Voting & Voter Rights
We're working hard to make the promise of “one person, one vote” real in North Carolina.
Every North Carolina citizen has the right to vote without intimidation, for the candidate of his or her choice, with the assurance that the vote will be counted. Our goal is to make sure that happens.
“One person, one vote”
These simple words define democracy – yet making the promise of “one person, one vote” real has proved to be a challenge that is taking hundreds of years and counting. And the struggle for voting rights is not over yet. Many people in NC, like ex-felons or new citizens, do not realize they have the right to vote. Others do not have access to the voter information that would teach them how to vote. Still others lack the confidence that their vote will be counted, face intimidation at the polling place or work for employers who penalize them for taking time off to vote.
We are concerned with all of these barriers to voting and work hard each year to minimize them, even as we are registering new voters and increasing turnout among voters. We believe that representative government works best when more citizens exercise their right to vote.
How We Protect & Encourage Voting
We make civic engagement a priority activity and:
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Advocate for electoral policies that promote and protect the right to vote.
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Educate ex-felons and others on their right to vote.
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Lobby local BOE’s to expand early voting and offer Sunday Voting.
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Get out the vote at election time and provide resources that help other groups get out the vote.
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Participate in Election Protection, a national consortium of voting rights groups that educate people on their rights and these rights at election time.
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Serve as a civic engagement partner to many statewide and local groups.
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Participate in court cases that seek to remedy violations of voting rights, ensure voting rights are maintained or eliminate corruption in the voting process.
Learn More
Here are some priority areas of concern for Democracy North Carolina when it comes to voting and voter rights. Just click in a topic to download a .pdf that tells you more:
“One Person, One Vote”
“One person, one vote” has been used as the battle cry for universal suffrage (the right to vote) in various formats for hundreds of years. But it has other, more modern, meanings as well – including the method of drawing voting districts that support America’s representative democracy. This means that — with a new census upon us — the concept of “one person, one vote” is more relevant than ever. After the difficult task of tracking changes in the U.S. population is complete, this data will be used to redraw districts and ensure a fair distribution of seats in the U.S. Congress, the NC General Assembly and local governmental bodies. Here in North Carolina, we will be participating in this process, working to ensure that every person’s voice counts equally and that re-districting is fairly implemented.
