October 19, 2018/Press
NCDP TAKEAWAY – NCDP VOTER PROTECTION – HOW CORRUPT IS TIM MOORE? – CAUGHT IN A LIE – DEM ENTHUSIASM HITS THE BALLOT – CONGRESSIONAL DEMS GAIN STEAM – NC DEMS RUN ON HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION
DEMOCRATIC ENTHUSIASM HITS THE BALLOT BOX


NCDP LAUNCHES FIRST OF ITS KIND VOTER PROTECTION EFFORT
- Voter Protection: A full-time Voter Protection team and a new voter protection hotline will help voters report suppression and misinformation at the polls.
- Assisting Voters Affected by Hurricane Florence: NCDP is running an aggressive texting campaign to helped displaced voters cast absentee ballots.
- New Suite of Digital Voting Tools: The package of online tools helps voters find their slate of local candidates, make a plan to vote, learn more about the constitutional amendments, and get involved with local campaigns.
NEW AD: HOW CORRUPT IS TIM MOORE?
- funneling nearly $50,000 of his campaign contributions to himself and his businesses
- receiving legal contracts for clients who benefited from legislation he helped carry through the legislature
- Passing along a resume for someone close to him for a high-paying government job

REP. MALONE GETS CAUGHT IN A LIE

But, here’s the thing – sample ballots are clearly marked as sample ballots. Malone’s wasn’t. He later tripled-down with a picture of a different ballot – an actual sample ballot – that looked nothing like the first. Why should NC voters trust someone so content to lie?
BRAWLEY’S SKETCHY DEAL
“School board Chair Mary McCray, Vice Chair Rhonda Cheek and Superintendent Clayton Wilcox said Tuesday that Brawley, a Republican lawmaker from Matthews, told them he’d withdraw House Bill 514 if Wilcox would fire Charles Jeter, a former Republican state representative who had alienated Brawley in his new role.”
“ ‘He poked his finger on the table and said, ‘This will all go away if you fire Charlie Jeter,’ ‘ said Cheek, a Republican.”

CONGRESSIONAL DEMS CONTINUE TO GAIN STEAM

NC DEMS RUNNING ON HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION
On health care and Medicaid expansion:
Rhonda Schandevel, HD 118: “This is for hardworking people in our district who fall through the cracks and can’t get insurance. Over 1,700 people just in Haywood County would be covered with the expansion to Medicaid.”
Michael Garrett, SD 27: “One of the first things we need to do when the new general assembly is sworn in is expand Medicaid…”If we expand Medicaid expansion we not only cover 500,000 people that are denied health care access right now, in the next four years we’ll also create 42,000 jobs.”
On education:
Michael Garrett, SD 27: “We are $10,000 below the national average for what we pay our teachers in North Carolina and that is shameful. There’s some things that we did like putting in some tax deductions for private jets and yachts, so we can reinvest those dollars and those resources.”
Leslie Cohen, HD 20: “If we fail at schools, we fail North Carolina. Not only do we need to prepare our children for success in a 21st-century economy, we need top-notch schools in order to attract and retain companies that will provide those jobs.”

GOP ETHICS BOARD RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL

WHAT EDITORIAL BOARDS ARE SAYING THIS WEEK
N&O:
“This [Voter ID] amendment is a farce. It doesn’t clearly state what it would do. It cheapens the state constitution with partisan politics. It’s an insult to anyone who values good government and voting rights. It should be defeated.”
N&O:
“Republican legislators say the [judicial appointment] constitutional amendment is needed to take the politics out of judicial appointments. Excuse us if we —and the former governors and chief justices — are skeptical of their motives. This constitutional amendment would make any flaws in the current system worse. It should be rejected.”
News & Record:
“One of the six proposed constitutional amendments on the November ballot would enshrine these changes by eliminating the ninth member and giving more appointment power to Republicans. This means Republicans want to give permanence to what is now unconstitutional. That should be an important consideration for voters on Nov. 6.”
Fayetteville Observer:
“The ballot question doesn’t note that this is grand larceny of an appointment process that has long belonged to the governor, nor that by creating a board of four Democrats and four Republicans, it guarantees tie votes that could render the board useless in resolving political disputes. It’s one more measure meant to give the Republican legislative majority free rein.”
Star News:
“They were pushed through with maximum speed and limited discussion. We need to slow down and reconsider everything at length. To us, the safest course for voters seems to be voting “No” on every single amendment.”
On the Republican supermajority…
N&O:
“We believe in two vibrant political parties and we’d like to endorse some of these Republicans. But this year, we cannot. We think it’s more important that voters elect enough Democrats so that some of Gov. Cooper’s vetoes can stand. That would force the Republicans to work with Democrats in passing legislation that has broad support. Republicans would have to work harder to pass legislation — but the laws would be better.”
On the state board of elections decision…
News & Record:
“The state elections board, charged with the administration of the voting process, has considerable power. It can approve early-voting sites that could affect election turnout. It also can assess campaign finance penalties and determine ethics law violations. As far as possible, it should be above partisan politics. But that’s not how this Republican-led state legislature rolls.”
Fayetteville Observer:
“This song has been sung so many times that every member of the General Assembly should have memorized the words by now. The lawmakers trying to steal the governor’s constitutional powers are out of bounds.”