The people now exercising influence over North Carolina’s elections did not hide their views. They expressed them publicly. They built careers advancing them. And when they were given power over election administration, they brought those same views with them.
If passed, the Republican-sponsored election bill, HB 958, would create new barriers for voters and increase partisan control over North Carolina’s election processes.
Despite strong public opposition, Republicans on the Wake County Board of Elections have rejected the NC State University student center as an early voting site for the upcoming general election.
Three months after the story first broke, Whatley remains silent. That silence is becoming harder to defend as more North Carolinians ask a simple question: why did Michael Whatley knowingly give a convicted child sex offender power inside the Republican Party?
Public polling shows that the vast majority of North Carolinians have no idea who Stevens is, but her no-show at the veterans event follows a pattern of minimal campaigning from Stevens.
Davidson County Schools Superintendent Gregg Slate says his district has recently been spending around $60,000 a week on fuel for their fleet of school buses, with diesel costs about 50% higher than they were in North Carolina a year ago.
“Rather than invest in the students who need it most,” said NCAE President Tamika Walker Kelly, “lawmakers have found another way to provide tax giveaways to the wealthy at the expense of working families who depend on public education.”
Questions about Whatley’s ties to the utility company go beyond his investments. Recent reporting found that he spent more than a decade lobbying for utility companies, including Duke Energy, and arguing in favor of rate increases.
“The judicial branch of government is supposed to act as a final defense of the Constitution. But North Carolina’s judicial system is facing a loss of independence, impartiality, and public confidence,“ stated North Carolina Democrats in a media advisory regarding the constitutional amendments.
The first two amendments revolve around tax measures, including a change to property tax that could threaten essential services funded by local government, and an income tax rate measure that provides another massive tax break for the wealthy few, and more.