Electoral Reform
We advocate for modern electoral policies that support your right to vote.
We are fortunate to live in a state where it is easy to take the right to vote for granted. But not everyone in North Carolina finds the path to the ballot box easy. Many people risk losing wages for taking time off to vote. Others have childcare or transportation considerations that make voting difficult. Still others do not realize they need to change their voter registration information until it is too late.
Although these modern realities all affect democracy, for many, many years the way we voted in NC did not change. Fortunately, NC is finding ways to modify its electoral policies to make sure people are not inadvertently left out of the voting process. Democracy North Carolina has helped win such electoral reforms as Early Voting, Sunday Voting and Same-Day Registration, and we continue to advocate for modern democracy reforms that make voting more accessible without compromising ballot security. Many of these reforms become part of our Democracy Agenda
or form the basis for our grassroots organizing.
Working Both Inside & Outside of the System
As we work for change, we remain mindful that our local boards of elections (BOEs) do an amazing job each year with limited staff and resources. That’s why we never pursue reform without consulting with BOE representatives during the advocacy process. We ask for their input on new policies and for help evaluating the impact, costs and practicality of proposed changes.
But we also work outside the system, using citizen advocacy and the efforts of our Democracy Advocates to push BOE’s and elected officials to approve needed reforms. This dual approach sets us apart from other groups with a less system-oriented focus.
Our Reform Priorities
Our current electoral reform priorities include:
- Continued Expansion of Early Voting.
- Same Day Registration on Election Day.
- Instant Run-Off Voting.
- Electoral College Reform.
You can see how we are advocating for these concerns by taking a look at our Democracy Agenda for 2009 to 2010. We intend to win these reforms by engaging people across North Carolina in our efforts. Review our activities section for more on how we promote electoral reform.
The Legacy of Bloody Sunday
The Selma-to-Montgomery March for voting rights in 1965 was the political and emotional peak of the civil rights movement. On “Bloody Sunday” (March 7, 1965), some 600 civil rights marchers left Selma on U.S. Route 80, headed to Montgomery to protest Alabama’s harassment and refusal to register black voters. They got as far as the Edmund Pettus Bridge six blocks away, where state and local lawmen attacked them with billy clubs and tear gas and drove them back into Selma. The photographs of this brutality, following months of attention on Selma’s mistreatment of black residents, seared the nation’s conscience.
Two days later, Martin Luther King, Jr., led a “symbolic” march to the bridge. Civil rights leaders then sought and won court protection for a third, full-scale march. On Sunday, March 21, 3,200 marchers left Selma for Montgomery, walking 12 miles a day and sleeping in fields at night. By the time they reached the capitol on Thursday, March 25, they were 25,000-strong.
Less than five months after the last of the three marches, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, culminating an intense struggle by ordinary people to be treated as first-class citizens at the ballot box.
Useful Links
- Take a look at our Democracy Agenda for 2009-2010.
- Electoral reform helped make 2008 "The Year of the Voter."
- Visit the NC Board of Elections for more on our state's electoral policies.
- Review our Accomplishments for past electoral reforms we have won.
- Join one of our local coalitions and help us fight for more electoral reform.