Gov. Roy Cooper meets with a Hurricane Helene first responder (Pool photo/Paul Barker-Governor’s Office)
North Carolina voters weigh amendment to explicitly bar noncitizens from voting
Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Backers say state courts and lawmakers could enfranchise noncitizens in state and local races. Opponents argue the proposal only seeks to deter eligible voters and raise xenophobic fears.
North Carolinians heading to the polls this year may be surprised to find a ballot measure proposing an amendment to the state constitution requiring all eligible voters to be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age — restrictions already enforced by state and federal law. So why are North Carolina voters being asked to weigh in on the issue?
The referendum is the product of House Bill 1074, a bill passed by the General Assembly in June to change the definition of eligible voters from “every person born in the United States and every person who has been naturalized” who is 18 to “only U.S. citizens” meeting age and eligibility requirements. [Read more...]
NC lawmakers pass $600M of Hurricane Helene relief in second round of aid
In an aerial view, flood damage wrought by Hurricane Helene with trucks flipped over is seen along the Swannanoa River on Oct. 3, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Second aid package funds key needs in mountains, but spends far less than governor’s $3.9B request
North Carolina lawmakers on Thursday approved an additional $600 million of Hurricane Helene relief — a second round of aid that funds critical infrastructure and services in the western mountains, but comes well short of what Gov. Roy Cooper had requested.
The $604 million package, passed a month after Helene made landfall, will qualify the state for billions in additional federal aid.
And it sends state money to local governments, schools and families recovering from a storm that killed 96 and caused an estimated $53 billion in total damages. [Read more…]
** Bonus read:
Gov. Cooper signs second Helene aid bill, calling it a ‘small step’
Helene damages in North Carolina total $53 billion, Cooper says, as he requests new state relief
Storm caused nearly $15B in damage to housing stock in western North Carolina
An aerial view of destroyed and damaged homes in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding on Oct. 8, 2024 in Bat Cave, North Carolina. Bat Cave was particularly hard hit by flooding. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Western North Carolina will need an estimated $14.8 billion in housing assistance to recover from Hurricane Helene-related damage, state officials reported Wednesday.
The estimate by the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) includes $12.2 billion to repair homes damaged mainly due to flooding and wind. The initial estimate is expected to change as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other state and federal agencies continue to assesses storm damage, state officials said.[Read more...]
The vitally important election issue that almost no one discusses (Commentary)
Former North Carolina HHS Secretary and current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen testifies before the U.S. House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee November 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. Cohen’s skillful work in North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic is emblematic of how the appointees of presidents and governors can be among their most impactful decisions. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
American voters love to fall in love (or hate). When it comes to assessing our politicians and their qualifications to serve – especially those seeking chief executive jobs like president and governor – we tend to vote with our hearts.
Emotion-packed, reptilian brain questions — Do I like this candidate as a person? Do they look and sound like me? Do their speeches move me? What is their personal and family background? – play an outsized role in the decisions that many voters make.[Read more...]
**Bonus commentary: Why voters should pay attention to judicial elections
How Josh Stein and Mark Robinson waged a tense, high-profile campaign for governor in NC
Supporters hold campaign signs for Mark Robinson and Josh Stein on Aug. 29, 2024 in Washington, North Carolina. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline)
Stein or Robinson will be North Carolina’s next chief executive. Here’s how they’ve carved their paths to Nov. 5.
WASHINGTON, N.C. — Tempers were rising among the political faithful on Market Street.
Local leaders with the Beaufort County Democratic Party had assembled on the sidewalk outside Shep’s Grill, holding signs that say “VOTE BLUE” and “Josh Stein for Governor.”
Just inside the restaurant, Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson — Stein’s opponent — was posing for photos with supporters during one of several campaign stops on a late August afternoon. [Read more...]
** Bonus Reads:
Doug Emhoff seeks to mobilize young voters near UNC-Chapel Hill
With 12 days left, Walz rallies voter support in Wilmington
Voter advocacy groups say polling place warning signs written in Spanish are intimidation
A conservative group posted Spanish-language signs outside polling places warning voting by non-citizens is illegal. (Photo by Lynn Bonner)
By Lynn Bonner
Yellow signs in Spanish warning people that voting by noncitizens is illegal are planted outside early voting locations around the state.
Jim Womack, president of the conservative North Carolina Election Integrity Team, said his group purchased just under 1,000 signs.
Womack said in an interview they’re “protecting noncitizens from committing crimes.”
But voting rights groups called the signs voter intimidation. [Read more...]
Lawmakers call for investigation into social media-fueled hurricane misinformation
(Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
By Ahmed Jallow
In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, a group of Democratic lawmakers from the affected states is calling for a congressional investigation on the role of social media platforms in the spread of misinformation following the storms.
The letter, addressed to the chairs and ranking members of the House Judiciary, Oversight, and Energy & Commerce Committees, urges the committees to investigate and hold hearings into the “dangerous trends” that have hindered efforts by authorities to help disaster victims. [Read more…]