You forgot to add that this partisan election board voluntarily handed over voter information to the federal government when 21 states have fought against this in court, and the states have won every. single. time.
Absolutely, but the GOP has zero credibility on anything other than catering to the wealthy and corporations, including any opportunity for self-dealing and self enrichment. They are the most radical and corrupt political movement of my lifetime of 73 years and arguably in this country's history.
Jessica Holmes has to be one of the most snakebit people in NC politics this side of Chaz Beasley or Cal Cunningham. The stories that she was dragged into the position and didn't really want to be Auditor give me pause.
Beth Wood staying through the scandal would've been the better move. A bad Democrat is better than a good Republican because good Republicans do not exist.
Besides, the Board of Elections is only under the Auditor through the shenanigans of the GOP-controlled general assembly which had a veto proof majority due to Tricia Cothem flipping parties! There favorite trick is to strip power in the lame-duck session after Democrats win!
They wouldn't give it the the Sec.of State after the 2024 elections because Elaine Marshall is a Democrat and she eked out a narrow victory.
We need to flip some NC house and senate seats so that the GOP can't continue to pull this sh*t! AND re-elect Justice Anita Earls!
And that was a consolation prize for losing Labor Commissioner to Josh Dobson in 2020, an technically open election though Dobson had the massive advantage of party incumbancy via Cherie Berry.
Consolation prize ropes don't typically work. See Wayne Goodwin as NCDP chair after losing Insurance Commissioner, Cheri Beasley for Senate after losing SCONC Chief Justice, Bobbie Richardson as NCDP First Vice Chair for Goodwin after losing her HD seat, and Natasha Marcus for Insurance Commissioner after being drawn out of her SD seat.
“This year, Democrats need to win enough seats to protect Stein’s veto so Republicans can’t give control over the State Board of Elections to the labor commissioner or some other GOP Council of State member in a lame-duck session.”
AMEN, Thomas Mills, AMEN!
To the nay-sayers: yes, the Democrats in the NC General Assembly had a lot of control until the 2010 Tea Party. However, the Dems used their majority to serve the people, not themselves. Funding went to better Public Education, better Healthcare and reducing Poverty. Funds did not end up with money in their pockets. Also, since nay-sayers are still blaming Dems for the loss of manufacturing jobs, the NCGA Democrats were not responsible for the loss - that was due to globalization, trade deficits and advances in automation and efficiency.
Governor Josh Stein cannot veto even the most ridiculous GOP laws unless … enough people vote in November (actually, voting early in October is better) for Democrats in the NC Senate and Representatives General Assembly. The midterms are our last best chance to bring back our democracy. Democrat voters, it’s up to us to GET OUT THE VOTE!
⬆️"Governor Josh Stein cannot veto even the most ridiculous GOP laws unless … enough people vote in November (actually, voting early in October is better) for Democrats in the NC Senate and Representatives General Assembly."
At least for the counties where the site selection was unanimous - I haven't kept track of where it stands for counties where there was a dispute and they were having additional meetings.
Please encourage everyone you know to check their voter registration to make sure it is still active, that they are registered at the correct address, and that their name on the registration is an EXACT match for ID They plan to use to verify their identity.
If returning by mail, please be sure to affix sufficient postage and ask that the envelope be hand-cancelled by the postal clerk. If the ballot will be dropped off at the county BoE or an early voting site, remember that in most cases, only close family members can return a mail-in ballot for someone other than themselves.
And remember that curbside voting is available at all EV sites and polling locations if the voter is unable to stand in line due to disability, age, or mobility issues.
The scandals that NC Dems had in the 2000s can't be ignored here as much as that whole decade outside one night has been memory holed. Who here remembers Meg Scott Phipps or Jim Black being sent to federal prison for bribery or how a sitting governor ended up indicted? In contrast, the facade that Republicans gave of bipartisanship and moderation seemed appealing.
Remember, it was Republicans who in 2009 who wanted nonpartisan and fair districts and Democrats who rejected it. In hindsight, this seems like they were giving a fair warning that Democrats ignored.
Okay, I’ll agree with you that both parties in the NCGA had/have misused power, but I believe the CURRENT majority in Raleigh is atrocious and must be stopped.
Can you agree that AFTER the midterms are over, we can continue to discuss the past? Personally, I need to continue to prioritize working with Dems on GOTV 2026 until the polls are closed on November 3.
NC is no longer a real democracy. Thanks for pointing out the shenanigans the Guardians of Pedophiles (GOP) continues to perpetuate against the citizens of NC. It’s shameful.
Was it ever? It felt like the headstrong attitudes of Democrats in the past just paved the way for Republican shenanigans now for which everything aligned perfectly for. The total anti-Democrat spiteocracy since speaks volumes about how Dems made it so easy.
I also think that there might have been some collusion by Republicans to hobble the NC Dems. The Dems underperforming in the 2022 cycles with court control on the ballot always has seemed suspicious.
Can you give your both-sides-ism a break? Individual corruption/bribery is bad. And IMO so is partisan gerrymandering by either party.
But the GOP institutionalized extreme gerrymandering as Thomas describes using big data to slice and dice individual neighborhoods. Just look at the extreme gerrymander Tim Moore engineered to move HD-105 from a D+9 to an R+5 district as a reward to Tricia Cothem for flipping parties. Scroll down in the link below to compare the two most recent maps.
And it is shameful what Jefferson Griffith tried to do to cheat his way to a Supreme Court seat. You do NOT kick people off the voter rolls selectively (i.e., only blue counties) after they have ALREADY voted because you don't like the results!
I do not think Republicans are good people but to deny that the short-sighted actions of Democrats gave Republicans a playbook of what to do is a bit dishonest. The seeds for 2010 were sown well before 2010, it was sown post 1984 when the Popes decided to fund a statewide party.
All that time they were taking notes on how to get back at Democrats. Jim Black didn't have to lose his mind over a one seat Republican majority but he did and look at everything now. That Republicans got the person who took his seat to twist the knife further goes to show the calculated symbolism.
Yes, it IS shameful and disgusting and WRONG! First, let’s win Dem seats this November. Then, we will have the opportunity for the NC legislature to rewrite the duties of the auditor and give back the authority to the governor.
I've heard the sentiment that the Republicans hijacking the SBOE was inevitable unless the Dems went 10-0 in the Council of State but to say this before 2024 would've been considered "hysterical." I wonder why the NC Dems would've not been proactive here.
Everything with the auditor situation seems like it was choreographed. The parallels with how Beth Wood became auditor after a party switch, Jessica Holmes doing nothing to stay auditor, Wood endorsing Boilek over Holmes, even the show of force of the one D-R Council of State flip being done by an ex-Democrat enabled by another ex-Democrat (the Cotham shenanigans). It all seems like a show or force by Republicans against Democrats.
Then toss in how Auditor has become "Shadow Governor" and this is screaming a situation of either "force Democrats to spend on a position nobody cared about prior" or if the Dems do take the legislature the Republicans get an automatic Governor candidate for 2028.
The duplicity of the NC GOP in trying to rig the game in their favor cannot be overstated. It's all good when Republicans win, but if Dems win they pass laws and go crying to the courts.
You forgot to add that this partisan election board voluntarily handed over voter information to the federal government when 21 states have fought against this in court, and the states have won every. single. time.
Absolutely, but the GOP has zero credibility on anything other than catering to the wealthy and corporations, including any opportunity for self-dealing and self enrichment. They are the most radical and corrupt political movement of my lifetime of 73 years and arguably in this country's history.
Unfortunately Roy Cooper appointed a weak candidate to replace long time auditor Beth Wood. That’s why we have Dave Bolick.
Jessica Holmes has to be one of the most snakebit people in NC politics this side of Chaz Beasley or Cal Cunningham. The stories that she was dragged into the position and didn't really want to be Auditor give me pause.
Beth Wood staying through the scandal would've been the better move. A bad Democrat is better than a good Republican because good Republicans do not exist.
Huh? The auditor is an elected office. Don't blame Cooper!
https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/05/2024&county_id=0&office=COS&contest=1006
Besides, the Board of Elections is only under the Auditor through the shenanigans of the GOP-controlled general assembly which had a veto proof majority due to Tricia Cothem flipping parties! There favorite trick is to strip power in the lame-duck session after Democrats win!
They wouldn't give it the the Sec.of State after the 2024 elections because Elaine Marshall is a Democrat and she eked out a narrow victory.
We need to flip some NC house and senate seats so that the GOP can't continue to pull this sh*t! AND re-elect Justice Anita Earls!
Beth Wood wrecked a state owned car while attending a holiday party and resigned. Gov Cooper appointed her replacement
And that was a consolation prize for losing Labor Commissioner to Josh Dobson in 2020, an technically open election though Dobson had the massive advantage of party incumbancy via Cherie Berry.
Consolation prize ropes don't typically work. See Wayne Goodwin as NCDP chair after losing Insurance Commissioner, Cheri Beasley for Senate after losing SCONC Chief Justice, Bobbie Richardson as NCDP First Vice Chair for Goodwin after losing her HD seat, and Natasha Marcus for Insurance Commissioner after being drawn out of her SD seat.
FYI: I saw that Josh Stein will be on Substack tomorrow at 11:00 am with Scott McFarlane to discuss his veto.
“This year, Democrats need to win enough seats to protect Stein’s veto so Republicans can’t give control over the State Board of Elections to the labor commissioner or some other GOP Council of State member in a lame-duck session.”
AMEN, Thomas Mills, AMEN!
To the nay-sayers: yes, the Democrats in the NC General Assembly had a lot of control until the 2010 Tea Party. However, the Dems used their majority to serve the people, not themselves. Funding went to better Public Education, better Healthcare and reducing Poverty. Funds did not end up with money in their pockets. Also, since nay-sayers are still blaming Dems for the loss of manufacturing jobs, the NCGA Democrats were not responsible for the loss - that was due to globalization, trade deficits and advances in automation and efficiency.
Governor Josh Stein cannot veto even the most ridiculous GOP laws unless … enough people vote in November (actually, voting early in October is better) for Democrats in the NC Senate and Representatives General Assembly. The midterms are our last best chance to bring back our democracy. Democrat voters, it’s up to us to GET OUT THE VOTE!
⬆️"Governor Josh Stein cannot veto even the most ridiculous GOP laws unless … enough people vote in November (actually, voting early in October is better) for Democrats in the NC Senate and Representatives General Assembly."
I checked earlier today and the BoE has posted the early voting sites here: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/EVSite/
At least for the counties where the site selection was unanimous - I haven't kept track of where it stands for counties where there was a dispute and they were having additional meetings.
Please encourage everyone you know to check their voter registration to make sure it is still active, that they are registered at the correct address, and that their name on the registration is an EXACT match for ID They plan to use to verify their identity.
If you or someone you know is planning to vote by mail, request your ballot NOW and sign up for ballot tracking. https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/vote-mail; https://northcarolina.ballottrax.net/voter/
If returning by mail, please be sure to affix sufficient postage and ask that the envelope be hand-cancelled by the postal clerk. If the ballot will be dropped off at the county BoE or an early voting site, remember that in most cases, only close family members can return a mail-in ballot for someone other than themselves.
https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/vote-mail/faq-voting-mail#HowcanIreturnmyabsenteeballot-781.
And remember that curbside voting is available at all EV sites and polling locations if the voter is unable to stand in line due to disability, age, or mobility issues.
https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/help-voters-disabilities/accessible-voting-sites/curbside-voting
The scandals that NC Dems had in the 2000s can't be ignored here as much as that whole decade outside one night has been memory holed. Who here remembers Meg Scott Phipps or Jim Black being sent to federal prison for bribery or how a sitting governor ended up indicted? In contrast, the facade that Republicans gave of bipartisanship and moderation seemed appealing.
Remember, it was Republicans who in 2009 who wanted nonpartisan and fair districts and Democrats who rejected it. In hindsight, this seems like they were giving a fair warning that Democrats ignored.
Okay, I’ll agree with you that both parties in the NCGA had/have misused power, but I believe the CURRENT majority in Raleigh is atrocious and must be stopped.
Can you agree that AFTER the midterms are over, we can continue to discuss the past? Personally, I need to continue to prioritize working with Dems on GOTV 2026 until the polls are closed on November 3.
NC is no longer a real democracy. Thanks for pointing out the shenanigans the Guardians of Pedophiles (GOP) continues to perpetuate against the citizens of NC. It’s shameful.
Was it ever? It felt like the headstrong attitudes of Democrats in the past just paved the way for Republican shenanigans now for which everything aligned perfectly for. The total anti-Democrat spiteocracy since speaks volumes about how Dems made it so easy.
I also think that there might have been some collusion by Republicans to hobble the NC Dems. The Dems underperforming in the 2022 cycles with court control on the ballot always has seemed suspicious.
Can you give your both-sides-ism a break? Individual corruption/bribery is bad. And IMO so is partisan gerrymandering by either party.
But the GOP institutionalized extreme gerrymandering as Thomas describes using big data to slice and dice individual neighborhoods. Just look at the extreme gerrymander Tim Moore engineered to move HD-105 from a D+9 to an R+5 district as a reward to Tricia Cothem for flipping parties. Scroll down in the link below to compare the two most recent maps.
https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_District_105#District_map
And it is shameful what Jefferson Griffith tried to do to cheat his way to a Supreme Court seat. You do NOT kick people off the voter rolls selectively (i.e., only blue counties) after they have ALREADY voted because you don't like the results!
I do not think Republicans are good people but to deny that the short-sighted actions of Democrats gave Republicans a playbook of what to do is a bit dishonest. The seeds for 2010 were sown well before 2010, it was sown post 1984 when the Popes decided to fund a statewide party.
All that time they were taking notes on how to get back at Democrats. Jim Black didn't have to lose his mind over a one seat Republican majority but he did and look at everything now. That Republicans got the person who took his seat to twist the knife further goes to show the calculated symbolism.
Yes, it IS shameful and disgusting and WRONG! First, let’s win Dem seats this November. Then, we will have the opportunity for the NC legislature to rewrite the duties of the auditor and give back the authority to the governor.
I've heard the sentiment that the Republicans hijacking the SBOE was inevitable unless the Dems went 10-0 in the Council of State but to say this before 2024 would've been considered "hysterical." I wonder why the NC Dems would've not been proactive here.
Everything with the auditor situation seems like it was choreographed. The parallels with how Beth Wood became auditor after a party switch, Jessica Holmes doing nothing to stay auditor, Wood endorsing Boilek over Holmes, even the show of force of the one D-R Council of State flip being done by an ex-Democrat enabled by another ex-Democrat (the Cotham shenanigans). It all seems like a show or force by Republicans against Democrats.
Then toss in how Auditor has become "Shadow Governor" and this is screaming a situation of either "force Democrats to spend on a position nobody cared about prior" or if the Dems do take the legislature the Republicans get an automatic Governor candidate for 2028.
The duplicity of the NC GOP in trying to rig the game in their favor cannot be overstated. It's all good when Republicans win, but if Dems win they pass laws and go crying to the courts.