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July 13th, 2011
The weeks have flown by and it seems crazy that we now find ourselves in week 7 of the internship. Eastern North Carolina has surely kept us busy. Our work week this week started with a block party on Sunday hosted by the SCLC. We set up a table to do voter registration at this event. We were taken aback when we asked a group of 4 young attendees if they were registered to vote. Their immediate response was “vote for what”. There were multiple tables out so we assumed they were just confused as to what table they were at. After we explained we were registering people to vote for elected officials from the president on down to their local city council members, we were taken aback when one responded “Oh no, we don’t vote”. So we politely asked them again, “well would you like to register”. We were given a “no we don’t want to vote”. As they walked away I (Jasmine) immediately wanted to ask them one question “why?” It amazes me how apathetic people can be towards voting, especially a right that people fought for them to have. It amazes me how apathetic people can be towards people who make the decisions that affect their everyday life. It also amazes me how one person said that she didn’t want to vote, and everyone else followed suit as if they would be looked at as being “lame” for registering to vote. I know the blog spot is typically for rants; however I just could not pass up telling this experience.
Monday was just an office day for me and Shaniqua. Tuesday we went to a one on one with a community center in Greenville. We realized that we have made our fair share of rounds in Greenville when the director that we met with begin to ask who we have met with, and we named practically everyone in his repertoire of active people in the community that we should meet with.
Wednesday we got to venture out of the area and we got the chance to head to the North Carolina General Assembly for our Respect Our Vote Rally. There was a heat advisory on Wednesday so we didn’t know exactly how many people were going to turn out but there was over 100 so we were very excited about that. It is amazing that in the same week we heard such apathy toward voting, that we saw a mass of people in the sweltering heat rallying for the right to vote. This week was just amazing to me. It also is great every time that we get the chance to get meet up with all of the Democracy North Carolina team.
Until next time,
Jasmine and Shaniqua
Tags: Jasmine Johnson, NCGA, Respect Our Vote, Shaniqua Singleton, Shaunee Morgan, Stop Photo ID, Youth Pre-Registration
Posted in Democracy Summer, Democracy Summer 2011, Greenville, Tales From The Frontline, Voting Rights, Youth Vote | 1 Comment »
July 12th, 2011
Democracy North Carolina to Mount Rally at the General Assembly at
11:00 AM on Wednesday, July 13th to Protest GOP Attacks on Voting Rights
Americans for Prosperity Plan Counter Protest Nearby
The Durham-based good government group Democracy North Carolina is sponsoring a rally tomorrow, Wednesday July 13th, to protest GOP attempts to override Gov. Perdue’s veto of the voter photo ID bill plus several still-pending bills that would eliminate Same Day Registration, slice a week off Early Voting and cut NC’s successful youth voter pre-registration program. Partisan redistricting efforts will also be addressed at the rally. The rally begins at 11:00 AM in front of the General Assembly. A short speaker program will be followed by a 10-minute silent protest in the Senate Gallery.
The conservative group, Americans For Prosperity, have announced their own General Assembly rally at the same time to urge GOP leaders to override Governor Perdue’s recent vetos of GOP-sponsored legislation.
Protect & Respect Our Vote Rally
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 ● 11:00 AM
NC General Assembly Building
16 W. Jones St. ● Raleigh, NC
For more information on the rally, please contact Democracy North Carolina Organizing Director Adam Sotak at (704) 277-8340.
Posted in Media Feed & Press Releases, Take Action Now! | Comments Off
July 11th, 2011
Join Democracy North Carolina and others on Wednesday, July 13, in Raleigh at the Respect Our Vote Rally. Good speakers, good friends, good cause, and a good time to say No to partisan attacks on your voting rights. In addition to scheming to override Gov. Perdue’s veto of the photo ID bill, conservative lawmakers will use other legislation to twist the election process in their favor, from cutting down Early Voting to carving up political district lines. Their lack of respect for voters is a sharp contrast to the historic vote the NC General Assembly took in July forty years ago that awarded the franchise across the nation to 18 year olds. Reversing the slogan of that era, “If you’re old enough to vote, you’re old enough to fight.” See you soon.
Posted in Civic Engagement, Link-of-the-Day, Voting Rights, Youth Vote | Comments Off
July 8th, 2011
In contrast to incentives for small donors (per Wednesday’s Link of the Day), the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision encourages limitless donations by corporations (and unions) for so-called independent expenditures. Texas Gov. Rick Perry is the latest candidate to benefit from this subterfuge, with the creation of a super PAC called “Americans for Rick Perry” that will supposedly operate completely independent of his campaign and consultants. It will solicit mega donations to advance Perry’s candidacy in Iowa and elsewhere. The Center for Responsive Politics is tracking the rise of super PACs across the political spectrum; unlike the 501(c)(4) vehicle, the public will at least get a glimpse of who’s donating to super PACs. The same news item about Perry also notes that traditional PAC contributions from labor unions are way down at this stage of the 2012 election cycle. In the 2010 cycle, union PACs gave a total of $60 million to federal candidates or one fifth the $300 million supplied by business PACs. Meanwhile, the IRS has backed away from exploring whether it will apply its normal gift tax rule to large donations to 501(c)(4) organizations, which are not charities. A donor giving over $13,000 to a group like Karl Rove’s super active Crossroads GPS could have faced a 35% excise tax, but now another agency is giving big political donors another green light to dominate US elections.
Posted in Citizens United Case, Disclosure, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics | Comments Off
July 7th, 2011
This week Jasmine and I have been working on writing letters to the editor in opposition to the Photo ID bill and SB 47, and we have been trying to get others to do the same. Unfortunately, this process has not been the easiest. When we first started this internship we were told that we might face some setbacks in our work, but I don’t think either of us expected something like this. Our previous letters to the editor about redistricting seemed to be well received, but people have not responded well to our recent letters. So many people have written comments and sent in letters in response to what we submitted. I think we were both surprised to see that so many people responded to our letter. So many letters to the editor are posted each day, it is interesting that people chose to respond to ours. They even took the time to use my name in their comments. We are like local celebrities! What was even more surprising was that people took the time to be so negative towards us as individuals, instead of focusing on the issue at hand. I suppose this sort of thing happens all the time to full time organizers, but it was a little shocking to us at first. Hopefully our letter writing campaign has smoother sailing from now on!
Shaniqua and Jasmine
Tags: Democracy Summer 2011, Greenville, Jasmine Johnson, Shaniqua Singleton, Shaunee Morgan
Posted in Democracy Summer, Democracy Summer 2011, Greenville, Tales From The Frontline | 1 Comment »
July 6th, 2011
The recent Supreme Court decision knocking down rescue funds is pushing advocates of public campaign financing to look at alternative models that meet many of the goals of the Voter-Owned or Clean Elections approach. In a new report, the Campaign Finance Institute has applied its favorite model to state legislative elections in six Midwestern states. Its model matches on a five-to-one basis the first $50 an individual donor gives a qualified candidate; i.e., a $50 donation earns the candidate $250 in public funds. (The model follows a six-to-one matching program that has worked well in New York City and a variation is used in the federal Fair Elections Now Act.) The new CFI report points out that small donors typically account for only 3% to 12% of the money raised in state legislative campaigns. That share would rocket up thanks to the public funds triggered by small donations – and it would make small donors more important to candidates thanks to the matching funds. Rather than restrict opposition or outside spending, which the Roberts’ Court abhors, the model focuses on providing incentives that empower small donors and increase their influence in campaigns.
Posted in Citizens United Case, FENA, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Voter-Owned Elections | Comments Off
July 5th, 2011
The NC FreeEnterprise Foundation, a conservative business association, provides another view of the new Congressional districts proposed by Republicans. It says “the maps heavily favor the election of a solid majority Republican contingent to the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina in 2012, if the maps are approved and implemented ‘as is.’” And it provides a before and after chart showing the partisan make-up of the current and new districts. Democrats are at least 48% of the registered voters in 6 of the 13 districts now, but that drops to 4 districts in the new plan and one of them is Rep. Walter Jones’ 3rd District, with many conservative white Democrats. The NC NAACP also criticized the plan for moving five counties covered by the Voting Rights Act out of Rep. G. K. Butterfield’s 1st District, where racially polarized voting is still often found, and replacing them with voters from Wake County, which is not covered by VRA’s preclearance section.
Posted in Link-of-the-Day, Redistricting | Comments Off
July 1st, 2011
Republican leaders today released their proposed map of North Carolina’s 13 Congressional districts for the 2012-2020 elections. As expected, they erased nearly all the advantages Democrats drew for themselves when they had control of the crayons. Political observer John Davis produced a detailed analysis of the Republicans “smart mapping,” concluding that the GOP will have 8 solid seats, Democrats keep 3 (Mel Watts, G.K. Butterfield and David Price), and 2 are somewhat in play. For example, the now-contested 7th District (held by Democrat Larry Kissell) becomes safely Republican by giving away some Democratic precincts in Cumberland and Mecklenburg to Price and Watts and picking up GOP precincts in Randolph, Davidson and Rowan. The two majority-minority districts gain more black voters, as does Price’s 4th District, in order to pack Democrats into a few districts and give Republicans a bigger advantage in the remaining areas. Brad Miller still lives in his redrawn 13th District but he has little chance of winning; the new territory includes the home of several likely GOP candidates, including departing US Attorney Robert Holding. The Rothenberg Political Report provides additional insights into possible match-ups and consequences if the new map gains approval. The public hearing for the Congressional map is July 7 and follows a similar pattern of multiple locations linked through video conferencing.
Posted in Link-of-the-Day, Redistricting | Comments Off
June 30th, 2011
When the US Supreme Court liberated purchased political speech from nearly all regulation in the Citizens United decision, it opened a Pandora’s Box loaded with all sorts of strange creatures: partisan c-4s, super PACs, corporate slush funds. The Federal Election Commission is struggling to apply its rules to new creatures served up by operatives across the political spectrum. Even Stephen Colbert sought FEC approval for using his show’s resources to produce partisan ads. On the same day the FEC gave Colbert partial approval, it did the same for federal candidates who wanted permission to raise unlimited donations for their super PACs to support candidates of their choice. The FEC said, No, neither President Barack Obama nor Sen. Mitch McConnell can ask General Electric to give $2 million to a super PAC, but they can ask for the current limit ($5,000) AND attend the event where others ask for and receive the $2 million. The money suppliers and fundraising arms race never had it so good, thanks to the Supreme Five. As E. J. Dionne writes, “The United States Supreme Court now sees its central task as comforting the already comfortable and afflicting those already afflicted. If you are a large corporation or a political candidate backed by lots of private money, be assured that the court’s conservative majority will be there for you, solicitous of your needs and ready to swat away those pesky little people who dare to contest your power.” Given that mission, Arizona’s matching fund provision didn’t stand a chance for fair treatment.
Posted in Citizens United Case, Disclosure, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Voter-Owned Elections | Comments Off
June 30th, 2011
From long phone banking sittings to travelling the west side of North Carolina was what we made our business and we absolutely beheld every moment of it with style. We had the opportunity to phone bank twice, attended a meeting with the Lieutenant Governor, made an appearance at the Homeless Helping Homeless fundraising event and even attained some petition signatures, traveled to Raleigh and to Hickory for our second tour stop of the summer. While in this small town of Hickory, we were able to incorporate 6 one-on-one meetings and were invited to speak at a training session hosted by UNIFOUR Now, nearing the end of the week, we find ourselves back here at a little java coffee shop right outside of UNCC preparing for a petition tabling at NODA tomorrow. As inspiring as the 1st month was, we have yet discovered more groups, more issues and more work for us to do. The job of an organizer is very demanding and still, very rewarding. This became apparent to us on Wednesday at a protest we attended with the other Democracy Summer interns. As we stood on the sidewalks of West Franklin Street, side by side with different community groups, we rose our voices in objection to the outrageous actions of those behind the restaurant walls. We were appalled by the politicians who had cut the education and job funding for the state and yet still had the audacity to splurge on meals that equaled the cost of a teacher’s salary. Standing there, we realized that organizers of all kind may have different views and concentrations but they still want one thing. When people come together to get things accomplished, things become better for the whole. We aren’t just working for the community but the state and what we do, what organizers do, it’s epic.
Maiysa Mesbah and Joyce Lutu
Tags: Joyce Lutu, Maiysa Mesbah, Robert Dawkins
Posted in Charlotte, Democracy Summer, Democracy Summer 2011, Tales From The Frontline, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
June 30th, 2011
This week has definitely been one for the books!!!! We’ve been tabling, phone banking, writing letters to the editor, researching, base building, and even some picketing. Our week began on Saturday. We tabled at an event in Ayden, North Carolina to try to get residents up-to-date with the Voter Photo ID bill and also to introduce our work on money in politics. We were expecting a large turnout but the heat must have kept people inside because there weren’t as many people as we expected. Monday afternoon we phone banked after we realized that in the haste of week 4 we forgot to phone bank on Friday night. We’ve had VERY successful phone banking nights the last past two weeks so we were pumped about phone banking again (never thought we’d say that). Monday, Shaunee told us that things may get a little more interesting in the week. A picket protesting the GOP fundraiser had been scheduled for Wednesday and we were going. Tuesday we went to work with posters, markers, and posterboard in hand to make signs for the protest and we brainstormed catchy slogans that we could use. Of course work never stops so on Wednesday, even though we had a picket later in the day in Raleigh, we still traveled to Halifax early in the morning to do some base building and go out to a few one on ones we had set up. We received and impromptu tour of the Tillery Community Center which was definitely nice and informational. On Wednesday we definitely learned something new. After our tour we were back on the road again to Raleigh. As we turned down Franklin Street we approached a crowd of people, signs, and police cars. Yes….we were in the right place. We enjoyed our first protest under Dem NC and it was definitely nice to see people come together from different organizations and walks of life. While we have enjoyed our work so far, we would be lying if we said that we were not excited about our upcoming 4 day weekend.
P.S. We got another letter to the editor published in the Wilson Daily times on redistricting in Wilson, NC (see letter below)
2010 marked the year of another Census, which means another round of redistricting. Every 10 years when the Census is counted district lines are examined and adjusted if deemed necessary to accommodate shifts in populations. The city of Wilson is offering a public hearing to discuss two redistricting plans that the city council is considering. This public hearing allows citizens to come out and voice their concerns, issues, and suggestions about the districts in the city of Wilson.
This is an effort to get residents of Wilson to let their voice be heard, so why not take advantage? If your districts change and you have not educated yourself on the proposals, or taken the time out to voice your opinion on them, your complaint is in vain.
Individuals like transparent government; this is transparency in one of its best forms. I strongly urge residents of Wilson to attend the redistricting public hearing on July 21 during the city council meeting. I have attended several redistricting public hearings and workshops across the eastern North Carolina area and can attest to the fact that they are informative and allow input from residents.
Redistricting maps out who you vote for, it’s only right that you have a voice in that process.
Jasmine Johnson
Elm City
Onwards,
Jasmine and Shaniqua
Tags: Jasmine Johnson, Picket, Protest, Shaniqua Singelton
Posted in Citizens United Case, Democracy Summer, Democracy Summer 2011, Greenville, Money in Politics, Pay to Play, Tales From The Frontline, Voter-Owned Elections | 1 Comment »
June 28th, 2011
To start off our busy week we met at Amalie’s French Bakery. It was to be a day of listening and recording information from the community to Lieutenant Governor, Walter Dalton. We first arrived there at 1pm and began to organize tasks to complete for the week because we were to begin the meeting at 3:00pm. We also had time to begin working on our “get out the vote project.” When 3 rolled around, we gathered in a meeting room set aside in Amalie’s and patiently anticipated our time with Lt. Governor Dalton. The room filled quickly with men and women in suits: representatives from non-profit groups, small business owners and the lieutenant’s special group of four. The exclusive gathering began with the lieutenant’s words on what he thinks about the current legislation. His ideas on the topic were filled with hope but also a hint of wonder as he predicted what was to come. He spoke about the rapid change that North Carolina was undergoing due to current political acts. He said that North Carolina has a history of being a progressive state recognized not only by the rest of America but also around the world. Lieutenant Governor Dalton explained to us that North Carolina’s values lie with education and opportunity. The fact that it was the first state to have a public university system exemplifies this fact. Questions and answers were exchanged in the meeting about the unemployment rate, big and small businesses, education, gay marriage, the racial justice act, the voter ID bill, teachers and their jobs, an attack on Obama and Perdue and different message framing. It was a meeting that captivated our attention on the different passions of the people. From the community to the government: that’s how it should be. 
Tags: Leitentant Governor Walter Dalton, Maiysa Mesbah and Joyce Lutu, Robert Dawkins
Posted in Charlotte, Democracy Summer, Democracy Summer 2011, Tales From The Frontline, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
June 28th, 2011
While the NC General Assembly is on a 24-day recess, House Republicans are taking quick advantage of a loophole in state law to sponsor a major fundraising event this Wednesday and solicit contributions of up to $5,000 from PACs that are barred from giving while the General Assembly is in session. The event looks like a shakedown of lobby groups and PACs whose favorite legislation just passed or is still pending. As our press release says, “This kind of fundraising symbolizes the pay-to-play culture that Republicans said they would stamp out if they won control of the General Assembly.” It’s understandable that candidates need to raise funds, but they should also be working to change the money-dominated system, not pushing the edge of the law or promising to make change and then making things worse. Several Democracy North Carolina staff members and summer organizers are joining a protest of the GOP fundraising on Wednesday, June 29, from 5:00 to 6:30 PM. You can join, too, on the sidewalk at 34 West Franklin St., Raleigh, across from 18 Seaboard Restaurant, site of the fundraiser (near Peace College).
Posted in Ethics, Link-of-the-Day, Lobbying, Money in Politics, Pay to Play | Comments Off
June 27th, 2011
The US Supreme Court issued its expected 5-to-4 rejection of the matching or rescue funds provision in Arizona’s public campaign financing program. Some worried that the activist justices would overreach (as they did in the Citizens United decision) and find some means to outlaw public financing altogether. That didn’t happen; maybe the public’s outrage over the CU decision had an effect. In his opinion for the majority, Chief Justice Roberts proclaimed that public financing programs are indeed constitutional and their “wisdom” is “none of our business,” i.e., not a question for the courts to settle. The dissenting opinion on matching funds, written by Justice Kagan, is especially worth reading – beginning on page 37 of the ruling. Here’s one link to the ruling, highlights of Kagan’s dissent and a number of statements about the impact of the case. Other models of public financing, particularly the multiple match for small-dollar donations (as used in New York City and the proposed Fair Elections Now Act), will likely get a boost from the decision. Statements from the NC Center for Voter Education and Justice at Stake suggest that rescue funds in programs for judicial elections may be viewed differently by the Supreme Court, but even if not, a public financing option can and should be offered to protect us from the consequences of justice for sale.
Posted in FENA, Judicial Elections, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Voter-Owned Elections | Comments Off
June 27th, 2011
With the impending doom of what could happen with SB-47, I find it important to reflect back to July 1st, 1971. This coming Saturday will be the 40th anniversary of the 26th Amendment being passed, which changed the legal voting age to be 18, instead of 21 (which it had been previously). Now, young teens face close to the same challenges teens then faced, being treated as if their citizen duty, to vote, is not of importance. Even though the reasons for the 26th Amendment were slightly different (“Old enough to fight, old enough to vote!”), the consequences remain the same. Young people should be whole-heartedly involved in the political process. In reality, by stripping them the ability to pre-register is not only taking away Civics education – that the law requires, but is also closing them out of the system. Even though July is most notably remembered for United States independence, it is important to reflect on the gains that teens made in the political world during the month too. With July 1st approaching we should not be making regressive policies that make teens even less heard, but we should be educating our future, and ensuring that young people have the voice that our ancestors worked so hard to fight for – that is what July is about anyways, right? As the legislators reconvene in July, I ask them to remember the 26th Amendment and the positive impact it had for not only young people, but the country as a whole. July should be a time for celebration for the country (young people included), not a time for regressive legislation!
Kayla and Khadijah
Winston-Salem Team
Posted in Democracy Summer, Democracy Summer 2011, Greensboro, Tales From The Frontline, Winston-Salem | 1 Comment »
