Back in January, Cardinal & Pine editor Billy Ball published a video explaining how, following its coup on the state’s election boards, the NC GOP had begun dutifully carrying out its war on voting rights, specifically aiming to curb access to early voting.
That began in the winter when the North Carolina State Board of Elections shut down early voting sites at NC A&T State University—the largest HBCU in the country—as well as UNC Greensboro, Elon University, and Western Carolina University (WCU).
It has only continued from there. Last week, NC Newsline reported on how Republican state lawmakers pressured local officials in Jackson County to vote against an early voting site on the WCU campus again this fall.
The local elections board voted 3-1 to keep the WCU polling place, but because it was not a unanimous vote, the State Board of Elections will have the final say. That board has a Republican majority and, because they voted against a WCU site during the primaries, they appear likely to do the same for this fall’s general elections.
This week, the war on voting comes to Columbus County, and voting rights advocates will be there to push back.
Early voting under attack in Columbus County
When the Columbus County Board of Elections gathers for its monthly meeting on Monday evening, members are scheduled to discuss and potentially vote on a proposal from Chair Jillian McPherson-Edge during the May meeting that would strip away four early voting sites in the coming elections, leaving one single site in Whiteville for the entire county.
Supporters will likely hope to hold that vote outside of the watchful eye of voting rights advocates, but the Columbus County NAACP plans to show up to ensure their access to the ballot box isn’t stripped away in darkness.
“Columbus County voters have fought too hard and too long for access to the ballot to see it stripped away like this,” said Columbus County NAACP President Curtis Hill in a release.
The release from the NC State Conference of the NAACP pointed out that, in 2024, more than 70% of people who voted in Columbus County did so through early voting, most of whom were spread around the four sites the board is now trying to remove.
“Columbus County is one of the largest counties in our state, spanning approximately 955 square miles,” read a release on Saturday. “That could cause some voters to travel over an hour, round-trip to vote. It would also cause longer lines and wait times discouraging voters to show up. How many of those people will not be able to make it to the Whiteville to vote if this is passed?”
The NAACP is asking that anyone who supports voting rights show up to the meeting to have their voices heard.
The meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Columbus County Board of Elections offices at 2586 James B. White Hwy N., Building B, in Whiteville. There is a public forum on the agenda just before the discussion of early voting sites.
Dominique Moody Safety Act begins journey through NCGA chambers
Last week, members of the NC House Oversight Committee grilled state and Mecklenburg County officials for eight hours over the apparent “lack of oversight, poor decision-making, and poor management” that helped enable the death of 6-year-old Dominique Moody at the hands of her caretakers in Charlotte in December 2025.
This week, lawmakers will begin considering a new piece of legislation inspired by the tragic circumstances around Moody’s death, which involved living under conditions that could only be described as torturous for extended periods of time.
Introduced in May by NC Rep. Carla Cunningham, whose district covers a portion of Charlotte, House Bill 1144 would strengthen the state’s oversight of local child welfare agencies by establishing “case escalation teams” to operate regionally under DHHS’s Division of Social Services.
The bill would fund the formation of six new positions in the agency and training for child protective services employees and social workers to help them identify signs of abuse and neglect.
“Every time a tragedy occurs, we look at it and say, ‘Okay, well, DHHS goes in and takes over, and now it should never happen again,’” said NC Rep. Allen Chesser of Nash County, a lead sponsor of the bill, during a press conference announcing the bill in May. “We cannot continue to let that cycle play out and just say these are isolated incidents. The Dominique Moody Act here works to correct this lack of oversight.”
Having been first referred to committee on May 4, the bill is scheduled for consideration this Tuesday and could move quickly from there thanks to the timing of last week’s hearing and the desire to take action in the wake of Moody’s gruesome death.
High Country Jazz Fest takes over Boone
Boone’s King Street will sound something like Bourbon Street this week with the 5th annual High County Jazz Festival kicking off on Wednesday and lasting through Sunday.
Grammy-winning saxophonist Miguel Zenón and acclaimed Venezuelan pianist Luis Perdomo will team up for the festival premiere show on Wednesday night at the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, where they’ll celebrate the beauty of the Latin American songbook in El Arte del Bolero.
The App Theatre will continue hosting shows from renowned artists like Spyro Gyra, Wycliffe Gordon, and the Emmet Cohen Trio through the weekend, but that’s not the only spot to catch some culture.
The Blowing Rock Art & History Museum will host a lecture from jazz artist Todd Wright on Friday morning, then catch a free show on the lawn of the Jones House Cultural Center later that evening.
Check out one of the headlining performers at the festival below.
