{"id":246,"date":"2022-08-02T16:03:02","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T20:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/press-releases\/common-cause-nc-residents-file-lawsuit-to-let-unaffiliated-voters-serve-on-state-board-of-elections\/"},"modified":"2022-08-02T16:03:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T20:03:02","slug":"common-cause-nc-residents-file-lawsuit-to-let-unaffiliated-voters-serve-on-state-board-of-elections","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/press\/common-cause-nc-residents-file-lawsuit-to-let-unaffiliated-voters-serve-on-state-board-of-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Cause & NC residents file lawsuit to let unaffiliated voters serve on State Board of Elections"},"template":"","class_list":["post-246","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"","featured_image":"","press_type":146,"authors":["{\"site_id\":\"68\",\"post_type\":\"person\",\"post_id\":232}"],"related_issues":[109,417],"related_work":false,"location":36},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":null,"name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"RALEIGH \u2013 The largest group of registered voters in North Carolina are not affiliated with any political party, surpassing both Democrats and Republicans in numbers. However, current law bars the more than 2.5 million unaffiliated voters from having representation on the State Board of Elections, which makes important decisions about voting and elections in the state.\r\n\r\nA lawsuit filed today<\/strong><\/a> in federal court by Common Cause North Carolina and a group of unaffiliated voters seeks to end that unconstitutional prohibition.\r\n\r\nUnder current law, members of the State Board of Elections must belong to either of the two political parties with the highest number of registered voters in North Carolina. That means only Democrats and Republicans are given a seat on the board, even though the number of unaffiliated voters statewide tops both of those parties.\r\n\r\nNearly 2.6 million, or 35 percent, of the state\u2019s 7.3 million registered voters are unaffiliated. Close to 2.5 million voters (34 percent) are registered Democrats and 2.2 million voters (30 percent) are registered Republicans, according to data<\/a> from North Carolina\u2019s elections board.\r\n\r\nThe lawsuit \u2013 Common Cause v. Moore<\/b> \u2013 argues that the current system discriminates against unaffiliated voters by prohibiting their service on the State Board of Elections, which is a violation of their constitutional rights of free speech, freedom of association and equal protection.\r\n\r\n\u201cNorth Carolinians shouldn\u2019t be forced to join a political party in order to serve the public. Barring unaffiliated voters \u2013 who are North Carolina\u2019s biggest group of voters \u2013 from being members of the State Board of Elections is profoundly unfair and clearly discriminatory,\u201d said Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina.<\/b> \u201cIt\u2019s important that the State Board of Elections reflects the people of North Carolina, including the nearly 2.6 million voters who choose not to join any party. Unaffiliated voters deserve a seat at the table in the administration of our state\u2019s elections.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe lawsuit was filed in the federal U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina by attorneys Eddie Speas of Poyner Spruill and Michael Crowell representing plaintiffs in the case.\r\n\r\nAs the complaint lays out, the laws excluding unaffiliated voters as members on the state board serve no valid purpose. Instead, they are just a means to entrench the Democratic and Republican parties in power and give them sole control over the administration of North Carolina\u2019s elections system. These laws are ill-conceived because they render ineligible a large pool of talented and able citizens from service on the state board.\r\n\r\nThe growth in unaffiliated registration is only likely to accelerate as young people come of age to vote. As of this April, 42 percent of North Carolina voters aged 25-40 were registered as unaffiliated, and 47 percent of those under 25.\r\n\r\nAt 26 years old, Tyler Daye<\/b> is one of the many younger voters who have chosen to register as unaffiliated. He is among the individual plaintiffs in the lawsuit seeking to give unaffiliated voters representation on the State Board of Elections.\r\n\r\nAs an outreach and engagement organizer with Common Cause North Carolina, Daye is actively involved in nonpartisan efforts to encourage voter participation. He also has a deep interest in the state\u2019s election system and was appointed by the Guilford County Board of Elections to serve as chief judge of a voting precinct this year.\r\n\r\nBut like other unaffiliated voters, Daye is barred under current law from serving on the State Board of Elections, simply because he\u2019s not registered with a political party.\r\n\r\n\u201cI was a member of a political party when I first registered to vote at 18. But since then, I decided to be unaffiliated because I feel partisanship has caused extreme polarization and tension in today\u2019s world,\u201d Daye said.<\/b> \u201cOversight of our election system shouldn\u2019t be the exclusive realm of just Republicans and Democrats. Unaffiliated voters also deserve a chance to serve and we should have a voice on the State Board of Elections.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe other unaffiliated voters who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Elizabeth Smith<\/b> of Wake County, a school librarian; Seth Effron<\/b> of Beaufort County, a journalist; and Dr. James Horton<\/b> of Mecklenburg County, a physician.\r\n\r\nThe full complaint from Common Cause North Carolina and the group of unaffiliated voters can be read here.<\/strong><\/a>\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\nCommon Cause NC is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy.<\/em>"}}]},"yoast_head":"\nCommon Cause & NC residents file lawsuit to let unaffiliated voters serve on State Board of Elections - Common Cause North Carolina<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/press-releases\/common-cause-nc-residents-file-lawsuit-to-let-unaffiliated-voters-serve-on-state-board-of-elections\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Common Cause & NC residents file lawsuit to let unaffiliated voters serve on State Board of Elections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/press\/common-cause-nc-residents-file-lawsuit-to-let-unaffiliated-voters-serve-on-state-board-of-elections\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Common Cause North Carolina\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/common-cause-share-image.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/press-releases\/common-cause-nc-residents-file-lawsuit-to-let-unaffiliated-voters-serve-on-state-board-of-elections\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/press-releases\/common-cause-nc-residents-file-lawsuit-to-let-unaffiliated-voters-serve-on-state-board-of-elections\/\",\"name\":\"Common Cause & NC residents file lawsuit to let unaffiliated voters serve on State Board of Elections - 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