Restoring Democracy and Protecting Voters

The Fair Maps Act would require that legislative and congressional districts be drawn by an independent redistricting commission. North Carolina is one of the most gerrymandered states in the country. At public hearings, North Carolinians consistently call for non-partisan redistricting commissions that draw maps based on common interest and geography rather than political interests. 

The General Assembly continues to try to remove the public from the governing process. We believe that the public should have a say in the process, especially the budget-making process. HB178 would require public notice, public comment, and publicly accessible committee meetings before any budget legislation can be passed.

The budget writers of the past decade have engineered a revenue deficit and a fiscal cliff. It's our duty to the public to create fiscally responsible and sustainable budgets. HB180 would require collaboration between the executive and legislative branches to take into account revenue forecasts, maintenance costs, and other fiscal projections when writing the budget.

In the wake of Jefferson Griffin's attacks on the ballots of our overseas service members, it's important we commit to common sense ballot protections for our military. HB278 does just that by reaffirming the guidelines for military ballots.

In 2021, North Carolina Republicans determined that corporations would pay no taxes by 2029. We could fund bigger and better things for our state and cut taxes for the working class if these corporations would pay their fair share. HB303 would repeal this tax cut for the wealthy and make them pay what they owe.

Any functioning democracy requires a transparent and ethical government. Hidden in last years budget was a provision to eliminate all requirements for elected officials to disclose their public records. This caused The Society of Professional Journalists to name the North Carolina General Assembly the recipient of its annual "Black Hole Award." The Black Hole Award is bestowed annually upon government institutions or agencies “for acts of outright contempt of the public’s right to know.” This bill would repeal that provision, and also eliminate dark money politics in North Carolina.

Unless something drastic changes, North Carolina Republicans have set the state up to underfund our basic operating costs through income tax reduction triggers. North Carolinians deserve a state that can pay for their needs. HB459 would set our state back on track to meet our funding requirements.