BLUE WAVE HITS NORTH CAROLINA
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I know many of you contributed to a superhuman effort this election season to get out the vote! Volunteers tirelessly organized, made phonecalls, knocked on doors, registered voters, and passed out information at the polls. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the work you did to enable Democrats to pick up seats in the NC General Assembly - 9 seats in the House of Representatives and 6 seats in the Senate, breaking the supermajorities in both chambers!
What does breaking the supermajority mean?
- No more constitutional amendments unless there is bipartisan support.
- No more special sessions unless there is bipartisan support.
- If Governor Cooper vetoes a bill, there are now enough Democratic votes to sustain that veto (and prevent the bill from becoming law), even if all Republicans vote to override.
Election officials are still counting absentee ballots and provisional votes, but 2018 voter turnout was over 3.7 million North Carolinians or 52% of registered voters. That compares with a roughly 36% midterm turnout in 2006, the last time we had a statewide election without a US Senate, Governor, or Presidential race.
In this year’s statewide contests, four constitutional amendments passed and two failed. The four that PASSED are:
- Creating a constitutional right to hunt and fish;
- Expanding existing crime victims’ constitutional rights;
- Requiring a photo identification to vote in person; and
- Capping state corporate and individual tax rates at 7%.
The two proposed amendments that FAILED are:
- Creating a new evenly-divided Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement with appointments controlled by legislative leaders; and
- Filling judicial vacancies with interim appointments controlled by legislative leaders to serve extra-long terms before the voters can vote on who fills the seat.
North Carolina also elected Anita Earls to the NC Supreme Court and three judges to the NC Court of Appeals. You may remember that Republicans fought hard to make these judicial elections partisan, so it’s a little taste of karma that Democrats won all four races. I continue to believe judges should be independent and non-partisan.
All seats in the State Senate and State House were also on the ballot. Results are not final yet, but the likely final margin is 29 Republicans and 21 Democrats in the State Senate and 65 Republicans and 55 Democrats in the State House.
Thanks again to everyone who took the time to vote and encouraged or worked to get others to do the same!
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A mother and her first time voter daughter paused for a picture with me in the morning on Election Day.
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NIGHT OF THE LIVING SUPERMAJORITY
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A note of caution, we have one last ‘Special Session’ scheduled to begin after Thanksgiving on November 27th, when the current leadership will still be able to pass any number of bills with unconstitutionally gerrymandered supermajorities.
The 2018 election put us on the road back to balance and legislation through compromise in our State, but the dawn is still some hours off, and the supermajorities are about to take their seats for the last time. Only public opinion will be able to check their actions, so please pay attention to the news from Raleigh the week after Thanksgiving.
Be on the lookout for attempts to create highly restrictive voter ID laws without any additional funding for people who can’t afford the cost of obtaining them. I accept that the majority of North Carolinians want people to show IDs at the polling station, but I don’t think they meant to disenfranchise rightful voters.
It will be up to us to craft laws that give people confidence in the system, without excluding eligible voters whose circumstances make obtaining an ID a challenge.
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Thank you to my family, friends, and colleagues for making the 2018 Election a huge success for Democrats across Mecklenburg County.
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TIME FOR COMPROMISE ON MEDICAID EXPANSION
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Ever since I started talking to the voters of District 88 about why I wanted to represent them in Raleigh, I put Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act front and center of our conversations. Studies have shown that North Carolina is currently missing out on $10 Billion per year worth of healthcare funding we could be using to support health clinics, rural hospitals, and substance misuse treatment centers across the state. In the middle of a widely recognized crises of opioid misuse and chronic underfunding for rural health, we are turning away much needed assistance for these two very things.
Last week’s election may open up an opportunity to move forward with a compromise package. It is not what Democrats would prefer, but we can accept it if it means getting help for the most vulnerable among us. Last Session, five Republican representatives sponsored the Carolina Cares bill that would have expanded Medicaid protections to the same population as the ACA, but with more restrictive work and copay requirements. All five of those Republicans kept their seats, so with all Democrats in favor as well, that will be 60 votes in the House for Medicaid Expansion.
I hope the new Chairs of the Committee on Healthcare reform will decide to take up the Carolina Cares initiative as soon as they return to Raleigh. We don’t have any more time to waste when it comes to getting funding for these serious and debilitating public health crises we’re experiencing.
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The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles will launch a new online payment platform so customers can complete several types of vehicle registration transactions online beginning on Saturday, November 17th.
Initially, the myNCDMV service will be available for vehicle registration transactions such as renewals, property tax payments on limited registration license plates, duplicate registration card requests, and personalized and specialty license plate orders. Additional services will be added in the coming months to include driver license renewals, duplicate license and ID card requests, driving record orders, and online appointment scheduling.
The new online platform marks an improvement because people who currently conduct business online must complete one transaction and then log in again to complete a second transaction. For the first time, customers may also use electronic check payments for online services through myNCDMV.
Other benefits of myNCDMV include:
- A myNCDMV mobile app
- One account profile to complete all NCDMV services online
- Easy access to a secure mobile wallet with receipts, payment information and account information
- A dashboard to quickly find pertinent information at a glance
- Transaction history for myNCDMV services
- Set reminders and status updates for future services
- Personalized, chat-based experience to guide users through various transactions quickly
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The Charlotte Rescue Mission is just one of the many organizations that
need our help all year round.
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There are a number of local organizations who will be working to make sure every family in Charlotte is able to have at least a little piece of the Thanksgiving holiday. WSOC put together a great resource page that includes links to these organizations and a brief description of their missions.
Please consider donating some of your time, talent, or treasure this holiday season, or any season, for that matter.
Holiday Volunteer Opportunities Resource Page
Domestic Violence Hotline: If you or someone you know is trapped in a domestic violence or partner abuse situation, please call Safe Alliance at 704-332-2513 and they can help you.
Mecklenburg Compost & Mulch are now available for purchase from the new Compost Central Recycling Disposal Center. Visit their web page for details and pricing.
Property Tax values and histories in Mecklenburg County can be searched on this site that includes links to Polaris and information about the reassessments that occurred in 2011. You can find more detailed information on real estate values on the Mecklenburg Modria site.
Charlotte 311 is your connection to city services, including Animal Control, Street Maintenance, Bulky Trash Pick-up, Parking Enforcement, and all other non-police related matters. Dial 311 or visit their website to fill out a form and have your issue addressed as soon as possible.
Voter Information: You can find your current information on the NC Voter Lookup page. You can also find interactive versions of the new House & Senate maps HERE.
Don’t forget! Visit NCCash.com today to see if you have unclaimed property under the supervision of the NC Treasurer’s office.
My office is here to help you navigate any issues you may have with state services. Please call myself or my legislative assistant, Ralph Belk, at 919-733-5607 or email me at mary.belk@ncleg.net with any questions or concerns
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Mecklenburg County NC House Districts Effective for the 2018 Election
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