Democracy North Carolina currently maintains grassroots coalitions of reform-minded individuals in Charlotte, Greensboro, Fayetteville, Greenville and Winston-Salem. We are in the early stages of building coalitions in Asheville and Wilmington.

As part of these efforts, our organizers bring different local groups to the table to focus on a common goal: changing the political system to be more responsive and representative. 

 

Our Charlotte/Mecklenburg Coalition

Robert Dawkins is our field organizer for the Greater Charlotte and Western North Carolina regions. The Charlotte/Macklenburg coalition, called Democracy Charlotte, was active during the 2009 local elections, conducting voter education, registering new voters and getting out the vote. During the 2008 election, this was one of our most active coalitions. Its 20 + member groups educated voters on their rights, mounted a coordinated voter registration effort that included comprehensive registration trainings, helped coordinate Sunday Voting lobbying efforts, participated in Souls to the Polls, distributed over 60,000 local and statewide voter guides, registered and educated apartment residents about voting with a special Your Vote Counts campaign, canvassed, phone banked and took part in the Mecklenburg Voter Coalition’s rides to the polls initiative. Members of Democracy Charlotte include local chapters of several national fraternities and sororities, Working Families Win, ACORN, Charlotte HELP, the Latin American Coalition, League of Women Voters, the Urban League, local civic groups and churches plus other organizations. Democracy Charlotte welcomes civic organizations, faith communities, schools or other nonpartisan groups interested in getting the word out about the importance of Voter-Owned Elections and increasing voter participation. Meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month at the Charlotte Aquatic Center beginning at 6:30 PM. All interested groups are welcome to send a representative to this meeting to see what we’re all about. Contact Robert Dawkins for details: 704-957-3105.   

 

Our Fayetteville/Cumberland Coalition

Ashley Foxx is our field organizer for the southeast region of NC, which includes Fayetteville and surrounding Cumberland County areas, the greater Wilmington region plus Hoke and Robeson Counties. This coalition was very active during the 2008 election, when its ten member groups educated voters on their rights and encouraged participation in the election. Members include the NAACP, Fayetteville-Cumberland County Ministerial Council, Pastors’ Coalition, National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Junior League, a radio station and other groups. The Fayetteville Coalition is now seeking civic organizations, faith communities, schools or student groups and nonprofits interested in getting the word out about the importance of Voter-Owned Elections and increasing voter participation. It is particularly interested in hearing from youth groups, including those for high school and college age students. Individuals who would like to help with the coalition are also welcome. Contact Ashley Foxx for details: 919-286-6000, Ext. 18.

 

Our Greenville/Pitt Coalition

We are in the process of hiring a field organizer for Pitt County and surrounding areas. During the 2009 election season, the Pitt coalition sponsored a local candidates forum, registered new voters and engaged in other GOTV activities. For the 2008 election, the Pitt coalition sponsored a voter registration rally, registered hundreds of voters, advocated for Sunday Voting and the first ever Early Voting site on the campus of East Carolina University, distributed voter guides, conducted GOTV by working with local summer camps, sponsored speaking engagements and registration drives, co-sponsored a Wilson County Rally to dispel myths surrounding the upcoming election plus similar rallies in Pitt County, gave rides to Sunday Voting and provided materials for local organizations and churches conducting civic engagement. Members of the coalition currently include the NAACP, the AKA’s and Delta’s and Omega Psi Phi’s, League of Women Voters, the SCLC, local business such as Burton Family Dental, Churches Outreach Network and other organizations. The Pitt coalition is now seeking groups with interests in the areas of healthcare, economics, business and other issues of importance to the people of Pitt County. Contact Adam Sotak for more information at 919-296-6000, Ext. 11.

 

Our Greensboro/Guilford-Forsyth Coalitions

Linda Sutton is our field organizer for Guilford and Forsyth counties, which includes the cities of Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem. She also does work in Davie, Davidson and Alamance County. The Triad has two coalitions — Democracy Winston-Salem: The Voting-Rights Coalition and The Guilford County Unity Effort. Both were active during the 2009 municipal elections and, during the 2008 election season, they registered hundreds of new voters, hosted several candidate forums, distributed over 60,000 voter guides, canvassed, conducted early voting GOTV work, sponsored a Voter Awareness Day March and Rally, held Freedom Sundays in  local churches and provided materials and support for dozens of organizations and nearly 100 churches so that they could conduct civic engagement. Members of the two coalitions currently include the NAACP, the AKAs and Deltas, CHANGE, the High Point African-American Initiative, Minister’s Conference, Urban League, Black Leadership Roundtable, League of Women Voters, several re-entry organizations and other groups. The coalition is seeking to expand and would particularly welcome young people and youth groups. Contact Linda Sutton for details at 336-870-2168.