rumors circulate during elections. Don’t be discouraged; a scary story may be aimed at making you think voting is too difficult to do. As an independent watchdog group, Democracy North Carolina receives all kinds of reports on our hotline at 888-OUR-VOTE. We encourage voters to review the candidates at www.ncvotered.org […]
Study: NC Voters More Independent, Urban and Non-White
A new county-by-county analysis of North Carolina voters points to dramatic shifts in the past decade that will likely influence campaign strategy for hot elections this year for Richard Burr's US Senate seat and for control of the General Assembly.
Special-Interest PACs Guard Tax Loopholes
A new analysis shows that three dozen of North Carolina’s biggest political action committees (PACs) donated $7 million to state candidates and political parties in the last election – and now many of the groups are scrambling to make sure their interests, including tax breaks worth at least $1 billion a year, are not harmed […]
Data Highlight: Billboards versus trees
The billboard industry is not one of the 10 biggest spending special-interests groups, like the big banks, utilities, and developers — but it is one of the most persistent. And the money is not insignificant. The outdoor advertising industry, as it calls itself, is back in the NC General Assembly this year with a proposal […]
Statement on Jim Black’s Shorter Prison Sentence
Today’s Charlotte Observer features a story by Jim Morrill on efforts by the friends of former Speaker Jim Black to reduce his prison sentence – see: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/793368.html Democracy North Carolina has followed the Black saga closely; in fact, we filed the complaint about illegal contributions in his campaign that triggered the State Board of Election’s […]
The price is too high for the benefit
In case you’re counting, the runoff election yesterday cost more than $50 per vote cast for election officials to administer — about $4 million to operate about 3,000 polling places and process the results of barely 75,000 votes cast. In some counties, the cost for the local board of elections easily exceeded $70 per vote. […]
Test Your Knowledge: 12 Questions About Voting in North Carolina
With less than three weeks before early voting begins, the watchdog group Democracy North Carolina unveiled this week a comprehensive website featuring “Everything you need to register and vote in NC.” The site is accessible through the organization’s website www.democracy-nc.org or directly at www.2008ElectionConnection.com . I suspect even political junkies couldn’t answer the questions our […]
A closer look at the DOT contributions
Following up news stories about the political influence of appointees to the NC Board of Transportation, here are few facts and observations from Democracy North Carolina, the election watchdog organization based in Durham: Campaign reports reveal how the Board acts like an ATM machine for the governor and other state politicians. Looking at the DOT […]