Durham, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has begun mailing voter registration forms to nearly 1.3 million Medicaid recipients who have had their benefits automatically renewed within the past year. Additionally, moving forward, voter registration forms will be mailed out with the correspondence DHHS already sends to Medicaid recipients whose benefits have been automatically renewed.
Protecting Democracy and Securing the Future
Communities across the country are suffering as a result of a worldwide pandemic, the likes of which we have not seen in more than one hundred years. And in the midst of this pandemic, our elected leadership continues to fail us time and time again. Our elected leaders’ failures directly impact our community and create chasms between those who have access to resources and those who do not. One equalizing tool we do have, however, is the right to vote. The right to vote allows communities to have an equal say in how they are governed and allows our elected officials to be held accountable for ensuring that they have the community’s best interests at heart.
Court Continues to Uphold Injunction Against North Carolina’s Discriminatory Voter ID Law
Durham, N.C. — A three-judge panel in Wake County Superior Court declined to lift a preliminary injunction against North Carolina’s voter ID law in Holmes v. Moore, saying a modification to the list of permissible IDs approved by the legislature this summer does not resolve concerns that the voter ID law discriminates against voters of color.
Federal Order Mandates Some Protections for North Carolina Voter Safety
Durham, N.C. — A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction that will put in place some key measures to help ensure North Carolina voters will be able to cast their ballots safely in November’s General Election, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The injunction by Judge William L. Osteen in Democracy North Carolina et al vs North Carolina State Board of Elections et al will make it easier for people to vote by mail and to help make sure all mail-in ballots are counted.
North Carolina State Board of Elections Upholds Election of Challenged Wayne County Candidate
Durham, N.C. — In a unanimous, bipartisan 4-0 vote, the North Carolina State Board of Elections overturned a decision by the Wayne County Board of Elections and upheld Bevan Julius Foster’s win in the Wayne County Board of Commissioners District 3 Democratic Primary.
Candidate Bevan J. Foster to Appeal Election Protest Decision of Wayne County Board of Elections
Durham, N.C. — By a decision of 3-2 following a formal hearing on July 7, 2020, the Wayne County Board of Elections has accepted the allegations of an election protest challenging the result of the Wayne County Board of Commissioners District 3 Democratic Primary, held on March 3, 2020. If that decision stands, it will overturn Bevan Julius Foster’s win in that contest. Foster, a Black man who had previously served on the Goldsboro City Council, won the primary with 40.78% of the votes. His win was challenged on the basis that Foster does not live in his district and thus was not eligible to run.
SCSJ Partners on Campaign to “Make Good Trouble” and Increase Voter Registration
Durham, N.C. — The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is proud to support the “Good Trouble” campaign to fight voter suppression and increase voter registration in advance of November’s critical general election.
Voting Rights Organizations Provide Guidance to North Carolina Counties on Addressing Potential Early Voting Issues
Durham, N.C. — As North Carolina counties begin planning for the 2020 General Election, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and Democracy North Carolina have started sending letters to the boards of elections in 27 counties offering information and research on how best to serve voters in their communities amid funding and public health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Letters to 33 additional counties will be sent in the coming weeks.
Wayne County Board of Elections Upholds Election of Challenged Minority Candidate
Durham, N.C. — By a decision of 3-2 following a formal hearing, the Wayne County Board of Elections upheld Bevan Julius Foster’s win in the Wayne County Board of Commissioners District 3 Democratic Primary, which was held March 3, 2020. Foster, a Black man who previously served on the Goldsboro City Council, won the primary with 40.78% of the votes. His win was challenged by three people who alleged he did not reside in the district he would be representing, and thus was not eligible to run.
SCSJ’s Chief Counsel for Voting Rights and Interim Executive Director Wins 2020 David Carliner Public Interest Award
Durham, N.C. — Allison Riggs, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice’s Chief Counsel for Voting Rights and Interim Executive Director, has been selected as one of two winners of the David Carliner Public Interest Award for her innovative work and commitment to protecting civil and human rights. The award, presented annually by the American Constitution Society, honors a mid-career public interest attorney who exemplifies fearless, uncompromising and creative advocacy on behalf of marginalized people.
Voting Rights Organizations Seek Preliminary Injunction to Guarantee Voter Safety in November
Durham, N.C. — On behalf of Democracy North Carolina, the League of Women Voters of North Carolina and eight individual voters, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Fair Elections Center and pro bono counsel from law firm WilmerHale have formally requested that a federal court temporarily amend some of the state’s voting laws to guarantee that North Carolinians can vote safely in November’s general election in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Voting Rights Organizations File Federal Lawsuit to Ensure North Carolina Holds Fair, Safe Elections in November
Durham, N.C. — On behalf of Democracy North Carolina, the League of Women Voters of North Carolina and six individual voters, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Fair Elections Center and pro bono counsel from law firm WilmerHale have filed a lawsuit demanding North Carolina take the necessary steps to guarantee a fair, safe election in November, given the likelihood that the state and the country will still be experiencing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Southern Coalition for Social Justice and Dēmos Represent Parties Seeking to Prevent Voter Purges in Election Year
Durham, N.C. — The Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) and Dēmos, representing the League of Women Voters of North Carolina (LWVNC) and the North Carolina A. Philip Randolph Institute (NC APRI), have moved to intervene in a lawsuit seeking the mass removal of individuals from voter rolls in Mecklenburg and Guilford counties. These critical civic engagement groups are seeking to intervene as defendants in Judicial Watch v. North Carolina, et al, a case filed in federal court earlier this month in which Judicial Watch is seeking the unjustified purge of thousands of registered voters in the run-up to this November’s presidential election.
Southern Coalition for Social Justice Files Amicus Brief To Help Protect North Carolina Voters From Intimidation
Durham, N.C. — The Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) has filed a brief of amici curiae (“friend of the Court” brief) in support of the defendants in Public Interest Legal Foundation v. North Carolina State Board of Elections, which is currently pending in front of the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. SCSJ filed the brief on behalf of the Association of Mexicans in North America, Inc., El Pueblo, Inc. and North Carolina Asian Americans Together, nonprofit organizations that advocate on behalf of minority populations across North Carolina, seeking to highlight for the appeals court the risk to voters of color if the decision below is not affirmed.
North Carolina Court of Appeals Blocks Voter ID Law in Key Win for Southern Coalition for Social Justice
Durham, N.C. — The North Carolina Court of Appeals yesterday issued a key decision in Holmes v. Moore, blocking the state’s voter ID law from taking effect until the trial of the case has concluded. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of S.B. 824, which was passed in December 2018 following the approval of a state constitutional amendment requiring people in North Carolina to present an ID before voting.
SCSJ Launches CROWD Academies To Protect Voting Rights of Communities of Color During Post-2020 Census Redistricting Process
The Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) is partnering with community organizations in six states to offer in-depth training sessions to educate community organizers on the redistricting process and potential voting rights violations following the 2020 census. Community Redistricting Organizations Working for Democracy (CROWD) Academies will equip individuals and organizations with tools to monitor and engage with redistricting processes at every level of government, spot warning signs and take action if decisions are likely to infringe on the right to an equal opportunity to participate in elections.
Southern Coalition for Social Justice Leads National Initiative To Combat Criminalization of the Ballot Box
Durham, N.C. — As part of its ongoing work to protect voting rights and eliminate barriers for people with past involvement with the criminal justice system, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice recently hosted a national convening to launch its new initiative to address growing efforts to criminalize voting among certain populations, including minorities and individuals with a felony record.
Plaintiffs in North Carolina Voter ID Lawsuit Seek Documents On Legislative Motivations Behind Challenged Law
Durham, N.C. — Plaintiffs in Holmes v. Moore, a lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s voter ID requirements (S.B. 824), filed a motion in Wake County Superior Court earlier today asking a judge to compel the General Assembly to release communications between legislators and General Assembly staff relating to the design of and motivations behind S.B. 824. The motion also requests access to any other materials outside of the public legislative record that the North Carolina House of Representatives and Senate used when drafting the statute. State legislators have previously refused to turn over these documents as part of the lawsuit’s discovery process, citing legislative privilege.