THE CASH JOURNAL FOR NOV. 1, 2018

EARLY BLACK VOTERS ON

THE RISE, BUT MORE NEEDED

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

            The rate of black voter turnout, thus far, during early vote 2018, is good, observers note, but not good enough going into this last weekend of early voting to make a difference come Election Day.

            According to newly released data Monday from the NC State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement on the current 18-day early voting cycle, as of Oct. 29^th  9, 743 African-Americans under the age of 26 went to the polls during the first eleven days of early voting in North Carolina.

            That figure is just under the 11,057 that voted over the entire 10 day early voting period in 2014, and behind the 20,286 who voted in 2016 with six days remaining (early voting was just 17 days in 2016).

            Thus far in 2018, African-Americans in total have cast 81% (228, 157) of the total ballots by blacks in 2014 early voting.

            The number of registered African-Americans in North Carolina has grown by 4% since 2014.

            According to an analysis by the Raleigh News and Observer:

“Fewer black or African American voters have cast early ballots than in 2014. They submitted 20 percent of the ballots accepted so far this year. That compares to nearly 25 percent in 2014. The share of registered African American voters who have turned in ballots this year is likewise down. In 2014, nearly 20 percent of registered African-American voters cast an early ballot; so far this year, the figure is 15 percent.”

In counties where the black voting population is considerable, early voting overall is good thus far, compared with 2014 figures            . Wake , Durham, Mecklenburg, Forsyth, and Buncombe counties – the home of several  colleges and universities - have seen dramatic increases in early voter turnout. Indeed, half of North Carolina’s 100 counties have better early voter turnout than in 2014.

            However, many of the eastern and coastal counties hit hard by Hurricane Florence that are receiving federal assistance – 28 in all – have seen early voting tallies go down compared to 2014, state official figures show.

            Alarmingly, 26 of those counties have seen fewer ballots  compared to 2014 by African-Americans.

            Overall statewide, 1,099,555 voters have cast ballots at early voting sites  thus far in 2018, compared with the 10-day early voting period in 2014 (1,097,269) and the first 11 days of the 2016  19-day early voting period (1,546, 765).

            Most of the 2018 early voter turnout is white, obviously, with 3.4% more white casting ballots now than in 2014 at this point. White voters under 26 have cast 26% more ballots than in the entire 2014 early voting period.

It is fully expected, says state officials, that at this pace prior to the end of the 18 day early voting cycle this Saturday, Nov. 3^rd. the 2018 figures could surpass 2016.

            New state figures also show that voter registration among all voters is up compared to previous early voting periods!

            According to WUNC Public Radio, by the years 2025, North Carolina will have several “majority-minority” counties, which will include Mecklenburg, Anson, Guilford, Robeson, Scotland, Hoke, Cumberland, Duplin, Lenoir, Sampson, Durham, Greene, Wilson, Edgecombe, Nash, Tyrell, Washington, Bertie, Hertford, Northhampton, Halifax, Warren and Vance.

            That means that communities of color in these counties are emerging, and the and of the 2018 election will tell the tale if they are beginning to flex their voting strength at the polls.

                                                            -30-

                                                             ATTY ANITA EARLS

                                                           LINDA COLEMAN

COLEMAN AND EARLS – TWO BLACK 

WOMEN CANDIDATES VYING TO WIN

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

            As the 2018 midterm elections head towards the Nov. 6^thElection Day finish line, two black women candidates are in good position to win high profile seats if black voters show their support.

            Civil rights attorney Anita Earls, Democrat, has run a good race, thus far, observers say, for the NC Supreme Court, seeking to unseat current associate Justice Barbara Jackson, a Republican.

            And Linda Coleman, also a Democrat, hopes to unseat incumbent Republican Congressman George Holding in the 2^ndCongressional District. A win by Ms. Coleman would give North Carolina a third black member of North Carolina’s Congressional caucus, with First District Congressman G. K. Butterfield and 12^thDistrict Rep. Alma Adams representing the other two.

            If attorney Earls wins her contest, she will join the Democratic majority on the state’s High Court, making it 5-2. She says she’s running to help restore faith in the judicial system.

            “Without a doubt, as I’ve been going around the state over the past [year],  talking to voters across the state, and what people want really is a fair and impartial  judiciary. It’s not that one side wants their team up there. It’s that they want to have confidence that the judges will be fair, and that we have an institution that everyone trusts is fair.”

            Being yet another woman of color on the state Supreme Court is also important for voters to factor in, Earls says.

            “There are a number of life experiences that I would bring to the court, and I think that the voters are entitled to know what those are, and decide for themselves what they believe is important in terms of who can best [serve],: she says.

            Bets known for being the former executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, “..a North Carolina based civil rights nonprofit that partners with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities in the South to defend and advance their political, social and economic rights,” her court victories against the Republican legislature’s racially gerrymandered voting districts and discriminatory voter ID laws made her a champion in the eyes of many. 

            “I felt the need to move into this new role because of the threats to the impartiality to our courts, and this experience of, particularly in the redistricting cases, seeing the court not willing to apply the law fairly,” Earls said.

            For Linda Coleman, her race in the Second Congressional District is about giving the average citizen there a voice in Congress she feels George Holding hasn’t done.

            “Everyone needs affordable health care, accessible health care and quality heath care,” Coleman, a former state representative and two-time candidate for lieutenant governor, said. “They don’t need to deal with pre-existing conditions, which can bankrupt families. Many are just a paycheck away from a catastrophic situation.”

            The Second Congressional District is diverse racially, mixed with rural, urban and suburban communities. The six-county district encompasses southern and eastern Wake, northern Johnston County, southern Nash, western Wilson, and all of Franklin and Harnett. Politically, it is one-third Democrat, one-third Republican and one-third unaffiliated. In recent elections, the district has leaned conservative, but Coleman believes she can win.

            The polls, thus far, are close in the final days of the midterm elections. 

            But if the recent negative television ads between Coleman and holding are any indication (Holding began running attack ads during the summer when polls showed Coleman gaining strength), every vote in the Second District must count, says Coleman.

            “That is where your faith comes in,” Coleman says. “The way to get to people to believe is to promote a culture of hope out there. That there will be a better day tomorrow.”

            Early voting across the state ends Saturday, Nov. 3^rd. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6^th. Polls open at 6:30 a.m..

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STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 11-01-18

NC GOP WANTS REP. FARMER – BUTTERFIELD INVESTIGATED

            [RALEIGH] NC Republican Party Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse has formally an investigation by the US Attorney’s Office and the state Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement of state Rep. Jean farmer-Butterfield, alleging that she was living outside of her Wilson District when she serve her eighth term in the legislature. ““Jean Farmer-Butterfield is either lying to you about her residence here and has committed a crime in voter fraud, or she has committed a federal offense in mortgage fraud,” Woodhouse said during a recent campaign rally in Wilson. Farmer-Butterfield says her legal residency is in Wilson County, where she is running for a ninth term. She purchased a home in Johnston County for her daughter so that when the legislature is in session, she doesn’t have t travel to Raleigh from as far. She added that she consulted with attorneys before making the arrangement. Farmer-Butterfield, a Democrat, added that the allegations are just part of a negative campaign against her by the Republicans.

“TIRED” WAKE COUNTY MOTHER ABANDONS HER YOUNG CHILDREN ON SIDE OF A ROAD

            [CARY] A 38-year old single mother, allegedly frustrated with the challenges of raising her two young children without a job, is now charged with leaving them on the side of road and driving off. Jennifer Westfall has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse. Her children, ages 9 years old and 19 months, were seen being left by another mother, picked up and taken to a nearby school, which then called police and Child Protective Services. Westfall was later arrested at her Fuquay-Varina home. Her children are in foster care currently. Westfall told a local TV station that she may now never get them back.

                                                            -30-                                

            

            

            

THE CASH JOURNAL FOR OCT. 25, 2018

ENERGY BUILDS TOWARDS

NOV. 6^THMIDTERM ELECTIONS

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

            With the all-important Nov. 6^thmidterm elections less than two weeks away, energy in the African-American community across North Carolina is building as more and more leaders make it clear that the black vote will be key to any positive change hoped to be accomplished.

            According to Democracy NC, a nonpartisan progressive advocacy group, voter turnout thus far since the beginning of early voting on Oct. 17^th, 430, 841 ballots have been cast across the state during the first five days. 

            Based on from the N.C. State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement released on Monday, Oct. 22^nd, compared to the first four days of early voting during midterms in 2014 and 2016, there is definitely an uptick across the board, including in the African-American community.

            In 2014 (when there were only ten days of early voting) there were just 297,599 ballots cast, compared to 410,430 two-years later (with 17 days of early voting). This year, there are 18 days of early voting, with over twenty thousand more early voting ballots cast than in midterms 2016.

            Per Democracy NC’s analysis, “fifty-eight North Carolina counties have seen an increase in the number of black voters compared to this point in 2014. That’s key because President Barack Obama, a black Democrat, was still in office in 2014. Today, with Obama’a name nowhere near the midterm ballot (except for his personal candidate endorsements) black voter turnout is apparently going up.

            Indeed, according to Democracy NC:

• Across the state, 9% more Black voters (83,285) have cast ballots at Early Voting locations than at this point in the 2014 cycle (76,218), as have 10% more Black women, and 34% more Black voters under 26.
• More than double the number of biracial and multiracial voters have cast ballots at Early Voting locations (1,826) this cycle compared to this point in 2014 (867). The number of registered biracial and multiracial voters has increased 22% since 2014.
• Democratic voters have cast 186,571 ballots at early voting sites so far, compared to 148,125 at this point in 2014, a 26% increase.
• Republican voters have cast 128,423 ballots at early voting sites this cycle, compared to 89,117 at this point in 2014, a 44% increase.

·      Forsyth, Durham, and Wake counties saw the greatest increases in the number of Black voters at this point in the Early Voting cycle compared to 2014.

However, all of the news isn’t good.

• In the 4 of the 8 counties where the majority of registered voters are Black, fewer votes have been cast compared to this point in 2014 –  Vance, Edgecombe, Warren and Northampton.

And the majority of North Carolina counties this early voting period cut the number of voting sites, availability of weekend early voting hours, or both. In addition:

• Challenges remain for voters in some hurricane-impacted counties, which was recognized by the State Board of Elections last week in an order which added accommodations for storm-affected voters. The four counties with the greatest percentage decrease in voter turnout on the first weekend from 2014 are all receiving federal assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, reports Democracy NC.

In an effort to increase black voter turnout, the Poor People’s Campaign: A 

National Call for Moral Revival, led by former NC NAACP President Rev. Dr. William Barber, will be making a six-city “Moral Revival for Voting Rights” tour across North Carolina, beginning Friday, October 26^th, in Flat Rock.

On Saturday, Oct. 27, the Moral Revival goes to Henderson in Vance County, 

Dunn in Harnett County, and Warsaw in Duplin County.

            On Sunday, Oct. 28, there will be a “Students in Solidarity: A March to the Polls at NC A&T University in Greensboro starting at 2 p.m.. at 6 p.m. in Winston-Salem in Forsyth County, a National Get Out the Vote Revival.

            It all culminates on Monday, Oct. 29^that New Light Missionary Baptist Church in Greensboro with a 6 p.m. Moral Revival Poor People’s Hearing, co-chairs Rev. Dr. William Barber and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis.

            For more information, go to https://actionnetwork.org/events/north-carolina-poor-peoples-hearing.

                                                            -30-

STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 10-25-18

By Cash Michaels

JUDGE BLASTS UNC OVER SILENT SAM PROTESTS, VIOLENCE

[CHAPEL HILL] An outraged Orange District Court judge blasted administrators with UNC- Chapel Hill for being “…the proximate cause….” of the Silent Sam Confederate statue controversy. Judge Beverly Scarlett refused to punish Barry Brown, a Silent Sam sympathizer, for simple assault for punching a Silent Sam protestor in the face at an on-campus rally on August 25, adding that the statue (which was torn by demonstrators in August) ““inflames emotions and leads to agitation.” Judge Scarlett then compared Silent Sam to a statue of German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

FRANKLIN COUNTY POLL WORKER ACCUSED OF BLACK VOTER INTIMIDATION

            [BUNN] A white Franklin County poll worker is accused of intimidating black voters at Bunn Library Oct. 17^thby repeatedly insisting that they spell their names on voting forms. WNCN-TV news reported that complaint was filed with the Franklin County Board of Elections, which then met Tuesday to investigate the complaint against Kay Dean a ten-year elections veteran. One black woman told the TV station that she saw Dean’s “rudeness” towards black voters. The board has removed Dean from the Bunn Library, and placed her on office duty.

GRANDMOTHER ARRESTED AFTER GRANDSON BRINGS A GUN TO SCHOOL

            [FAYETTEVILLE] Terran Hepburn, 57 of Fayetteville, was arrested Tuesday after her grandson was found with a loaded semiautomatic handgun from home, in school. Hepburn was cited with a misdemeanor charge of failure to properly store of firearm to protect minors. School administrators at Long Hill Elementary School found the weapon in the fifth grader’s backpack.

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THE CASH JOURNAL FOR 10-18-18

STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 10-17-18

JUDGES: GOP-DEVISED STATE ELECTIONS BOARD “UNCONSTITUTIONAL”

[RALEIGH] The NC Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement, statutorily created by the Republican-led NC General Assembly in 2017 and 2018, was unconstitutionally created, a three-judge panel has ruled. However, the board may stay in place until after the 2018 midterm elections. The legislature originally passed a law in 2016 o counter the fact that Gov. Cooper,  Democrat, had just been elected. That law essentially took away his power of appointment to the state election boards. After that was challenged in court, GOP lawmakers passed two more laws to cut the number of board members to eight, but again, the courts say they had no right to do that. The elections board, by state Constitution, always allowed the party of the governor in power to have the majority of seats on both the state and county election boards.

However, one of the proposed constitutional amendments currently on North Carolina ballots would codify the GOP plan for an eight-member board. If that amendment passes, that will trump the court ruling.

GOV. COOPER SIGNS BILL FOR $800 MILLION IN HURRICANE FLORENCE RELIEF

            [RALEIGH] Gov. Roy Cooper Tuesday, signed legislation that will provide $800 million in relief aid for those counties affected by Hurricane Florence in September. That is in addition to the $56 million that was appropriated immediately after the storm struck. Homes and businesses throughout eastern and coastal North Carolina were destroyed by massive flooding and strong winds that blew down trees.

            "I appreciate legislators responding quickly and taking this initial step to help North Carolinians recover from this devastating storm, particularly in the areas of education and the federal match," Gov. Cooper said in a statement. "However, we must continue to work together to provide more for affordable housing and farmers as well as to make real investments to ensure clean water and to lessen the impacts of future storms on our homes, roads, businesses and water infrastructure."

NCNAACP ASKS STATE BOE FOR “EMERGENCY” ACTION IN IMPACTED COUNTIES

            [RALEIGH] The NCNAACP has asked  Chairman Andy Penry and Executive Director Kim Strach of the NC State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement, to immediately act in those counties negatively affected by Hurricane Florence to ensure that voters there are able to cast their ballots now that the early voting period has begun.

            “These counties are home to a disproportionate number of African-American voters and to some of the highest numbers of North Carolinians living below the poverty line, Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, president of the NCNAACP wrote in an Oct. 16^thletter.“In the aftermath of this historic storm, North Carolinians in those counties are still struggling to put their lives back together and are exceptionally vulnerable to being disenfranchised “

            Spearman requested that absentee ballots be allowed, and mobile early voting labs be deployed to hard-hit areas. “With swift action by the State Board of Elections, we can ensure that disenfranchisement will not be among the many hardships that North Carolinians will have to face in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence,” he concluded.

                                                            -30-

NEW ANALYSIS FINDS VOTER

ID AMENDMENT “TOO COSTLY”

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

            According to a new analysis of the proposed voter ID constitutional amendment which is on the North Carolina ballot now during early voting (Oct. 17^ththru Nov. 3^rd), and on Election Day, Nov. 6^th, if passed by state voters by referendum, would not only be “…harmful to voters working for low incomes and poor voters of all races, while specifically targeting Black and Latino voters,”  but unnecessarily cost all North Carolina taxpayers, because “… state and county governments have to spend at least $12 million on staffing polling sites, providing identification cards, and conducting the necessary voter education and outreach to ensure people are aware of the requirement.”

            That analysis is according to Alexandra Forter Sirota, director of the N.C. Budget and Tax Center – a division of the NC Justice Center, a nonprofit progressive think tank which publishes NC Policy Watch, an online progressive newspaper.

            Sirota makes the point that the millions of dollars that the so-called “voter integrity” amendment would cost if implemented, would be diverted from other critical state and local programs, like investing in public schools, disaster recovery and funding search and rescue efforts, like the operations recently undertaken in the aftermath of hurricanes Florence and Michael.

            “Such diversion of resources — that are now more limited in our state because of successive tax cuts for the rich and big companies — in order to block participation in the democratic process for some puts our state’s economic well-being at risk,” writes Sirota in her  analysis Monday titled “Proposed Amendment requiring a voter ID is unnecessary and too costly.”

            Sirota continued, “People across the state — but particularly in rural communities and voters of color — will face high costs in obtaining a photo identification, even if the state provides an identification card without a fee. (It isn’t even clear in the ballot language that they will do that much.)  The costs alone of traveling, wait times, and acquiring supporting documents are enough to detract from family priorities like buying groceries, providing quality child care, or paying utility bills. Its impacts will ripple through communities in the near term.”

            Sirota concludes, “Every eligible voter should be able to participate in the democratic process with a vote and not be blocked because of cost.”

                  Republican lawmakers and their conservative supporters say the proposed constitutional amendment to establish voter ID would ensure that the electoral process in North Carolina would be protected, but the amendment never spells out how:

                  Constitutional amendment to require voters to provide photo identification before voting in person. FOR or AGAINST.

            That’s all the voter’s ballot says. There is no explanation of exactly what kind of photo ID will be accepted and not accepted (will state-issued college IDs b accepted?).

            Republican state lawmakers say if the amendment is ratified by North Carolina voters, they will call a Special November Sessions to come back,  and decide all of the details they failed to lay out previously.

            The NCNAACP counters that passage of the voter ID amendment before any legislation emanating from can be examined and debated, would be giving what would amount to a “blank check” to the very party that has been proven in the past  to impose voter suppression and illegal racial gerrymandering of voting districts, only to be struck down in the courts.

            The civil rights group sued in court to stop the amendment, but failed. They are now actively campaigning against it.

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                                                                 [NCBPA EDITORIAL] 

                         WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE “NO” ON ALL SIX AMENDMENTS

                                               

            You know, you have to give the Republican majority, and particularly the GOP legislative leadership in the NC General Assembly, credit.

            They pretty much know that the good people of North Carolina have had enough of their legislative double-dealing, and sinister attempts at voter oppression aimed at African-Americans, so they’ve come up with a plan.

            And it’s a real doozy!

            Realizing that they might not still be in power come 2019, the GOP has designed six broadly worded constitutional amendments that, if passed, would be almost impossible to remove.

            You see, statutory laws are always amended, or even stricken from the books. All it takes is a simple majority vote of both the state House and Senate.

            But a constitutional amendment is a special animal. The state constitution, according to Ballotpedia, is the “highest legal document for the state.” It is our governing document, creating the structure and function of North Carolina governance.

            In short, it’s our state “bible.”

            Thus, it takes much more than a simple up-or-down vote to change anything per the state constitution. At least 60% of all the members of both the House and Senate have to put a submitted amendment to a statewide vote, which is why we’ve never seen six amendments proposed in one year before.

            One or two, yes, but definitely NOT six.

            But just because a state constitutional amendment is ludicrous on its face, doesn’t necessarily mean that lawmakers can easily remove it.

            For example, and we didn’t know this until we researched it, Section Four of Article VI of the 1868 North Carolina Constitution states that a person must be literate in the English language before registering to vote. The provision was used to deny African-Americans the right to vote then, and guess what -  it’s STILL in the state Constitution today.

            Obviously, it is not being enforced today, but it remains because several attempts to remove it have always fallen short.

            Republicans know how difficult it is to remove anything from the state Constitution, which brings us back to six ridiculous constitutional amendments they’ve put forth on a ballot referendum for the November 6^thelections.

            If Republicans can get citizens to vote “for” these six proposed amendments, then all the GOP has to do is reconvene in Special Session right after the election, and pass laws based on the broad language of the amendments on the ballots – language so broad that Democrats claim is “misleading”, allowing Republicans can get away with whatever, because voters will have voted to allow them to.

            For example, let’s look at the proposed ballot amendment most civil rights activists, especially the NCNAACP, are concerned with – Constitutional amendment to require voters to provide photo identification before voting in person. FOR or AGAINST.

THAT’S IT! NO DETAILS! Republicans say if voters pass this, they’ll fill in all the details later (like during that Special November Session they’re planning for). Dangerous!

            Number two - Constitutional amendment to reduce the income tax rate in North Carolina to a maximum allowable rate of seven percent (7%).FOR or AGAINST.

            No one likes high taxes, but by that same token, no one wants to see state government go broke and not fulfill the basic needs of its citizens. Capping the income tax rate to just 7% constitutionally is a gift to the rich. But how many hurricanes and other disasters will it take to convince Republican lawmakers (since they’ve been in charge since 2011) that when disaster strikes, or the economy goes bad costing us jobs, or we fail to invest in our public schools, or cut services to our poor, all because we deliberately fiscally handcuffed ourselves so that no more revenue can come in when needed?

            Setting the income tax rate at 7% means even if Democrats do take over in 2019, they CAN’T change it by themselves. Thus, it never gets changed.

            Third proposed amendment – taking the power to fill judicial vacancies away from the governor, and give that power primarily to state lawmakers. Why? So that they can handpick partisan judges who will rule their way, NOT according to the law or justice. And don’t let the ballot language fool you. They may involve the governor in the process, but they have the last word! 

            Fourth - Constitutional amendment to establish an eight-member Bipartisan Board of Ethics and Elections Enforcement in the Constitution to administer ethics and elections law. FOR or AGAINST.

            Another “let’s weaken the governor even more” attempt, taking his power to appoint  members away, and eliminating the ninth member position (an unaffiliated member), and thus, allowing for a stalemate vote more times than not when it comes to election issues.

            The fifth and sixth proposed Constitutional amendments are designed to arouse conservatives into believing that some basic state’s rights are being trampled on, or are at risk, when in fact, they’re not.

            The fifth proposed amendment - Constitutional amendment to strengthen protections for victims of crime; to establish certain absolute basic rights for victims; and to ensure the enforcement of these rights. FOR or AGAINST.

            For starters, North Carolina is replete with laws on the books that adequately protect the rights of crime victims. Ever hear of North Carolina’s “Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights?”

            From the NC Attorney General’s Office (https://www.ncdoj.gov/getdoc/afe94055-3b62-42be-86bc-499a0a8e2d46/Crime-Victims-Bill-of-Rights.aspx) – “Under this law, victims have the right to be notified of the dates and times of court proceedings and the status of appeals. Victims also get priority rights in restitution and get the right to be heard.”

            So why is the GOP trying to make you believe that you’d be buck naked for rights if you become the victim of a crime in North Carolina?

            Because if they scare you enough, you’ll come running to the polls on Election Day, and may also vote for all of their other nonsensical, misleading proposed constitutional amendments.

            And finally (we’ve saved the best for last), Number Six -  Constitutional amendment protecting the right of the people to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife.

            Now seriously…when was the last time you heard of ANYONE seeking to outlaw your right to hunt or fish in North Carolina? Really?

            And yet, just because the Republicans are saying so, there are those who will swear by it, and come out to the polls in droves, to stop those “ornery liberals from takin’ away my right to catch bass and shoot rabbits!”

            Again, why this silly, worthless amendment? Because if the GOP scare conservatives enough, they’ll come running to the polls on Election Day, and may also vote for all of their other nonsensical, misleading proposed constitutional amendments.

            It is a slick way of codifying what Republicans want, even when they’re out of power – suppress the black vote; assure the rich that their taxes will ALWAYS remain low; grab control of the judiciary; and limit or deny the governor his constitutional power of appointing to boards and commissions. Those are the main agenda items on the ballot for the Republican legislative leadership.

            The Black Newspaper publishers of this state, and this Black Newspaper, say NIX ALL SIX! Vote AGAINST on the ballot for ALL six! Tell your friends, family and neighbors! NO on ALL SIX AMENDMENTS!

            Early voting has begun between now, and Saturday, Nov. 3^rd. Tuesday, Nov. 6^th, is Election Day! VOTE! This election is too important not to!

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                                                        [NCBPA EDITORIAL] 

         JUDICIAL ENDORSEMENTS

            Now that early voting has begun in North Carolina (now through Saturday, Nov. 3^rd), voters can finally be heard through the ballot box in their choices for public office.

            When it comes to judicial candidates, beside their local choices, voters statewide are considering who will fill one state Supreme Court seat, and three NC Court of Appeals seats.

            This newspaper has researched those judicial candidates thoroughly, and will now share our endorsements with you. Whether you agree with our endorsements or not, we strongly urge you NOT to sit this critical midterm election out.

            Make sure you VOTE either during the early voting period, or on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6^th.

FOR NC SUPREME COURT:

                                                                   ANITA EARLS

            As a distinguished civil rights attorney for 30 years, Anita Earls has repeatedly been on the front lines of major litigation affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of African-Americans across North Carolina. Whether it was fighting voter suppression efforts by the Republican-led NC General Assembly, or advocating for the rights of economically disadvantaged citizens, attorney Earls has been an unyielding force for justice.

            As founder of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Earls has made the upholding of hard-fought-for civil rights the hallmark of her impressive legal career.

            Clearly, a NC Associate Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls would maintain that standard in considering cases that deserve the judgement of someone committed to fairnss and equality.

            Ms. Earls served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights with the US Justice Dept. during the Clinton Administration. Before that, she was. Civil rights attorney with Ferguson, Stein, and Sumter Law Firm in Charlotte. Earls also served as director of the Voting Rights project for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

            Former US Attorney General Eric Holder has endorsed Anita Earls for the NC Supreme Court, saying, ““She will be a great Justice for the North Carolina Supreme Court. This is a state that has a lot of problems, a lot of issues that need to be dealt with and I’m confident that if Anita becomes the next Supreme Court Justice in this great state that she will deal with those problems in a way that is appropriate, in a way that is not partisan, in a way that is fair and will not be a person beholden to the special interests, but focus on the needs of the people who she will be elected to serve.”

FOR NC COURT OF APPEALS:

                                                            JOHN ARROWOOD

            

            If endorsements are to be believed, then NC Appellate Court Judge John Arrowwood  has impressed the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg; the North Carolina Association of Educators; Equality North Carolina; the AFL-CIO; and the NC National Organization for Women Political Action Committee, just to name a few. Judge Arrowood was appointed by Governor Roy Cooper to serve on the NC Court of Appeals in 2017, and is vying now to be elected to a full term. He previously served on the Appellate Court from 2007 to 2008. Previous to that, Arrowood served as a Special Superior Court judge, 

            Judge Arrowood says, “My record reflects that I administered justice equally, fairly, and without favoritism, and I will do so for as long as I serve.”

                                                            ALLEGRA COLLINS

            If nothing else, attorney Allegra Collins is considered one of the best practitioners of appellate law in the state; appearing regularly before the NC Supreme Court and Court of Appeals; law clerk for Appellate Court Judge Linda Stephens 2007-2010; clinical assistant professor at Campbell Law School; and member of the NC Bar Association’s Appellate Rules Committee, among other highlights.

            Attorney Collins is nothing if she isn’t impressive. Former Chief Justice Burley Mitchell  says, “Allegra has all the personal and professional qualifications we want and need in our judges on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. She has earned my enthusiastic endorsement.”

                                                            TOBY HAMPSON

            Attorney Toby Hampson is another candidate for NC Court of Appeals that’s considered one of the best there is. Hampson was named one of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in North Carolina (2015, 2017, 2018) by Super Lawyer Magazine. Top rated Appellate Attorney by North Carolina Super Lawyers, recognized in Appellate Practice (2014-2018), and as a “Rising Star” (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013); Certified as a Specialist in Appellate Practice by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. Among other highlights.

            One of the NC Appellate Court judges Toby clerked for was Wanda Bryant. Today he is a partner at the Raleigh law firm of Wyrick, Robbins, Yates and Ponton, where he leads the firm’s Appellate Practice Division. He also serves on the North Carolina State Bar Association Appellate Rules Committee.

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