Republicans in the North Carolina legislature have spent almost as much time trying to rig the political process as they have dealing with the problems and issues that affect people’s lives. They also showed little respect for the voters, creating confusion and uncertainty in our electoral process. They’re clearly trying to protect their power even if the people want something different
This year, it was judicial elections. They made all of them partisan after two decades of nonpartisan elections. Then, they scrapped the primary system because of fear that electable Republicans might get beat by unelectable wing nuts in a Republican primary. After weakening the ability of parties to choose their nominees, they threw everybody into a winner-takes-all general election in hopes that a GOP candidate would float to the top.
But oh, the best laid plans of mice and men…
When filing ended last week, Republicans fielded two contenders in the Republican-held Supreme Court seat of Barbara Jackson while one Democrat filed. Significantly, the Democrat is likely the one Republicans want least. Anita Earls is a civil rights lawyer who has successfully sued to overturn voter suppression laws and gerrymandered districts.
In a Court of Appeals race, Republicans again fielded two candidates in a seat while Democrats fielded only one. Toby Hampson is the only Democrat facing two Republicans in what is currently a GOP held seat. Hampson surely has the advantage now.
In polls across the country, Democrats are more enthusiastic about voting. In North Carolina, grassroots meetings that once attracted a dozen or so people, now bring in a hundred or more. If those volunteers and activists turn out voters in this Blue Moon election, Democrats could have big advantage in turnout and the partisan labels will help them at the expense of split Republican tickets.
Both Earls and Hampson should prepare for merciless attacks in the coming weeks and months. The GOP is determined to control the courts and they’ll have the money spend. This election is about profits, not justice. The GOP wants to protect big business against lawsuits like the one that hit Smithfield Food last week.
Republicans have made a mess of our elections for years and refuse to stop altering the rules to benefit themselves. They’ve added partisanship to nonpartisan races and redistricted seats to benefit their party. Now, they may have screwed themselves. Instead of the advantage of incumbency, their Supreme Court Justice is weighed down by her partisan registration, essentially running a primary and a general election in the same race.
But never underestimate the GOP. They’ve got a stopgap measure. They’ve put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would give them power of appointment over new judges and also the power to add new seats. If Earls wins and the amendment passes, watch out for a court packing scheme to give the legislature additional control over the judicial branch.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
We shouldn’t be too quick to condemn “court packing.” Someone posted an article on Facebook that could be our only salvation from long-term judicial tyranny by a Trump-imposed Supreme Court. Abe Lincoln “packed the court” during the Civil War. FDR tried, didn’t get it through, but got the desired result when the SC reversed course and began upholding his New Deal legislation. Find the article by Googling: “There is one way to fix the Supreme Court.”
Funny, I was just watching the History Channel where they have short videos today, the 4th of July, about the history of the Constitution, why it was written, what it was hoped to achieve, things about voting for your representative who would make your voice heard, etc., and it was like I watching a video of a foreign country. I receive various pleas to push “my” congressman to do this and that and I’ve long held the view that although I vote, I really do not have a congressman who is really interested in what I think, so I don’t even attempt to contact him.
I vote and even send money to some candidates, but I share your sense that I am not really represented. On my part it is more about prevention, where possible, of a worse choice. However, the Constitution does remind me that people can have dreams of a government that does represent “the people.” Of course, those dreamers did not include women, nor black people, nor Asians, nor American Indians, nor poor whites, and probably some I am overlooking. Still they left ways open to amend and add, which to me means they obviously did not feel the document was perfect. Until Trump, and his cohorts, I thought we were slowly limping toward the vision I see in the Constitution.
If you don’t have a Congress member who “cares” what you think, you are not alone. In our single-member/winner-take -all elections, about 40% of all voters will support a candidate who does not win, leaving them “represented” by someone they rejected at the polls. Interestingly, the constitution said nothing about choosing congressional representatives in single-member districts. In the early years of the republic, a number of states chose Congress members in at-large elections. Voters should be able to be represented by someone they supported in the election. That will require multi-member representation and some form of proportional elections.
My old boss, Governor George Romney (R-Mich.), used to tell me that all politicians who hold public office will be judged how they GOVERNED, i.e., were they honest, and did they do what was best for the voters they represented. And, did they open up the political process or did they try to close it down for themselves and their political cronies. The GOP leadership in our General Assembly does not come close to meeting these standards and seem proud of it. History will judge them harshly and so will the voters when they really catch on, which will be very soon.
Keep the message simple. VOTE NO ON ALL AMENDMENTS.
Yes. And be prepared with some simple bullet points for anyone who wants or needs more. Stop hitting the GOP and make the case on what they do to each of us, the voter.