Dear ~~first_name~~,
Today is a day for celebration 🎉 as the Equal Rights Amendment has passed unanimously in all 50 states, and the archivist has officially certified and published the amendment to the U.S. Constitution!! Elected officials in both houses have been observed cheering and hugging each other to celebrate this moment in time where EVERYONE has 'Equality of Rights under the Law'.
Okay, if any of you are confused.....Happy April Fool's Day!
Oh how I wish this were true! Instead we are still fighting for equal rights and feeling anxious about recent Supreme Court arguments that threaten medication (mifepristone) abortion access nationwide. Fortunately, coverage of the Supreme Court's questions posed during last week's arguments seem to indicate that, at least a few conservative justices question the legality of the case. For an overview and analysis of last week's arguments by POLITICO, click here.
As we work to educate voters for the upcoming election, LWV-Wake will continue to highlight these types of threats to women's health and the need for equal rights as evidence that women's votes are crucial to the 2024 Presidential Election. Interested in learning about how to mobilize young voters around reproductive health issues? Click here.
WCPSS Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor to speak at April Timely Topics
We are honored to welcome Superintendent Taylor as our guest speaker on April 18th at Highland United Methodist Church. Dr. Taylor will discuss his priorities for the coming year and what he recently learned during his first 100 days tour. The presentation will be followed by a Q & A.
We recognize public education as a high priority issue in this election year. Threats to dismantle public education through expanded voucher programs, inadequate funding, and equity issues continue to plague public education throughout the country.
LWV has always championed public education and will continue to advocate for public education issues, as well as provide voters with education through board of education candidate forums. We anticipate this to be a well attended community event and ask members to attend and share our Timely Topics event with your networks.
Remember, this event is open to the public, however registration through our website is required. The public can register directly for this event and do not need to have login credentials. Scroll down to see more details and to register.
2024 Primary Election Canvass & Certification
The official certification of election results occurred last Tuesday. Here are some figures:
- Around 1.8 million registered North Carolinians voted in the primary, resulting in a 24% turnout.
- 1,185 voters cast a provisional ballot for a reason related to photo ID. Only 697 were accepted (59%).
- 477 provisional ballots related to ID were not counted. Most were voters who did not return to the county Board of Elections with an ID during the canvas. 11 ballots were partially counted, a result of voters voting in the wrong precinct.
- 1128 absentee ballots came in after the Election Day 7:30 pm deadline, resulting in those voter's ballots being tossed.
These figures indicate that continued voter education about photo ID requirements and timing for absentee ballots is crucial to ensure every voter's ballot is counted. As you can see from the photo ID exception form acceptance statistics, it is not a reliable tool to ensure a voter's ballot will be counted. To view NCSBE Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell's 2024 Primary Election Canvass & Certification presentation, click here.
Brinson Bell's assessment of the staffing issues that continue to plague county boards of elections are noteworthy and a sign that continued false claims of election fraud and resulting stress likely have an effect on the state's ability to attract and retain County Elections Directors. From 2019-2024, 56 Directors have retired or resigned from their positions.
To see how LWVNC and LWV-Wake are working to fight back against mis- and disinformation and restore voter confidence, keep scrolling to learn about a new video that LWVNC has created to educate voters.
NCGA Short Session Begins April 24th
State legislators return to Raleigh on April 24th to begin the short session. The session is tentatively scheduled to run through July 31st as many legislators will be campaigning ahead of the General Election.
While most of the session will consist of budget adjustments, there are more than 250 crossover bills that could be taken up, as well as any tweaks to current legislation, which could include SB 747 and 749. Most media reports indicate this will be an uneventful session.....let's hope so!
|