The N.C. General Assembly has approved a slate of constitutional amendments to appear at the end of the 2018 General Election ballot. Each will include a short caption (“constitutional amendment”) and ballot language set by lawmakers. Voters will be asked to vote âFORâ or âAGAINSTâ each amendment. The six amendments â written by politicians in secret â would make sweeping and permanent changes to our stateâs most important legal document. A growing number of bipartisan voices are criticizing the amendments as a political power grab and a bad deal for working North Carolinians. Read the amendments below.
These proposed constitutional amendments range from unnecessary to dangerous, with little known about the details, the costs, and how many North Carolinians will be discriminated against in the process. What we do know is that amendments:
As a result, all 5 living North Carolina Governors and all 6 living N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justices have concerns about two amendments, dozens of constitutional experts and media outlets have already editorialized against all six of them, and a grassroots movement is building statewide to defeat all of them. Donât give politicians a âblank checkâ to fill in the details later: Vote against all six.Â
#1 – “Read the fine print” about the Proposed 2018 Constitutional Amendments.
Get more information about the slate of amendments on the ballot this fall (and how to talk about them) with our helpful resource “Fast Facts About the 2018 Proposed Constitutional Amendment”. Other amendment resources available to read, download, and share include:
#2 – Pledge to Vote the Whole the Ballot, Vote AGAINST, and Fight Back.Â
Let us know you’re with us â sign our pledge below to VOTE AGAINST these dishonest amendments And know we’ll be in touch soon with more ways to get involved in the meantime!
#3 – Write a letter to the editor voicing your opposition.Â
Scroll down this page to read all about how North Carolina newspapers, experts, and voters are speaking out against these amendments (and how you can too!) Then pen a letter in your local newspaper to spread the word about the dangers and dishonesty of these amendments!
#4 – Volunteer to be a part of the “Truth Team”
Polling shows many North Carolinians donât know about the proposed constitutional amendments on their ballot this fall, much less their harms. Democracy North Carolina is meeting voters where they are â recruiting volunteers to help distribute amendment information to voters as they enter the polls during Early Voting. Join the “Truth Team” in your area.
#5 – Share Amendment Resources in Your Community
From pledge to “vote against” cards to “What’s on the Ballot” half-pagers to “Flip Side of Proposed Amendments” Slate Cards, we have plenty of resources for you to print or order to share with your community â from faith to campus!
#6 – Attend a stop near you on the Protect OUR Constitution Tour
Following a September 2018 poll revealing North Carolinians know little about six proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot this fall, we’re hitting the road to help educate voters about the amendments and their harms. Join us on the Tour!
Amendments are presented below in REVERSE ORDER from how they will appear on the ballot â to put the most important amendments first. PLEASE NOTE: “*”Captions for each amendment are provided FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY. By act of the N.C. General Assembly, each amendment will appear captioned only as ‘constitutional amendment’ with no other information than the ballot language below.
[Â ] FOR [Â â] AGAINST
Constitutional amendment to establish an eight-member Bipartisan Board of Ethics and Elections Enforcement in the Constitution to administer ethics and elections law.
Read the full text of the proposal here.Â
Give the N.C. General Assembly the power to appoint certain boards and commissions that are currently appointed by the Governor, including the State Board of Elections.
Voters should reject this transparent power grab. Pledge to vote AGAINST this fall.Â
____________________________________________________________________________________________
[Â ] FOR [ â] AGAINST
Constitutional amendment to change the process for filling judicial vacancies that occur between judicial elections from a process in which the Governor has sole appointment power to a process in which the people of the State nominate individuals to fill vacancies by way of a commission comprised of appointees made by the judicial, executive, and legislative branches charged with making recommendations to the legislature as to which nominees are deemed qualified; then the legislature will recommend at least two nominees to the Governor via legislative action not subject to gubernatorial veto; and the Governor will appoint judges from among these nominees.
Read the full text of the proposal here.Â
The amendment gives the N.C. General Assembly the power to 1) appoint a âmerit commissionâ designed to evaluate judicial nominees submitted by the public; 2) select two judicial nominees to submit to the governor for appointment; and 3) fill judicial vacancies themselves if the governor does not want to appoint either of their choices.
Voters should reject this attack on impartial courts. Pledge to Vote AGAINST this fall.Â
____________________________________________________________________________________________
[Â ] FOR [ â] AGAINST
Constitutional amendment to require voters to provide photo identification before voting in person.
Read the full text of the proposal here.
Require N.C. voters to provide âphoto IDâ in order to vote, beginning in 2019.
Voters should protecting their voting access. Pledge to vote AGAINST this fall.Â
____________________________________________________________________________________________
[ Â Â Â ] FOR [ â] AGAINST
Constitutional amendment to reduce the income tax rate in North Carolina to a maximum allowable rate of seven percent (7%).
Read the full text of the proposal here.
Permanently bar the N.C. General Assembly from raising the income tax rate above 7%.
Voters should reject this blank check for wealthy donors. Pledge to vote AGAINST this fall.Â
____________________________________________________________________________________________
[Â ] FOR [Â â] AGAINST
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.
Read the full text of the proposal here.
3 fast facts to know and share:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
[Â ] FOR [Â â] AGAINST
Constitutional amendment protecting the right of the people to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife.
Read the full text of the proposal here.
3 fast facts to know and share:
Self-serving politicians will use many tactics to get elected and avoid being held accountable for their actions. They will add voting restrictions to make it harder for some people to vote. They will redraw their district lines to reduce competition and create âsafe seats.â They will also use claims of voter fraud to challenge voters or justify changing election rules for their benefit. All these tactics wind up hurting honest voters like you. Just ask Joe, Carol, Robert and others with compelling stories below.
Joe Golden was falsely accused of voter fraud by Gov. McCrory's reelection campaign in 2016. Joe says the experience changed the way he looks at the words 'voter fraud:' "if I can be accused of voter fraud, having done nothing wrong, it makes me wonder how many people are accused of voter fraud and had absolutely no intent, in any way, to undermine the system."
Grandmother and military mom Carol Turner was one of hundreds of North Carolinians falsely accused of voter fraud in 2016. Carol expands on why she was so disappointed in these allegations â not only in North Carolina but with the system as a whole.
Robert Chadwick of Raleigh was falsely accused of voter fraud because his father, who voted in Maryland, has the same name. He fought back against ambitious politicians who used him to malign the 2016 elections.
Joe Golden was falsely accused of voter fraud by the Pat McCrory's reelection campaign in 2016. His name was plastered on the cover of his local papers and he was called a "cheater" on social media. Not surprisingly wrongful accusations like that soured him on the system. Now he's fighting to make it better.
Anne Hughes of Pinehurst and her husband Bill were both falsely accused of voter fraud by Gov. Pat McCrory's reelection campaign in 2016. She was "shocked" and "fearful" having just moved to North Carolina and finding out that her vote was being protested by someone she didn't even know.
Bill Hughes of Pinehurst and his wife Anne were both falsely accused of voter fraud in 2016 by the head of their county's Republican Party. Bill and Anne spoke out to change election rules so that it would be harder for others to be wrongfully accused of the same thing. Bill says the accusation was a "failure of judgement."