Voting rights groups mark 100 days until Election Day with renewed commitment to protecting Black, Brown, poor and rural voters as General Assembly returns from break
Raleigh, N.C. – July 26th marked 100 days until North Carolinians decide the outcome of one of the most closely watched elections in the country. On the North Carolina General Assembly’s first day back in session since its July 4th break, students and Voting rights organizations from across the state gathered in front of the Legislative Building in downtown Raleigh to mark the milestone and lay out their commitment to ensuring every eligible voter, especially those most vulnerable to disenfranchisement, can cast a ballot free from intimidation, confusion or obstruction.
With 100 days left, Forward Justice, Common Cause NC, NC Black Alliance, Democracy North Carolina, NC NAACP, and NC Asian Americans Together used the moment to look forward- outlining what voter protection, voter education, voter mobilization, and rapid response to intimidation and disinformation will look like between now and November 3rd, across all 100 NC counties in NC, as citizens prepare to register to vote and cast their ballots. Students shared their concerns about the changes to voting access on college campuses and vowed to continue mobilizing and organizing to get students to the polls despite newly erected barriers to voting.
Additional Information:
In August, lawmakers passed House Bill 958, a sweeping elections bill that would expand challenges to voters’ ballots, and add new hurdles to absentee voting- changes voting rights advocates across the state have already warned would make it harder, not easier, for eligible voters to be heard. Governor Stein vetoed the bill, and the NC legislature is expected to vote on a veto over ride soon.
For over a decade, there has been a continuous increase of anti-voter laws and policies in North Carolina including: the passage of a discriminatory photo voter ID law, racially discriminatory redistricting, closure of campus polling places, placing the State Board of Elections under the control of the partisan State Auditor’s office, and other shameless power grabs from state officials.
Since 2020, a network of voting rights organizations across North Carolina have been working to ensure that voters most vulnerable to disenfranchisement, voter intimidation and mis/disinformation are protected and informed throughout the election season. They believe the dignity, humanity and safety of Black, Brown, poor and rural voters must be protected, and that all eligible voters have the right to vote free from intimidation or harassment.
Watch the livestream here: https://www.commoncause.org/north-carolina/articles/protecting-north-carolina-voters/
