<p>We applaud the governor for vetoing Senate Bill 656. &nbsp; Senate Bill 656 had some good provisions in it, like lowering the threshold for third parties to get on the ballot. &nbsp;However, it also eliminated&nbsp;judicial primaries next year. &nbsp;Here is our&nbsp;statement&nbsp;on Senate Bill 656.&nbsp; The Governor&#8217;s&nbsp;veto message: “This legislation abolishes a scheduled election and takes&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://ncforthepeopleaction.org/c

<p>State lawmakers to further erode NC&#8217;s democracy with plan to end judicial primaries</p>

<p>Event: “Protecting Judicial Independence: Why it matters” is co-hosted by the LWV-CM and the North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections. Panelists: Former Mayor Richard Vinroot, Former NC Superior Court Judge Lane Williamson and local social justice and civil right attorney Tim Emry Time: 6:30 pm &#8211; 8:00 Event will start @ 630pm sharp. We have&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://ncforthepeopleaction.org/content/protecting-judicial-independence-town-hall">Continu

<p>&#8220;This judicial gerrymandering is just the latest attack in the state legislature&#8217;s ongoing war on democracy in North Carolina,” said Progress North Carolina executive director Gerrick Brenner.</p>

<p>Winston-Salem Journal&nbsp;article&nbsp;by Scott Sexton highlighting the work of NCVCE. &nbsp; Melissa Price Kromm sounded harried when she answered her phone. “Can I call you right back? I’m at the legislature.” Where else would she be on a Tuesday afternoon in June? The director of North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections — the group is exactly&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://ncforthepeopleaction.org/content/little-bills-big-rush-can-tip-checks-and-balances">

<p>Op-ed&nbsp;in NC Policy Watch by Melissa Price Kromm In the past few months, North Carolinians have seen our General Assembly make national news several times. At least a couple of those times were due to the continuing and shameless partisan assaults on the independence of our courts.</p>

<p>Great op-ed by former Democratic senate candidate John Rauh in favor of public financing of elections. &#8220;There is a solution. By enacting a system of public financing for congressional and presidential elections, money will no longer be a barrier for prospective candidates who are not wealthy and not able to raise the funds but who&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://ncforthepeopleaction.org/content/op-ed-john-rauh-favor-public-financing-elections">Continue rea

<p>During a House Judiciary Committee&nbsp;hearing on House Bill 335, North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections voiced opposition to another political coup bill. &nbsp;The&nbsp;News &amp; Observer&nbsp;took notice. &nbsp; “It’s just another court-tampering bill,” Melissa Price Kromm, director of Voters for Clean Elections, told the committee. “Why do judges even have to be associated with political parties?&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://ncforthepeopleaction.org/c

<p>Indy piece highlights committee testimony by NCVCE&#8217;s Director on the dangers of judicial redistricting legislation. </p>

<p>&#8220;You want a government that serves the people not the donors and special interest. You want a government that keeps its promises,&#8221; said President Trump last week at a rally in Melbourne, Florida. The opening at the FEC sets up a test for him. Will his nominee side with big donors or everyday Americans? More&nbsp;here.&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://ncforthepeopleaction.org/content/will-president-trump-side-big-donors-or-everyday-american-people">Con

<p>The response from our&nbsp;2016 candidate survey&nbsp;is amazing!&nbsp; Please look up your candidate&nbsp;here.&nbsp; 2016 is proving to be another historic record year for political fundraising.&nbsp; The U.S. Supreme Court decision in&nbsp;Citizens United&nbsp;is intensifying the campaign money chase.&nbsp;&nbsp; Poll&nbsp;after&nbsp;poll&nbsp;shows that voters think special interest donors have way too much influence over public policy.&nbsp; Citizens want real reform&

<p>At the heart of democracy is a simple but powerful idea: One person, one vote. But in North Carolina and across the country, challenges to voting rights, growing special interest influence and politically-influenced redistricting have thrown up barriers to participation and diminished the voice of ordinary voters. Charlotte. On&nbsp;Wednesday, October 5th, a coalition of groups&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://ncforthepeopleaction.org/content/why-democracy-matter

<p>If you are a candidate statewide office or legislature, we invite you to answer our&nbsp;2016 Candidate Questionaire&nbsp;regarding campaign finance policy positions. Please email Melissa Price Kromm at&nbsp;melissa@ncvce.org&nbsp;to receive a direct link to our candidate survey.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Our friends at Common Cause North Carolina&nbsp;launched a potentially landmark lawsuit in federal court today directly challenging the foundation of partisan gerrymandering in North Carolina. From Common Cause North Carolina:&nbsp; Filed in the Middle District Court in Greensboro, the challenge in Common Cause v. Rucho could be a watershed moment in the fight against gerrymandering.&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://ncforthepeopleaction.org/content/common-cause-n

<p>Federal appellate judges&nbsp;on Friday&nbsp;struck down North Carolina’s restrictive omnibus voting law in a sweeping victory for voting rights, holding that it was “passed with racially discriminatory intent.”declaring in an unsparing opinion that the restrictions “target African Americans with almost surgical precision.”&nbsp; The ruling focused on the five parts of the Monster Law challenged by numerous&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://ncforthepeopleaction.or

<p>Why does it matter that lawyers are spending big on a N.C. Supreme Court race? Because research suggests a connection between attorneys&#8217; contributions to judicial candidates and case outcomes. This is one of the many reasons why we support judicial public financing.&nbsp; According to a&nbsp;Facing South&nbsp;analysis of state elections data, lawyers and judges have contributed&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://ncforthepeopleaction.org/content/lawyers-pour-m

<p>The US News and World Report has an article about Hillary Clinton&#8217;s support of a 28th amendment and why it matters. Here&#8217;s a link: http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-07-22/clinton-could-bring-constitutional-change-to-overturn-citizens-united</p>

<p>New American Constitutional Society study for the first time isolates partisanship in judges’ decisions in election cases. Some findings; 1) Partisan Justice means judges tend to favor their own party in election cases; 2) Need for campaign money drives judges’ partisan behavior in election cases; and 3) When judges no longer need campaign money, they stop exhibiting&hellip; <a class="more-link" href="https://ncforthepeopleaction.org/content/partisan-justice-report">Contin

<p>Great article from WRAL on the initiative McCain and Moyers helped Morgan start led to the establishment of non-partisan appellate court elections and a system of public financing of judicial elections that became a national model.</p>