Blatant Disregard for Voting Rights in North Carolina Challenged

By Mildred Robertson

The right to vote. It is the foundation upon which our democracy is built. And that right is under attack in the state of North Carolina, according to the Wake County Superior Court which just threw out two of the recently ratified NC constitutional amendments: voter I.D. and the income tax cap. The Court ruled that the North Carolina General Assembly is so profoundly gerrymandered that those elected do not represent the desires of citizens of this state. The Court stated that: "An illegally constituted General Assembly does not represent the people of North Carolina and is therefore not empowered to pass legislation that would amend the state's constitution."

This ruling comes down at the same time North Carolina’s 9^th Congressional District struggles with a different kind of voter disenfranchisement. The State Board of Elections has declined to seat Republican John Harris who appeared to have won the November General Election by a little over 900 votes. The Board found that political operative McCrae Dowless committed fraud in running Harris’s absentee ballot campaign in Bladen County and refused to seat him. While Harris has fought to be seated since the election, claiming that the number of contested ballots would not have changed the outcome, on yesterday during a fraud hearing he capitulated to the Board’s call for a new race after blistering testimony from his son, John Harris. The younger Harris challenged his father’s statement that he was unaware of Dowless’ history of shady electioneering. John Harris went on to say that he had advised his father against hiring Dowless.

These are very real examples of why federal oversight of voting rights in the South is as important today as it was when the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. That Act was aimed at overcoming legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The obvious gerrymandering of North Carolina voting districts, as well as the brazen manipulation and destruction of absentee ballots in Bladen County are representative of a blatant disrespect for minority voting rights in this state. We can take some comfort in the fact that the Wake County Superior Court and the State Board of Elections did their due diligence to level the playing field in these instances. But how many other similar situations have gone unchallenged? How many legislators sit in our halls of democracy as illegitimate representatives of the districts they purport to serve?

And, unfortunately, North Carolina does not stand alone. We can look to states such as Florida and Georgia to discern that the “New South” is not that new. Questionable election practices in both these states leave us to wonder at the legitimacy of those elections. The question is, was every vote counted, and did every citizen have access?

If we do not safeguard the right of every citizen to participate in our democracy then we fail to live up to our fullest potential. Candidates should not choose their voters. Voters should not have to suffer undue hardships to gain access to the ballot box and every legitimate vote should be counted.

In order for us to be a truly self-governing republic, our elected officials must represent our core values and beliefs.  If their very existence is based on illegally constituted districts and irregular election practices how can they possibly represent us?

The Wake County Superior Court and the North Carolina Board of Elections say they cannot. For that, at least we can be thankful.

Progressives Must Vet Presidential Hopefuls with Civility

By Mildred Robertson

As more and more democrats announce their intention to run during the 2020 Presidential Election, the feeding frenzy begins. Mainstream media and self-prescribed social media pundits alike have begun to dissect each candidate, laying bear their perceived or actual flaws in order to promote their preferred candidate. My advice to progressives hoping to see a better outcome in 2020 than we got in 2016—STOP IT!

Don’t get me wrong; a healthy discussion about each candidate and his or her historic stance on key issues is imperative. But that discussion needs to be based on actual, documented facts; not just select anecdotes and social media tropes that do not fully vet the candidates’ positions, action or intent.

What we all must do now is listen, research and select the candidate that most closely reflects our own views and political positions; and determine whether he or she can stand the national spotlight and the attacks that will surely come from the GOP. It is not necessary for us to do the work of the GOP by fatally wounding every democratic candidate during the primaries. By so doing, we provide a road map to a 2020 victory for the Republicans.

What I see when I look out at the field of Democratic presidential hopefuls is a diverse set of talent and experience. There appear to be many qualified candidates that can pick up the progressive mantle and carry it to a November 2020 victory. Our job is to elevate the one, without denigrating all the others.

There are a number of candidates who I think have what it takes to lead effectively. Many hold the same or similar political positions that I hold. There are some who seem completely authentic, and there are some who seem to have the political chops to turn positions into policy. But none of that is important if they cannot survive the meat grinder that is the presidential election process. We have to look carefully at all these candidates and determine the one who best represents our progressive agenda while simultaneously determining that he or she can make it through the primaries and survive national scrutiny in the presidential election.

Let’s not make the same mistakes in 2020 that we made in 2016. Let’s debate the issues facing progressives, but keep the fight in the family civil. Save the vitriol for the Grand Old Party.