CBC Editorial: Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023; editorial #8884
The following is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Company
The fix is in. Republicans make up 30% of North Carolina’s voters.
But the partisan complexion of those North Carolinians who will populate the chambers of the state’s legislative branches of government will be quite to the contrary.
If legislative leaders prevail with the new election maps they’ve concocted, Republicans will hold:
- 79% of the state’s 14 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- 62%, a veto-proof majority, of the 50 seats in the N.C. Senate.
- 60%, a near veto proof majority, of the 120 seats in the N.C. House of Representatives.
These unrelenting efforts by legislative leaders to pick their voters – rather than the other way around as our nation and state founders intended – might seem to be enough to make folks wallow in frustration and avoid polling places on election day all together.
After all, why vote when the outcome is predetermined.
Well, that’s a big part of the effort, too. Legislative leaders are not stopping at putting the fix in, so voters believe their ballots are meaningless. They’ve also been doing everything they can to make even casting a ballot an ordeal by rolling back mail-in voting, early voting hours and confusing photo identification requirements.
There will be plenty of challenges to the election maps and while the state courts may be party to the Big Fix, federal courts seem to remain independent – as witnessed in decisions relating to hyper-gerrymandering in Alabama.
Further, these times make every voter’s participation even more critical.
First, our nation has fought too hard to build and defend a democracy based on the government’s power and authority emanating DIRECTLY from the people through FREE and FAIR elections.
Second, while legislative leaders are doing ALL THE CAN to predetermine the outcome of congressional and legislative elections, there are NO GUARANTEES.
EVERY VOTE COUNTS. The outcome of an election isn’t determined until EVERY properly cast ballot is counted.
No one likes a fixed game. North Carolina voters should not allow their voice to be silenced. They all need to march to the polls and throw the cheaters out.
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