From Twitter,
Was it this non confusion one,
or this one from the Land of Confusion
One is clearing stacking the deck in someone (party) favor.
Showing posts with label Voting Issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Voting Issues. Show all posts
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Thursday, March 26, 2015
U.S. SUPREME COURT BLOCKS REDISTRICTING PLAN IN ALBAMA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2015
Contact: Tom Wolf, NC NAACP - tom@naacpnc.org or 504-940-4441
U.S. SUPREME COURT BLOCKS REDISTRICTING PLAN
THAT PACKS BLACK VOTERS IN ALBAMA
*AND THIS HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR NORTH CAROLINA*
DURHAM, NC: Yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court opinion in the Alabama redistricting case supports the argument that the North Carolina State Conference of Branches of the NAACP has been making against North Carolina’s racially gerrymandered districts since they were first proposed in 2011. The Court held that packing black voters to meet a specific racial quota is constitutionally suspect, as was done in Alabama and in North Carolina. The Court remanded the case to the lower court for application of strict scrutiny. “The principles of law announced by the Court yesterday apply with equal force to North Carolina, mandating a reversal of the redistricting plans adopted here,” said Reverend Dr. William J. Barber, II.
Monday, September 15, 2014
News Conference to Address Senator Berger's Misleading Voter Information
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2014
Contact: Tom Wolf, NC NAACP - tiwolf13@gmail.com or 504-940-4441
Corrected:
News Conference to Address Senator Berger's Misleading Voter Information
10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
RALEIGH, NC: One of the primary tactics used by the extremist right to confuse voters in North Carolina has been to spread false information. Most recently, this manifested itself in the form of a television ad endorsed by the North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger, in which the Senator blatantly distorts key elements of the new voting laws.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Butterfield: Wilson County Early Voting Plan will Disenfranchise Voters
For Release: Immediate Contact: Kim Atterbury
July 11, 2014 Office: 202.225.3101
|
Butterfield: Wilson County Early Voting Plan will Disenfranchise Voters
Wilson, NC - Today, Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) sent a letter to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) asking they approve an early voting plan that does not restrict voters' access to the polls. Yesterday, the Wilson County Board of Elections approved an early voting plan that excludes Sunday voting and does not provide for any early voting sites outside of the City of Wilson. This misguided decision was made at a public meeting where residents were denied the right to comment prior to the
Board voting.
Butterfield wrote, "I am extremely concerned about the latest actions taken by the Board because they will ultimately disenfranchise voters and stifle electoral participation.
Public support for Sunday voting was clearly demonstrated at yesterday's Board meeting where two dozen residents attempted to voice support but Board Chairman Robert Brown did not let them speak prior to the vote. Residents of Wilson County were rightfully outraged with their inability to offer public comment during Thursday's meeting.
Restricting voter access amounts to voter suppression, not voter protection." Because the vote of the Wilson County Board of Elections was not unanimous, the ultimate fate of the plan will be decided by the North Carolina Board of Elections.
Butterfield's letter to the North Carolina State Board of Elections follows.
July 11, 2014
Mr. Joshua B. Howard
Chairman
North Carolina State Board of Elections
441 North Harrington Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603
Dear Chairman Howard:
I write regarding the public meeting held by the Wilson County Board of Elections (Board) on Thursday, July 10, 2014. I am extremely concerned about the latest actions taken by the Board because they will ultimately disenfranchise voters and stifle electoral participation.
The Board, with a 2 - 1 vote, approved the plan establishing hours and locations for early voting for the November 2014 general election. The plan passed by the Board would add another polling place inside the Wilson city limits bringing the total number of polling places inside the city limits to three with none located in the county. Forty percent of the population of Wilson County lives outside the city limits which will surely be an impediment to their desire to participate in early voting. The plan also excluded Sunday voting. This action will further limit voter participation, particularly among African Americans and senior citizens. I believe this move is the result of recent actions by the General Assembly to make it more difficult to vote.
Wilson County has a history of Sunday voting including as recently as the 2012 general election and is widely supported by Wilson County residents. Public support for Sunday voting was clearly demonstrated at yesterday's Board meeting where two dozen residents attempted to voice support but Board Chairman Robert Brown did not let them speak prior to the vote. Residents of Wilson County were rightfully outraged with their inability to offer public comment during Thursday's meeting.
I understand that because the Board's vote was not unanimous, the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) is compelled to render a decision on the plan. I have been informed that Board member Chip Futrell, who was the dissenting vote to yesterday's plan, will request to speak at the NCSBE meeting on this issue and present an alternative plan for Wilson County. I respectfully request you permit him to formally address the NCSBE so that the residents of Wilson County will have every opportunity to voice their opinion and have the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote for their candidates of choice.
Restricting voter access amounts to voter suppression, not voter protection. I ask that you not participate in this obvious plan to limit voter participation in Wilson County. I request that you enact a fair plan for early voting that will make voting accessible for all citizens.
Thank you very much.
Very truly yours,
G. K. Butterfield
Member of Congress
cc: Ms. Rhonda K. Amoroso
Mr. Joshua D. Malcolm
Mr. Paul J. Foley
Ms. Maja Knicker
Ms. Kim Westbrook Strach
Mr. Robert D. Brown
Mr. Joel Killion
Mr. Chip Futrell
Ms. Rena' Morris
Ms. Tasha Bell
###
President of the NC NAACP Showing the Necessity for Federal Preclearance Protections in North Carolina
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2014
U. S. Senate Testimony of Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the NC NAACP Showing the Necessity for Federal Preclearance Protections in North Carolina
A copy of Dr. Barber's testimony can be found HERE.
DURHAM, NC - To explain how North Carolina has seen its expansive voter protections rolled back since the Shelby Co. v. Holder decision gutted the Voting Rights Act's Section V preclearance requirement, NC NAACP President Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II was invited to present written testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary as it consider its Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014.
"Since the Supreme Court's ruling in Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, inclusive democracy is under attack in ways that dangerously and disproportionately imperil voters of color," Dr. Barber wrote. "North Carolina is a stark example of the continued need for the Voting Rights Act. The full protections of the Voting Rights Act remain necessary to ensure that the promises of the Reconstruction Amendments are kept."
This national debate over a proposed Voting Rights Amendment Act is taking place just as the NC NAACP, that Dr. Barber leads, finished a week of presenting testimony in the U.S. Court, challenging was most observers have called the worst voter suppression law to be passed in the South since Jim Crow. The NC NAACP and its legal team await the decision of whether to grant a preliminary injunction of the voter suppression law by the federal judge who conducted the four-day hearing. He said the decision would come "sooner than later."
The legal team, led by the Advancement Project, presented documentary and testimonial evidence that emphasized the law, passed by Speaker Thom Tillis, Senate leader Phil Berger, and Gov. Pat McCrory in a last-minute rush 11 months ago, violated the 14th, 15th and 26th Amendments and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act because it disproportionately impacted people of color, the elderly, young people, women and other minority groups.
A full copy of Dr. Barber's testimony can be accessed HERE. The Forward Together Moral Movement will be circulating copies to all of North Carolina's representatives in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
###
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. The NC Conference of NAACP Branches is 70 years old this year and is made up of over 100 Adult, Youth and College NAACP units across the state, convenes more than 160 members of the Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) People's Assembly Coalition, and is the architect of the Moral Monday & Forward Together Movement.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Closing Arguments in the Hearing over a Preliminary Injunction against the Voter Suppression Law
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2014
Contact: Sarah Bufkin, NC NAACP - smbufkin@gmail.com or 404.285.3413
As Lawyers Begin Closing Arguments in the Hearing over a Preliminary Injunction against the Voter Suppression Law, the NC NAACP Plaintiffs Available to Discuss Case
Media Availability
Thursday, July 10, 2014
As court ends - circa 3 pm expected
U.S. District Courthouse
251 N. Main St, Winston-Salem, NC
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Lawyers for the North Carolina NAACP and its co-plaintiffs will begin its closing arguments today, asking U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder to issue a preliminary injunction against the monster voter suppression law ahead of the November elections. After the court recesses for the day, the NC NAACP plaintiffs and the Forward Together Moral Movement will be available for media interviews on the courthouse steps in Winston-Salem.
"This has been a truly historic week for the people of North Carolina, particularly for those who may find themselves disenfranchised in a few months if this law is allowed to stand," said Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, president of the North Carolina NAACP. "To our courageous, justice-loving plaintiffs and to our hard-working, justice-loving attorneys, we in the Forward Together Moral Movement say, 'Thank you.'"
A number of the NC NAACP plaintiffs, including Ms. Rosanell Eaton, Ms. Mary Perry, Rev. Jimmie Hawkins of Covenant Presbyterian Church and Rev. John Mendez, will be available for media. The NC NAACP has been represented in federal court this week by Atty. Irv Joyner of NCCU Law; Atty. Adam Stein of Chapel Hill; Advancement Project and attorneys with Kirkland Ellis, LLP.
WHO: The NC NAACP and the Forward Together Moral Movement
WHAT: Media availabilities
WHEN: Today after court recesses - most likely around 3 pm
WHERE: U.S. District Court
251 N. Main St, Winston-Salem, NC
###
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
NAACP Challenges the Voter Suppression Law in Federal Court July 7
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2014
Contact: Sarah Bufkin, NC NAACP - smbufkin@gmail.com or 404.285.3413
Moral Mondays Come to Winston-Salem for Launch of Moral March to the Polls as the North Carolina NAACP Challenges the Voter Suppression Law in Federal Court July 7
Monday, July 7, 2014
9:30 am
Hearing on Preliminary Injunction
U.S. District Courthouse
251 N. Main St, Winston-Salem, NC
5:30 pm
Moral Monday Rally
Corpening Plaza
237 W. First St, Winston-Salem, NC
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Shortly after the North Carolina NAACP challenges the monster voter suppression law in federal court in Winston-Salem on Monday, July 7, the Forward Together Moral Movement calls people to the first Moral March to the Polls rally a few blocks away to stand up for North Carolinians' right to vote.
"The Forward Together Movement is fighting back against this extremist attempt to obstruct and hobble the votes of North Carolinians in the courts and in the streets of Winston-Salem on July 7," said Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, president of the North Carolina NAACP. "Already, the Moral March to the Polls and Moral Freedom Summer are translating our energy from the actions in Raleigh to the grassroots organizing we'll need to galvanize the state in November. As we broaden and deepen this good work of mobilizing returning voters and registering new ones, we will embark on an intense campaign of Get-Out-the-Vote rallies, canvassing, voter education and Moral Monday actions."
In order to prevent the new voting restrictions from robbing North Carolinians of the franchise this November, the NC NAACP has filed for a preliminary injunction against the 2013 law, which many have characterized as the worst voter suppression bill passed since Jim Crow.
Led by Atty. Irving Joyner of NC Central Law; Atty. Adam Stein of Chapel Hill; Kirkland Ellis, LLP and Advancement Project, the NC NAACP legal team will argue that the new law will disproportionately disenfranchise people of color, the poor, students, the elderly and the disabled this November and should be enjoined to protect the fundamental voting rights of thousands of North Carolinians. If successful, the state would be forced to restore same-day registration, a full calendar of early voting, pre-registration for 16 and 17 year-olds and provisional ballots across precinct lines.
After the first day of the hearing concludes, people will gather nearby at Corpening Plaza starting at 5:30 pm for the first Moral March to the Polls rally. Moral leaders, policy experts and everyday people who have been hurt by this regressive public policy agenda at the NCGA will discuss the importance of getting out into the streets this summer to organize, mobilize, educate and register voters.
WHO: The NC NAACP and the Forward Together Moral Movement
WHAT: Preliminary Injunction Hearing & Moral March to the Polls Rally
WHEN: Monday, July 7, 2014
9 am - Preliminary Injunction Hearing
5:30 pm - Moral March to the Polls Rally
WHERE: Preliminary Injunction Hearing
U.S. District Court - Winston-Salem
251 N. Main St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Moral March to the Polls Rally
Corpening Plaza
237 W. First St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
###
Friday, June 27, 2014
Moral Monday Broadcast on June 30
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2014
Contact: Sarah Bufkin, NC NAACP - smbufkin@gmail.com or 404.285.3413
The Forward Together Movement to Talk Voter Mobilization and Registration with People across North Carolina at a Moral Monday Broadcast on June 30
Monday, June 30, 2014
7 pm
Livestream link: http://bit.do/mmmpc
Davie St Presbyterian Church
300 E. Davie St, Raleigh
RALEIGH, NC - As a part of its pivot towards the Moral March to the Polls, the North Carolina NAACP and the Forward Together Moral Movement will host a Moral Monday Broadcast on Monday, June 30 to galvanize people all across the state to begin intensive voter registration and mobilization campaigns in their hometowns.
Starting at 7 pm, the Moral Monday Broadcast will be live-streamed across the state and the nation. People unable to attend the event in Raleigh at Davie St. Presbyterian Church are encouraged to hold watching parties in their communities.
The Moral March to the Polls - which kicked off last week in tandem with Moral Freedom Summer's placement of young organizers in counties across North Carolina - will bring the Movement's longstanding fusion coalition and its energy to bear on get-out-the-vote efforts ahead of the November elections.
"The Movement is dedicating itself to voter education, voter registration and voter participation ahead of the November elections," said Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, president of the NC NAACP. "This summer and fall, we will be pushing to turn out thousands of people who did not vote in 2010 and to register thousands more first-time voters in our state. The power of the franchise should not be underestimated."
At the Moral Monday Broadcast, Dr. Barber will frame the Movement's transition to voter mobilization, and experts will walk attendees and viewers through the process of arranging voter registration drives and canvassing. Speakers will discuss why the Forward Together Moral Movement must focus on mass voter education, registration and mobilization efforts over the next 18 weeks.
WHO: The NC NAACP and the Forward Together Moral Movement
WHAT: Moral Monday Broadcast
Davie St. Presbyterian Church
300 E. Davie St, Raleigh, NC
###
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
A Year after the U.S. Supreme Court Dismantled the Voting Rights Act, the North Carolina NAACP and the Forward Together Moral Movement Remain Committed to a Full Strength Restoration of Federal Voting Protections in North Carolina
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2014
Contact: Sarah Bufkin, NC NAACP - smbufkin@gmail.com or 404.285.3413
Cynthia Gordy, Advancement Project - cgordy@advancementproject.org or 202.341.0555
DURHAM, NC - A year ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act by ending the Section IV preclearance formula, ignoring centuries of black disenfranchisement in the American South and clear evidence that local and state governments continue to engage in voter suppression and obstruction that targets people of color and other minorities.
The North Carolina NAACP and the Forward Together Moral Movement remain firmly opposed to the court's decision in Shelby Co. v. Holder and call for a full-strength restoration of the Voting Rights Act that provides preclearance coverage for North Carolina and other Southern states.
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, president of the North Carolina NAACP, released the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the Shelby Co. decision:
"Discrimination in our election process is a real and present danger today, and it is an immediate threat. The position of the NAACP is rooted in the sweat, blood, tears and courage of many of our forbearers; the NAACP was extremely disappointed in the U.S. Supreme Court decision issued on June 25, 2013 in Shelby v. Holder which struck key provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
"One of the most important and fundamental rights of racial minorities is the right to vote. Since the NAACP was organized in 1909, voting rights has been at the top of our agenda and it remains in that position today. Voting rights is the life-blood of a vibrant and politically connected people. We will not stand by passively and allow five ahistorical Supreme Court justices - who closed their eyes and minds to the blood stained history of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution - to destroy the hard-gained victories for voting rights for racial minorities in this country.
"We are up against a national conspiracy to take us back to the days of Jim Crow voter suppression tricks from the southern state houses and county courthouses. We need a national movement to stop this regression. The minute the ahistorical five's decision in Shelby Co. was announced, the NC General Assembly passed the most restrictive voter suppression law since Jim Crow. North Carolina's voter suppression law inhibits and restrains the right to vote, particularly for African Americans, Latinos and the poor, by:
- requiring all voters to show specific forms of photo ID, excluding student ID's and non-North Carolina driver's licenses;
- reducing popular early voting days;
- ending same-day registration;
- limiting early registration;
- ending it entirely for 16- and 17-year olds;
- empowering vigilante poll watchers to challenge voters of color;
- barring counties from keeping polls open later to accommodate long lines;
- refusing to count provisional ballots mistakenly cast in the wrong precinct;
- simplifying obtaining absentee ballots, the most common means of voter fraud, which is used most by people who vote for extremist candidate.
"Accordingly, we plan to meet with North Carolina's elected leaders in the U.S. House and Senate as well as our National NAACP leadership to amend and fix any proposed legislation that aims to restore Section V of the Voting Rights Act. It is our plan to fight as hard for a full-strength restoration of Section V as we are presently fighting against the voter suppression efforts here in North Carolina.
"Congress must make voting rights a legislative priority. While we know that compromise will be needed to pass any legislation, we cannot sacrifice our core principle: participation in our democracy should be unfettered and all votes should be properly counted. As the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization with a massive membership base, we have the responsibility to insure that any legislation that is enacted protects the best interests of our members, our community and the democratic principles espoused in our constitution. Our mission is to stand on the side of equal protection under the law and not to merely celebrate political compromise, especially where it has the intent or effect of undermining our hard-won political victories.
"The NAACP calls for unfettered and unabridged access to voting that guarantees that equal protection under the law does not shift the burden of litigation regarding discrimination to the shoulders of those discriminated against. We call on Congress to swiftly and with bipartisan support pass amendments to restore the Voting Rights Act in keeping with our core principles:
- The legislation must contain an expansive rolling trigger formula to include as many states and jurisdictions with a history of discriminatory election practices as possible;
- The legislation should contain a "known practices coverage" proposal;
- We remain ardently opposed to any stringent requirements for a government-issued photo identification when casting a ballot; and
- We support making adjustments to Section 3 bail-in provisions to include state judgments, settlements, and consent decrees.
"We look forward to an opportunity to engage in the debate about proposed legislation as this idea moves through the legislative process. We will draw upon the 1,200 NAACP units from around the country to monitor their districts for additional evidence of racially discriminatory voting practices in their locales which can serve as further examples of the concerns and objections which we presently have about the present state of federal voter protections.
"We who believe in freedom and democracy cannot rest. But we could sure use some help from the Congress in reversing this racist decision. And we could use it NOW."
###
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Get out and Vote! Your vote does Matter..
Meet the candidates on your ballot & go vote: http://NCVoterGuide.org #NorthCarolina
Thursday, April 3, 2014
NC NAACP Perspective Today on the Proposed Fix to the Voting Rights Act before Congress
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,
April 3, 2014
For more information: Atty. Jamie Phillips Cole, Public Policy Coordinator, 919.682.4700
Sarah Bufkin, Media Coordinator, 404.285.3413
A previous version of this alert incorrectly noted that Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, would be speaking against the proposed piece of legislation. The NC NAACP is in agreement with sections of the bill but wants to see it strengthened and amended.
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the NC NAACP, to Voice NC NAACP Perspective Today on the Proposed Fix to the Voting Rights Act before Congress
Press Conference
Thursday, April 3
9 am
NC General Assembly Press Conference Room
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
UNC Center for Civil Rights to Hold a National Commission on Voting Rights Fact-Finding Hearing
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2014
For more information: Atty. Jamie Phillips Cole, Public Policy Coordinator, 919.682.4700
Sarah Bufkin, Media Coordinator, 404.285.3413
The NC NAACP and the Forward Together Moral Movement Join with the Lawyers' Committee and the UNC Center for Civil Rights to Hold a National Commission on Voting Rights Fact-Finding Hearing March 28 to Examine North Carolina's Voting Rights Record
Friday, March 28, 2014
9 am - 5:30 pm
OIC of Rocky Mount
402 East Virginia St., Rocky Mount, NC 27802
ROCKY MOUNT - To further understand and document instances of voter suppression and inequities in electoral administration, the North Carolina NAACP, the UNC Center for Civil Rights, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and other coalition partners will organize a National Commission on Voting Rights fact-finding hearing on Friday, March 28 in Rocky Mount, NC. Advocates for simplified, unfettered voting, community leaders, voters, scholars and NAACP members from across the state will testify about voter discrimination and election administration issues in North Carolina.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
National Commission on Voting Rights
- Fact-Finding Hearing-
Friday, March 28
9 am - 5:30 pm
OIC of Rocky Mount
402 East Virginia St.
Rocky Mount, NC 27802
Last year, extremists in the General Assembly passed HB 589, a blatant attempt to suppress the vote of minorities, the poor, women, students and the elderly.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Raleigh-Apex NAACP to Hold Community Forum
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,
March 19, 2014
For more information, contact: Rev. Dr. Portia W. Rochelle, Raleigh-Apex NAACP President,
919.662.5006
For media assistance, contact: Sarah Bufkin, NC NAACP Media Coordinator, 404.285.3413
Raleigh-Apex NAACP to Hold Community Forum on Sunday, March 23 to Educate about Traumatic Rollback of Voting Rights Both in North Carolina and Nationally
Sunday, March 23
4 pm
Martin St. Baptist Church - Johnson Building
1001 E. Martin St., Raleigh, NC 27601
Monday, March 10, 2014
Voting Rights Rally Tomorrow in Raleigh
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2014
For more information: Atty. Jamie Phillips Cole, Public Policy Coordinator, 919.682.4700
Sarah Bufkin, Media Coordinator, 404.285.3413
REMINDER:
The North Carolina NAACP and the Forward Together Moral Movement to Co-Host Voting Rights Rally Tomorrow in Raleigh with the Saving OurSelves Coalition
Tomorrow at 4 pm
State Capitol Grounds, South Side
One Edenton St, Raleigh, NC
A version of this release was sent out on March 7.
RALEIGH - The NC NAACP-led Forward Together Moral Movement will rally outside the state capitol building in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday, March 11 to draw attention to the massive rollback of voting rights pushed by state lawmakers, including extremists in the North Carolina General Assembly, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to gut the Voting Rights Act as well as to challenge the bill recently introduced that would reinstate the federal voter protections available under the VRA for some states but not all.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Voter Suppression Lawsuit Update
Voter Suppression Lawsuit Update
Pre-trial hearing tomorrow!
Friday, February 21, 2014
In August, 2013, only minutes after Governor McCrory signed the Voter Suppression Bill HB 589 into law, the NC NAACP filed a lawsuit against the state of North Carolina for suppressing the vote of thousands of North Carolinians by reducing early voting days, eliminating same-day registration, eliminating pre-registration for 16 and 17 year olds, implementing a Voter ID law, and other regressive and extreme measures. We are in an ongoing legal battle over Voting Rights. This pre-trial hearing will focus on our continued fight to make Legislators and the Governor comply with the NC NAACP's requests to produce the documents that they have in their possession that are essential to determining what their intent was when this voter suppression bill was passed.
Monday, September 30, 2013
NC NAACP Pleased the United States Is Asking U.S. Courts to Block the Recently-Passed Voter Law of North Carolina Legislators and Governor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 September 2013
For More Information: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137
Atty. Jamie Phillips Cole, Public Policy Coordinator, 919-682-4700
For Media Assistance: Laurel Ashton, Field Secretary, 828-713-3864
DURHAM: US Attorney General Eric Holder will announce today that the U.S. Attorneys
from the three North Carolina Federal Districts in North Carolina will file a lawsuit on Monday, September 30, asking the Federal Courts to stop the law the majority of the NC General Assembly passed and Governor McCrory recently signed--a law many voting rights experts call the 'Worst Voter Suppression law in the nation.'
Following Attorney General Eric Holder's news conference today announcing the lawsuit, the North Carolina NAACP will hold a news conference in response at 1:00 PM at the NC NAACP state office, 114 W. Parrish St. Durham, NC 27702.
Friday, August 30, 2013
NC NAACP's Position on State Prosecutor's Offer to People Who Were Arrested
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 August 2013
For More Information: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137
Atty. Jamie Phillips Cole, Public Policy Coordinator, 919-682-4700
Atty. Irving Joyner, Legal Redress Chair, 919-682-4700
Atty. Al McSurely, Communications Chair, 919-682-4700
While Grieving the Unconstitutional Laws at the General Assembly
DURHAM - The purpose of the Moral Monday Movement has always been to shine the clear light of justice on the extreme regressive policies of the Pope-Koch financed group that took over the NC Republican Party a few years ago. This regressive group secretly engineered a race based gerrymandering scheme that was not subject to a veto by Gov. Perdue in 2010. This most race based redistricting plan since the 19th Century - that stacks, packs and bleaches the African American and minority vote - allowed them to seat a "super-majority" in the People's House on Jones Street, although a majority of the voters voted against them!
The North Carolina NAACP has chalked up eight years of experience fighting the shadowy Pope-Koch forces. We watched them insinuate their mean-spirited policies into the public discourse. While we built a broad progressive coalition of over 150 partners in our Historic Thousands on Jones Street Movement . . . while we helped pass laws that strengthened democracy and fairness in our beloved North Carolina . . . the Pope-Koch forces of bias, and backwardness took over Mr. Lincoln's Grand Old Party and made a U-Turn on Jones Street, promoting and passing an agenda that assaulted moral, human, and constitutional rights of the vast majority of North Carolinians - evidenced by the new voter suppression law, the worst and most vulgar attempt to manipulate elections in this country.
Monday, August 12, 2013
NC NAACP Responds to Governor's Approving the Most Restrictive Voting Rights Bill in the United States
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12 August 2013
Contact: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, President, 919-394-8137
Atty. Jamie Phillips Cole, Public Policy Coordinator, 919-682-4700
NAACP Holds News Conference Tomorrow (Tuesday) Morning
DURHAM - Governor Pat McCrory and the North Carolina Legislature are on the wrong side of history. This Anti-Voting Rights Bill tramples on the blood of our martyrs, desecrates the graves of freedom fighters, and in the 21st Century lines up with the extreme racially-driven philosophy of interposition and nullification promoted by past political figures like George Wallace and Strom Thurmond.
Their direct attempts to suppress the civil rights of black people in North Carolina and secure power through manipulation of the electorate are the ultimate crimes against democracy, driven by extremists in our state. For the Governor to sign this horrific bill less than a week after Julius Chambers was laid to rest is dishonorable.
Friday, July 26, 2013
NC NAACP Responds to the Passage of Most Extreme Voter Restriction Laws in the Nation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
26 July 2013
For More Information: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137
Atty. Jamie Phillips Cole, Public Policy Coordinator,
919-682-4700
Overnight, the North Carolina General Assembly finally brought to a close the shameful 2013 legislative session. Alongside a host of other ultra-regressive bills rammed though at the eleventh hour of the session, as expected, the North Carolina General Assembly cemented its status as the number one government in voter suppression when it passed the most aggressive attack on the voting rights of North Carolina citizens in modern history.
"This latest voting rights attack represents the most comprehensive attack on the right to vote that this state has enacted since the institution of Jim Crow laws in the 19th Century when federal troops pulled out of the South," said North Carolina NAACP President Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II. "Extremist members of the General Assembly viewed the Supreme Court's ruling on Section 4 as once again federal protections being removed, thereby giving them the freedom to undermine and disenfranchise the poor, African Americans, and all people of color."
