Advocacy
We advocate for pro-democracy policies that benefit the people of North Carolina.
Our research, organizing and civic engagement activities put Democracy North Carolina in a unique position to identify areas where pro-democracy reform is needed. But we do far more than identify problems – we also take a leading role in identifying solutions and promoting better policies and laws. The ultimate goal of our efforts is a stronger democracy for our state and a greater role of the people in determining the direction our government takes.
Advocacy Focus
Democracy NC advocates for policies that enhance democratic practice, particularly those that reduce the influence of money in politics, expand opportunities for ordinary citizens to serve in public office, increase civic participation, magnify the power of voters and improve government accountability. Specifically, we are committed to a range of campaign finance and electoral reforms that:
- Improve disclosure regarding the flow of political money. We believe campaign finance transparency reduces corruption and allows citizens to make more informed choices at the ballot box about who they want to support.
- Strengthen enforcement of election laws and ensure that every registered person who goes to the polls has his or her ballot counted. People must have confidence that their vote will count or many will stay home.
- Address other threats to the integrity of the election process, such as sham issue ads and poorly regulated soft money. These vehicles exploit loopholes in current financing laws and we must find a way to reduce their influence.
- Promote voluntary public campaign financing programs that free candidates from the money chase and put voters at the center of election financing. By eliminating access to big money as a prerequisite for running for office, these reforms open the door for more candidates to run and strengthen the bond between elected officials and constituents.
- Expand overall voter participation in elections and involve those who have been historically underrepresented at the ballot box, such as youth, ex-felons and discouraged ex-voters who were victims of voter suppression in the past. Studies have shown that the healthiest societies are those with the most number of citizens voting. We want to see that for NC.
If you would like more information on how we choose the issues we advocate for and the specific issues we endorse, please visit our Top Concerns section.
Our Approach
Experience has taught us that winning major policy changes in election reform requires intensive work, over many years, to build organized and sustained support among diverse constituencies for our goals. We focus on organizing, research, education and coalition building as crucial elements of our advocacy success – and our achievements have shown us that this approach works.
Advocacy Partners
When it comes to advocacy, there is truly strength in numbers. We work with many other organizations to promote reforms, including statewide groups such as the NAACP, League of Women Voters and NC Women United as well as local coalition groups and other advocacy organizations like N.C. Voters for Clean Elections, NC Coalition for Lobbying & Governmental Reform and the NC Coalition for Same-Day Registration. Please visit our Partners section for more on the many groups joining us in our fight for good government.
What’s Ahead
We are excited and energized by the support we have built for our advocacy efforts over the past decade. Going forward we intend to:
- Work long term to win public financing for all NC Council of State seats, including Governor and Lieutenant Governor.
- Push for the adoption of public financing programs for state legislative districts.
- Expand local public campaign financing to other towns beyond Chapel Hill.
- Secure adoption of the federal Fair Elections Now Act (FENA).
- Pursue new policies that improve the accountability and responsiveness of government officials to the public.
- Monitor the registration and election process and push for policies that expand civic participation among our state’s citizens. This includes expanding Same-Day Registration to include Election-Day Registration. See our Democracy Agenda section for more information on these reforms.
If you’d like to help with any of these advocacy efforts, please visit our Support Us or Volunteer sections.
A Never-Ending Battle
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) was one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation ever passed in the U.S. It helped eliminate discrimination against minorities and ensured that millions were able to enjoy their full rights as citizens. That’s why, when the VRA came up for reauthorization by U.S. Congress, Democracy North Carolina joined with The UNC Center for Civil Rights, the NAACP of N.C. and many others in 2006 to advocate that the VRA be renewed, particularly the pre-clearance provision. This provision requires that any changes in election procedures affecting 40 identified counties in NC be screened by the U.S. Justice Department or federal courts before they take effect in order to ensure that the changes do not discriminate against minorities or dilute their voting strength.
Although opponents argued this provision was no longer needed, we were able to produce data and provide voter testimony about recent examples of discrimination against minority voters in North Carolina, adding to the evidence that convinced lawmakers to renew the VRA for another 25 years.
The battle is not over, however, and like many of our most important advocacy goals, it is unlikely to ever be a non-issue. For example, opponents of the VRA tried to convince the U.S. Supreme Court that the pre-clearance provision is not needed. We signed on to an amicus brief opposing the challenge to the provision and, here at home in NC, advocate for enforcement of the VRA’s protections.
