This is coming late in the day but I wanted you to know about this call happening tomorrow (Tuesday 8/11) because we know the mid-terms are crucial and Republicans and Trump are doing everything they can to disenfranchise and suppress voters. We will fight back!

You’re invited to join Try And Stop Us for a Partner Call happening tomorrow at 3 PM ET.

Please sign up here to join us tomorrow, August 11, at 3 PM ET

Here’s the agenda for tomorrow’s call:

• Republican Voter Suppression in North Carolina: How to Get Involved and Fight Back with NC Voter Protection Alliance’s Terence Everitt

That’s it for now! I hope you can make it.

Jess (and Andrea who helps with state newsletters)

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This Wednesday, July 22, at 7 PM PT via zoom IndiMarin is co-hosting a "meet & greet" session with the outstanding congressional candidate in CA-22, Randy Villegas. According to US News and World Report, “Villegas will be the standard bearer against Republican Rep. David Valadao, one of the most promising targets for Democrats desperate to retake the U.S. House majority and slow down President Donald Trump.” SIGN UP HERE.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, but want to support flipping this PRIORITY district, please consider making a donation NOW to Randy's campaign at this link.

This district is so key for the midterms! I hope you can join.

Jess and Andrea (newsletter helper)

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I just found out about this and wanted to get it on your radar because it’s happening tomorrow. It’s from NC Dems and I have a lot of respect for this group.

The moment is now. And we need you.

We’re contesting every legislative race, our judicial team is in high gear, and we have the best Senate candidate in the country. But we can’t do this without our volunteers — that means YOU.

Join us for a Zoom to:

• Hear directly from our teams on legislative, judicial, and Senate campaigns

•Learn how you can take immediate action from wherever you are

•Get energized and connect with fellow volunteers ready to win in 2026

Hosted by: Chair Anderson Clayton

Special Guest: Justice Anita Earls

RSVP & JOIN THE RALLY

I hope you can make it!

Jess and Andrea (who helps with state newsletters)

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I have a news flash: For the first time, there are more registered Republicans than Democrats in North Carolina.

Don’t panic! The Republicans only have an advantage of .03%, and voters have not been switching their affiliation from Democrat to Republican. Instead, the percentage of Unaffiliated voters has increased to 39%, compared to 30% each for Republicans and Democrats. The reasons: Younger generations feel less allegiance to institutions, and more voters decide to keep their political views private.

But still, we would like to see more people vote for Democrats and that means registering as many Democratic-learning voters as possible. Voter registration is important! If you don’t register, you can’t vote! And the North Carolina Primary is coming up fast! Primary Election Day is March 3, with Vote By Mail starting on January 12 and Early Voting beginning on February 12.

It’s time to make sure potential voters are on the voting rolls!

Here’s how you can help

1. Register voters in many parts of North Carolina with the nonpartisan organization YouCanVote. Learn the latest rules and develop skills to talk to voters by attending their 30-minute training. Lots of dates this month: 1/12, 1/20, and 1/30. Once trained, you can help register young people, people who have moved recently, and others who face the most barriers to voting. Sign up here for a training.

2. Help reach North Carolinians voters on the Registration Repair List. There are still almost 72,000 voters on this list, with an ID number missing from their registration. The list is nothing more than a ploy by the Republican-controlled Board of Elections to make it more difficult to vote, but voters on the list must “repair” their registrations or risk having to vote a provisional ballot.

The North Carolina Democratic Party is spearheading the effort to help “repair” these registration. It’s slow work to reach these folks, so every effort makes a difference!

Two ways to help:

• Join a phone bank (from anywhere!) on 1/8 or 1/15. Sign up here.

• If you live in the state, help canvass these voters. If you have participated in at leastone registration repair canvass, sign up here to request a turf that you can do on yourown time (find a friend to join you!). Canvassers new to registration repair should join the virtual field office for their first shift. Register here.

Two more ways to register voters, both with Field Team 6, the largest partisan voter registration organization in the country.

- Organize your own voter registration drive with support (and all the materials you need) from Field Team 6. Attend a coaching session on 1/10 or 1/25 and check out the Voter Drive in a Box. It’s easier than you think!

- Or write postcards to register NC voters. The focus of their current NC campaign is to register voters to support Roy Cooper, the former NC Governor and leading Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate.

We have no time to waste so please pick an action (or two!) and let’s get to work. It will help you get through all the horrifying news we are seeing every day.

Jess and NC partner Marilyn + Andrea (who helps with state newsletters)

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I hope you had a good Thanksgiving weekend and had some time to connect with friends and loved ones. I think most of us agree that that is what is most important to us. Friends and loved ones. That’s why what I learned is happening in NC right now is so distressing. But we can fight back.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

The Speaker of the NC Legislature Destin Hall, said last week that he hopes ICE “comes back.” Looks like they took that literally.

Reports show:

• ICE charter flights reserved CLT → JAX for 12/2–12/6 (same pattern as the CBP raid).

• Fifty ICE agents deploying to Raleigh on 12/1 for a month-long operation.

We don’t know their exact plans. We do know the types of arrests ICE regularly conducts in NC — the ones that make it unsafe to get to school, work, court, or probation:

• Traffic stops (often early morning; concentrated in Charlotte, also Triad/Triangle)

• Jail arrests (supercharged by HB 10 & HB 318)

• Probation arrests

• Immigration court arrests (Charlotte: 5701 Executive Center Dr.)

• Courthouse arrests (including first appearances)

• Workplace arrests

• Local law enforcement partnerships (first documented in Newton Grove this month)

• CIS appointment arrests (Charlotte: 201 Regency Executive Park Dr.; Durham: 301 Roycroft Dr.)

ICE has not historically done the indiscriminate “snatch-and-grabs” CBP used last week — but LA activists report ICE recently began that tactic there. No guarantees here.

Meanwhile, Speaker Hall is cheering on operations that shut down businesses, terrified families, caused over 50,000 school absences, and left immigrant communities afraid to go to work, worship, or buy groceries. He now claims those fears are “criminal.” They’re not. They’re human.

And he wants ICE to escalate.

So our job this week is clear: make sure the people who fund him hear exactly what these actions are doing to North Carolina families.

WHAT TO DO

1. With your kids & community

• Write letters + send cards to Speaker Hall’s top campaign contributors explaining why children and parents should not have to live in fear.

• Host a 5-friend kitchen-table chat about what Hall is doing — write letters/cards together.

• Here’s the toolkit (addresses, sample language, printable materials)

2. With your workplace

• If you’re a business owner forced to close or cut hours because employees are sheltering in place, post signs explaining “Courtesy of Speaker Destin Hall.”

• If you miss work because of ICE operations, send your employer a “Destin Hall Pass” asking when Hall thinks you’ll be able to return.

• Printable posters + Hall Passes are in the toolkit:

3. Join the statewide call

• 12/3 at 7 PM — NC politics + how we build the state we need.
  RSVP here.

If Hall’s donors get hundreds of letters, calls, and cards, they will tell him the truth: North Carolinians do not support terrorizing immigrant families.

Let’s make it impossible for him to pretend otherwise.

With many thanks for all you do,

Jess and Andrea (who helps with state newsletters)

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Charlotte, NC is getting hammered with ICE raids right now, like we did (and continue to) in Los Angeles and I know it feels awful to see your neighbors treated so inhumanely. It’s just gut wrenching. But we can and should help wherever and however we can. Here are some resources to help with the helping.

A mother in Chicago shared this resource doc for parents and schools for protecting against ICE and asked me to share it with NC. Send this to any parents, teachers or school administrators you know! There is a lot of really good and useful info in there from people who are fighting against ICE in their own city.

Subscriber Cheryl J. from Charlotte put these excellent resources in the comments of yesterday’s newsletter:

FYI, I attended a Red Wine & Blue meeting this evening and they shared a number of resources, including one on where people can donate:

* Carolina Migrant Network (fuses legal services and community advocacy to provide holistic support for our clients and their families.

* Latin American Coalition La Coalición has activated its Family Support Network to provide financial help to impacted families.

* ourBRIDGE for KIDS — ourBRIDGE provides after-school programs and wrap-around services for immigrant and refugee families at three locations in Charlotte.

*Action NC has been leading the fight for immigrant justice in North Carolina.

Thank you Cheryl J!

Here are more ways to get involved generally:

Registration Repair Canvass — Virtual Launch 12/13

74,000 North Carolinians were flagged with a “missing ID number” to slow their votes down. The fix is easy. Reaching them isn’t.

• Join the NC Democratic Party’s 12/13 virtual launch.

• Get trained + get a short address list.

• Head out with a buddy.

• After one round, you can canvass anytime on your own.
  👉 Sign up here.

Register Democrats with Field Team 6 (from anywhere)

FT6 finds unregistered likely-Dem voters.

1. Texting

Train on 11/20 (or self-train anytime) Then text on your schedule. Current campaigns: Roy Cooper for U.S. Senate + Rep. Don Davis (newly gerrymandered district).

👉Sign up here

2. Postcards

Write postcards to register NC women. 👉 Sign up here.

3. In-Person Voter Reg Drives

FT6 trains you, coaches you, and mails all materials (yes, stickers).

Next trainings: 12/7 and 12/20.
👉 Sign up here.

Ok, that’s it for now. Hang in there NC and know we are with you every step of the way!

Jess and NC partner Marilyn + Andrea (who helps with state newsletters)

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Elections in North Carolina are wrapped for the year — and we can exhale and even do a happy dance. Democrats won big across the state. In Wake County, 21 of 22 Republicans lost. Democrats flipped mayorships in Burlington, Graham, Warsaw, Wake Forest, and Holly Springs, and took a Charlotte city council seat long held by Republicans. We even gained ground in Holly Springs and Wilmington.

Celebrate it! Then rest if you need to. But don’t stop. MAGA won’t — and neither will we. Their focus is on 2026, with new plans to suppress the vote and overturn results. Ours must be on building power and protecting democracy.

What’s Next

North Carolina’s 2026 primary is March 3, with Early Voting starting February 12. That’s closer than it sounds. Step one: register more voters.

Join All in for NC for their monthly voter registration meeting on Monday, 11/10 at 4 PM ET. You’ll hear from top organizers leading efforts to register 250,000 new voters across the state — especially young and voters of color.
👉 Sign up here.

Volunteer Opportunities

If you’re ready to help right now, join Down Home NC:

1. Phone Bank for SNAP: Spread the word about federal SNAP cuts — worsened in NC by the GOP legislature’s refusal to cover a $140 million gap. Collect stories and push Congress to act.
   📞 Calls on Thursdays (11/13, 11/20, 12/4, 12/11).
   👉 Sign up here.

2. Rural Power-Building: Help Rowan County residents turn out for a community listening event — the first step toward long-term engagement.
   📅 Calls on 11/7 and 11/14.
   👉 Sign up here.

Keep Going

Victories matter. So does momentum.
We’ve got this — one call, one voter, one step at a time.

Jess and NC partner Marilyn + Andrea (who helps with state newsletters)

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I just got this ask from the NC Dems and I’m passing it on to you STAT as it’s time sensitive.

This is urgent. North Carolina Republicans are rushing rigged maps.

Here’s where things stand in the process:

ON THURSDAY, at the request of Donald Trump, Republicans proposed a new map that carves up our congressional districts to eliminate all competition and lock in their power for the next decade.

TODAY, the Senate heard public comment on the map. Members of the public packed the gallery, with an overflow crowd in the hallway. Every comment was against the map, but the committee voted for it anyway. And then the full Senate passed it in a full floor vote.

TOMORROW, we expect the Senate to take its final vote. Then the House will likely hear public comment. House votes will happen sometime after that.

So what can we do about it right now?

1. TOP PRIORITY: We need you on site tomorrow to show the public that voters are watching! A seat in the US House of Representatives is on the line.

📅 Tuesday, Oct 21 at 11:30 AM
📍 NC State Capitol, 1 E Edenton St Raleigh, NC 27601

Need a ride? We’ve organized transportation across the state!

RALLY WITH US

2. Submit written public comment here to make sure your voice is on record. This can be very brief. Here are some suggested talking points – pick one or two to write about.

Your voice matters and that’s exactly why Republicans CONSTANTLY try to silence it. Don’t sit this one out. Even if you cannot attend, share the RSVP link with three friends: ncdp.org/rally.

See you tomorrow at 11:30 AM.

NC Democrats

Please submit a comment if you can, share this with friends, and if you can be there tomorrow please do!

Thanks!

Jess

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I hope you’re excited to join a No Kings rally on Saturday 10/18 - I know I am! Not only do we need to show up in big numbers, but it will also feel great.

I also wanted you to know about this event early next week where you can support a great organization and hear from the dynamic Senator Chris Murphy. Plus, we need to protect NC from Republican district rigging. Read on…

Please join All In for NC and 13 other groups in support of Down Home North Carolina for a Down Home NC fundraising event on Tuesday, October 21, at 7:00 pm Eastern / 4:00 pm Pacific on Zoom.

Speakers: Sen. Chris Murphy, D-CT; Dreama Caldwell and Todd Zimmer, Down Home’s dynamic co-directors.

Down Home organizes rural member chapters on local issues. At election time, they canvass extensively (630,000 homes in 2024!) and help win key races, from critical state house seats to supreme court and US Senate. New national data shows their effectiveness:

• The programs of the 26 studied organizations in 10 states achieved a contact rate of 9.3 percent, much higher than the 5.3 percent rate of other Democratic or progressive field operations. Those reached by the partner organizations, as compared against other non-partner field programs, were more likely to be people of color, younger, and infrequent voters.

Down Home did even better than these averages: Black men canvassed by them voted 16 points above the average; Black women, 14 points.

A flyer is here: Oct. 21 Down Home fundraiser flyer

Please donate any amount to RSVP here. The Zoom registration link will be sent 48 hours in advance. Please email mafornc@gmail.com with any questions.

RIGGING THE DISTRICTS

Republicans are scared of losing, so they’re cheating. We’ve seen redistricting battles play out across the country – and now the fight is in North Carolina.

We need people to be outside the General Assembly on Tuesday, Oct 21. A seat in the US House of Representatives is on the line.

RALLY WITH US

Last month it was reported that President Trump was pressuring Senate Leader Phil Berger to draw new maps favorable to congressional Republicans in exchange for a political favor.

This week, Senator Berger said “we will hold votes in our October session to redraw North Carolina’s congressional map.”

We are gathering to send the GOP a message: North Carolinians are watching and we’re not backing down.

Need a ride? We’ve organized transportation across the state!

Until next time,

Jess and Andrea (who helps with state newsletters)

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It’s countdown to November 4, Election Day in many North Carolina communities. These elections may be small, but their impact is huge.

They decide how local taxes get used—for housing, policing, infrastructure, and services.
They build the bench for higher office.
And they help us win back our democracy.

People who vote in local elections are more likely to show up again—for statewide and national races. Every vote now strengthens the foundation for 2026 and beyond.

💪 It’s Time to Get Out the Vote!

There are so many ways to jump in—phone banks, canvasses, and more.

Check out GOTV opportunities with:
👉 You Can Vote
👉 The Environmental Voter Project
👉 Your local Democratic Party

Take your pick! Whether you’re in NC or volunteering from another state, there’s a way for you to help.

🌾 Building Power for the Long Haul

Even as elections come and go, the deeper work continues—building lasting political power.

One group doing that brilliantly: Down Home North Carolina.
They’ve built a powerful, interracial, working-class movement in small towns and rural areas—and they’re still growing.

Check out their events page for these and other ways to get involved.

📞 Spread the word about SNAP cuts and push Congress to restore funding.
Thursdays: 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6.

📞 Engage voters impacted by the government shutdown—help them organize and win what they need.
Calls: 10/14 and 10/15.

📞 Build power in Johnston County with a “fun phone bank where civic action meets party vibes.”
Call party: 10/14.

They’ll train you, support you, and make sure every call counts.

🎉 Love Down Home NC?

If you’re as inspired by them as we are, don’t miss this big fundraiser co-hosted by Register and Vote North Carolina and All In for NC.

Their goal: to staff up in swing districts key to taking back the state house and flipping the most competitive Congressional seat.

📅 Tuesday, 10/21 at 7 PM (Zoom)
🎙 Featuring keynote speaker Sen. Chris Murphy

👉 Sign up here.

These are the moments that shape what’s next—for North Carolina and for all of us.
Let’s keep showing up, calling, voting, and building.

See you in the fight,

Jess and Marilyn (NC partner) and Andrea (who helps with state newsletters)

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The political winds are swirling, but we stay grounded by taking action. Here are three ways to make a difference right now:

💊 Save Medicaid in NC
Because the legislature hasn’t passed a full budget, Medicaid faces a $319 million shortfall. That means: lower reimbursements, longer wait times, fewer services, and providers forced to cut capacity.

➡️ Down Home NC is leading the charge. Join their Care, Not Cuts phonebanks every Thursday, starting 8/28, to talk with voters about the impact of these cuts (which take effect 10/1).
➡️ Want to dive deeper? Join the Medicaid Defense Work Group on Tuesday, 9/2.

🗳 Power the 2025 NC Municipal Elections
This fall’s municipal races set the stage for 2026, when we can shift power in the state legislature.

➡️ All In for NC, Down Home NC, and Mecklenburg Dems are teaming up for Sunday phone banks starting 9/7. Sign up here.

These calls will:

• Support local candidates in critical counties.

• Build precinct power in Charlotte (Mecklenburg County).

• Strengthen the base for 2026.

📝 Registration Repair
Republicans are forcing 100,000 NC voters to “repair” their registrations by providing new info.

➡️ NC Democratic Party is running phonebanks to help voters on the list and will resume after official notices go out.
➡️ Next up: door-knocking on 9/20 and 9/27. If you’re in NC, consider joining. Sign up here.

Friends, North Carolina is once again fighting on all fronts. Together, we can protect health care, build voter power, and defend democracy. So glad to be in this fight with you.

P.S. Want even more ways to plug in? Check out Everyday Election Activism: The Opportunities here.

Until next time,

Jess and Marilyn + Andrea who helps with state newsletters

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On July 17, North Carolina held more than 70 ‘Good Trouble Lives On’ events! The protests got very little national news coverage, despite the 1500+ events around the country. We are not going anywhere!

The summer is hot and voter suppression is getting hotter in North Carolina!

NEW THREATS TO VOTING RIGHTS!

• An anti-voting bill is brewing in the state legislature (HB 958). It will make it illegal for Boards of Election to promote voting. It also creates new voting barriers for military and overseas voters and bans ranked choice voting. The NC Board of Elections Director will have authority to replace staff with political appointees.

• On top of that, the GOP is already purging local Boards of Election of non-MAGA Republicans and replacing them with MAGA accolytes!

NEW VOTER SUPPRESSION IS HAPPENING NOW! The NC Board of Elections now requires that over 100,000 registered voters provide additional identifying information. They call it Registration Repair. Anyone who does not update their registration will be asked to vote provisionally. And we know how that goes. You can not count on provisional ballots being accepted!

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

• Join a conversation about the Voting Rights Act with Heather Cox Richardson and Justice Anita Earls, organized by our own Bull City Indivisible, on Wednesday, 7/23 at 5 pm. Sign up here.

• Join a NC Voter Defense webinar with the NC Democrats and Anita Earls on Wednesday 7/30 at 6pm. Learn what’s in the works to fight back. Sign up here even if you can’t attend, because I suspect the follow up email will include information about how to take action.

WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW?

Search to see if you or someone you know is on the list of people required to ‘repair’ their registrations: Registration name search. Instructions for repairing your registration can be found here: How to repair registrationWake County Indivisible is contacting everyone in their county who is affected. Hopefully activists in other counties will do the same!

If you’re looking for something else, consider making phone calls, canvassing, registering voters and helping folks get photo IDs. For details, see Everyday Election Activism: The Opportunities

That’s it for now. Hope you’re staying cool and sane!

Jess and Marilyn (NC partner) + Andrea who helps with state newsletters

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Big news! Beto O’Rourke is coming to North Carolina!

He's holding a public town hall meeting in Charlotte on Tuesday, July 15th at 6:30 PM. The location will be announced soon. Doors open at 6:00 PM and the event will begin promptly at 6:30 PM.

Please make sure to register for this event if you can make it!

SIGN UP!

If Charlotte is a bit too far for you, no worries — you can find all of the NC Dems’ upcoming events here.

Thanks!

Jess

P.S. If you need accommodations, please email info@poweredxpeople.org.

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I know there’s a ton going on but I wanted to pass along an invitation I got from a local NC activist.

She says:

I am part of a group in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area of North Carolina (conveniently called "The Triangle") who are planning an area wide event for Sunday, July 6th. We will have protesters stationed at 28 bridges across the area. Each bridge will have a flag stating "Freedom 4 All" and participants are asked to bring an American Flag. One of our goals is to show the world that we (the resistance) are the true American patriots and to reclaim our flag from the MAGAots. Here is our website address:

https://durhamresistancehub.com/btfsite

So there you go! Please, please attend this event if you’re in the area!

Thanks! More soon!

Jess

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Hi team North Carolina!

Good Trouble Lives On! We’re still riding the energy from No Kings Day—62 rallies across North Carolina, in big cities and tiny towns. That momentum? It’s real. And it’s carrying us right into the next National Day of Action on July 17. But this isn’t just about big days—it’s about steady, joyful persistence.

If we want to keep this movement growing, we need to turn up the pressure—on Senators Tillis and Budd, and on our NC Legislature. Here are two easy, powerful ways to do that:

Join Down Home NC’s Weekly Phone Banks
If you haven’t heard of Down Home NC yet, you’re in for something good. They organize in rural and small-town communities, building real grassroots power among working-class North Carolinians. And right now, they’re phone banking every Thursday to protect Medicaid and urge folks to call their Republican senators.

You don’t need experience—just a couple of hours and a willingness to speak with compassion. They’ll train you, support you, and leave you feeling fired up.

📅 Phone banks: 6/26, 7/3, and 7/10 from 6–8pm ET
📍 Click here to sign up

Support Critical Dem Seats in the Legislature
County2County and Neighbors on Call are already out knocking on doors and calling voters to protect the vulnerable Dems they helped elect. They helped break the GOP supermajority in 2024—and now they’re building toward 2026.

Live in central NC? Sign up for their July 12 canvass—almost 30 people showed up last Saturday, heat and all.
Out of town or indoorsy? No problem—you can make calls from home through June for Rep. Pittman, or join the July 8 launch to help reelect Sen. Everitt and Rep. Cohn.

📍 Sign up here

Bonus Action:
Want more ways to make your voice heard? Check out Everyday Election Activism: The Opportunities for an ongoing list of ways to stay involved. Whether you have 5 minutes or a free afternoon, there's something for you.

Let’s keep showing up. Let’s keep building. Let’s keep being the movement they didn’t see coming.

Jess (and NC partner, Marilyn + Andrea who helps with state newsletters)

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I’ve heard from many of you who marched in the Hands Off! protest all around the state. Sources say there were more than 11,000 of you at seven or more rallies. North Carolina strong! And we need you to stay strong as we continue to fight for the sanctity of elections everywhere as the battle for the NC State Supreme Court seat continues to be fought.

There is a lot of analysis out there and the developments unfold almost daily. Last night, NC Democrats hosted a webinar with Justice Riggs to give an update on the appeals process and the status of the case. The simplest upshot is that Justice Riggs is going to keep fighting until the very end. She’s confident she will prevail but needs our help. At this moment, Justice Riggs and NCDems is asking for only these things below, and nothing more right now, so that energy is focused in the most useful and strategic way.

What You Can Do

• Let us know you're ready to jump into action when the time is right at ncdp.org/protectthevote.

• Are you on the Griffin list? (If yes, let us know here so we can reach out with next steps when we have them)

• Check out our toolkit for talking points, links to amplify on social media, answers to popular questions, and more.

• You can watch and share the recording of last night's Justice Riggs briefing here.

You may be wondering why the ballot cure effort is not on this list. First, the 15 day countdown has NOT started. Justice Riggs explained that there is now plenty of time as this goes through the legal process. They have already found that 30,000 of the challenged voters’ registrations actually do have full information. They are still working on this by checking the different databases that have registration data. Reaching out to ‘cure’ these votes that are actually correct, would only bog down the workers and potentially create more problems. That is why they are not doing any more outreach right now, although they DO want people to sign up to volunteer so the volunteers can be contacted quickly when and if they are needed.

If you want a deeper dive of this issue, The Contrarian recently published a particularly illuminating explanation so I have summarized and edited it for brevity.

North Carolina's Election Is Under Threat

With support from out-of-state special interest groups, North Carolina’s Republican-controlled courts are trying to overturn a lawful election result by discarding up to 65,000 legally cast votes.

Last November, Justice Allison Riggs defeated Republican Judge Jefferson Griffin for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court by 734 votes—a result confirmed by two recounts and an audit. Only after losing did Griffin challenge voter registrations as illegal. Two Republican judges on the state Court of Appeals have since ordered a rushed recount, giving voters just 15 days to fix ballot issues—if their ballots aren't thrown out entirely.

Judge Toby Hampson dissented sharply, stating Griffin hadn’t shown any actual illegal votes and warning the ruling amounted to “mass disenfranchisement.”

This case is unfolding alongside broader efforts by North Carolina’s Republican supermajority to entrench power. After Griffin’s initial challenge failed, the legislature passed laws stripping power from the Democratic governor and attorney general over elections. These moves follow the state Supreme Court’s approval of extreme gerrymanders that helped Republicans clinch a slim U.S. House majority.

If Riggs is removed and replaced by Griffin, Republicans will have a 6-1 majority on the state Supreme Court, locking in partisan control for years—and possibly helping fuel election-subversion efforts nationwide.

Griffin is backed by a vast dark-money network tied to Trump-aligned operatives, including “Stop the Steal” lawyer Cleta Mitchell and billionaire Jeff Yass. Their strategy: disqualify ballots based on voter registration data and target voters—especially those with “Hispanic-sounding” names.

These groups—Citizens for a Better NC, Voter Education Network, Stop Liberal Judges, and more—are funded by national Republican entities and right-wing donors tied to Leonard Leo, architect of the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority. Several Leo-affiliated groups have filed legal briefs supporting Griffin, using misleading claims of voter fraud.

Despite a temporary stay from the state Supreme Court, the threat remains. If the court deadlocks, Griffin could win by default. Riggs and the Board of Elections may return to federal court, where the outcome could ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court—dominated by Leo-backed justices.

Griffin could still stop this. If he truly respects voters, he should concede and end this attack on democracy.

Hang in there NC. You and Justice Riggs got this!

Jess (and NC partner Marylin + Andrea who helps with state newsletters)

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