It is a wild rollercoaster of a ride to be a progressive in North Carolina, let alone a journalist who’s trying to bring you the truth while misinformation spreads like wildfire.
It feels like every week I am trying to warn you loyal readers of a new threat to our rights. It feels even more crazy as a guy who just finished Stacy Schiff’s biography of Samuel Adams.
Sure, those Founding Fathers were hypocrites (Sam didn’t own slaves but he definitely didn’t speak against the institution), and we shouldn’t hold their specific opinions about voting dear today. Yet I still think they would be disgusted by the attack on voting rights that NC Republicans have undertaken in recent years.
It’s a simple rule: If you could vote easily and now you can’t, or know someone who falls in that category, you (or they) are oppressed. It would be hard to disagree with that, I imagine.
NCGA considers sweeping elections bill
House Republicans released a new and (un)improved voting (non)rights bill last week and announced their intentions to pass it through the NC Senate before the week was over. Though that didn’t happen, their goal is to fully pass it this week.
As reported by WUNC, the 37-page bill would allow any resident to challenge the ballot of a neighbor in their respective county until five days after an election. It would also give NC Auditor Dave Boliek, a Republican, the power to audit the general election in any county and ban people who have never lived in NC from voting in state-level elections. That includes many military members who vote from overseas.
The bill is not on the NCGA calendar for this week at the time of this writing, but it’s expected that lawmakers will try to push it through before the short session ends. Stay tuned to Cardinal & Pine for updates.
Charlotte gets a new mayor
Last week I reported on the process for North Carolina’s largest city to find a replacement for Mayor Vi Lyles, who plans to step down at the end of the month. Since then, I’ve sat through endless hours of public forums and interviews, so let’s discuss what happens now.
After Monday’s public forum, Charlotte City Council nominated five top candidates and interviewed them publicly on Thursday. Now they are set to vote on an appointment today, June 22.
The five candidates are: Harold Cogdell, former city council rep and county commissioner; Carrie Cook, founder of the GreenLight Fund and community leader; Robert Harrington, president of the NC Bar Association; Mayor Pro Tem James “Smuggie” Mitchell; and NC Sen. Caleb Theodros.
On Friday, the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte Mecklenburg announced that it had endorsed Harold Cogdell, which might play a major role in Monday’s vote. Council members will vote on the top five candidates, with runoffs if necessary, until someone gets the majority six votes needed.
Watch Charlotte City Council’s meeting on Monday at 5 p.m. to see it all play out live.
Lumbee Homecoming in a new era
It was one of the biggest stories in North Carolina history in the new year when the Lumbee people—designated a tribal nation by the state of North Carolina in 1885 then recognized as an Indian tribe by the US government in 1956—finally secured federal recognition for the tribe.
Watch: Lumbee recognition in North Carolina
The weeklong Lumbee Homecoming, the first one since that long-anticipated recognition, kicks off Friday, June 26, featuring tradition, fellowship and cultural pride. Community members and visitors experience a week filled with cultural events, a parade, pageantry, family activities, food, crafts, music and opportunities to celebrate the rich history and vibrant future of the Lumbee Tribe.
