HIGHLIGHTED ACTION:
THE NC STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS NEEDS YOUR WRITTEN COMMENTS
HELP ENSURE (MORE) FREE & FAIR ELECTIONS!
The NC State Board of Elections invites comments on two proposed temporary administrative rules. Both are critical to protect election officials and voters.
Submit comments on your own - it's easy! See below for more information about the proposed rules and details about submitting your comments, OR...
Join us this Friday, August 5th at 11:00am for a virtual Action Hour in partnership with our friends at UU Justice NC (The Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of North Carolina)!
During their regular Friday Action Hour this week, we'll team up to write public comments to the NC State Board of Elections.
The hour will begin with a briefing on the topic and a review of all the info you'll need to write a powerful comment. And then we'll work together while listening to a playlist of justice music! No need to register, just join us via this Zoom Link.
CJJ & UU Justice NC members together in Raleigh at the Poor People's Campaign's Moral Monday Rally in March 2022 (Note the Ukrainian solidarity!)
And if you are unable to start your Shabbat with this Action Hour, you can still take action from NOW through Friday, August 12 to protect voting and help county election officials in North Carolina do their jobs without interference!
What the proposed rules say:
- The first proposed amendment “adds a list of prohibited conduct by precinct officials, such as tampering with voting equipment, making statements about personal political views while on duty, failing to abide by elections laws, rules, and policies applicable to precinct officials, and illegally discriminating against voters.”
- The second proposed amendment clarifies how observers are appointed in precincts and prohibits “observers from using staff-only doors, distributing or posting written materials inside the voting site, or causing a disruption…”
Written comments will be accepted through Friday, August 12.
Online: Rulemaking Public Comment Portal for Amendment #1
Online: Rulemaking Public Comment Portal for Amendment #2
Or email: [email protected]
Here is a link to sample comments.
When you submit comments, whether at Action Hour or on your own, please let us know. We like to track and celebrate our members' actions!
If you would like more guidance, please email CJJ Voting Rights Team Member Marilyn Hartman.
Our work preparing for the General Election begins! November might seem like a long way off, but voter engagement takes time — we can't just ask people for their vote a few weeks before an election. As outside money continues to have an outsized influence on our elections, our "boots-on-the-ground" efforts to register, educate, and activate voters is all the more vital to the health of our democracy. We're also witnessing the increased influence of white nationalist ideologies in every branch of our government, threatening the rights and dignity of anyone deemed to be a threat to white Christian supremacy. As Jews, we know intimately the consequences of authoritarianism and tyranny, which is why we aren't waiting until November to roll up our sleeves for the sake of our democracy.
Please check out our Voting Rights Action Guide, and do everything you can to help register voters, let them know what is at stake, and support them in casting their ballots late this year. By remaining nonpartisan, CJJ is able to effectively engage with voters of all stripes who care about our Constitutional rights. Join us today!
CJJ's Voting Rights Action Guide provides an overview of ways you can get involved in protecting and strengthening democracy. Check it out!
Please visit our list of trusted resources for ongoing learning and engagement, too.
Read more about our other efforts (and victories!) in our CJJ Statewide Voting Rights Workgroup 2021 Report.
Voting Rights are more important than ever in 2022, as the year brings both opportunities and threats. CJJ is working across the state to take on these challenges, partnering with voting rights organizations such as Democracy North Carolina, You Can Vote, Common Cause, All On The Line NC, Reclaim Our Vote, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, the League of Women Voters, and the New North Carolina Project. Our goal is to engage CJJ members and create a community of CJJ activists working on the most important voting rights initiatives of our lifetime.
Our current work focuses on:
Voter engagement: CJJ understands that engaged voters make for a stronger democracy. We partner with dedicated voting rights group to register new voters, engage lapsed voters, and mobilize all voters to the polls for elections.
Access to the ballot: CJJ supports voting rights legislation and opposes legislation and policy that suppress voting. We also advocate for increased participation of disenfranchised and under-represented North Carolinians in elections.
Civic engagement: CJJ Voting Rights’ efforts aim also at demystifying our government, supporting CJJ members and the broader community to increase their advocacy skills, take effective action, and mobilize citizens to vote.
To join your local chapter's voting rights working group, please sign up below or contact our local team leaders directly:
- Ron Katz, CJJ-West Voting Rights Team Leader (also available by phone: 828-768-4559)
- Marilyn Hartman, CJJ-Durham/Orange County Voting Rights Team Leader
- Abby Lublin, CJJ Executive Director
- Linda Levy, CJJ-Charlotte Voting Rights Team Leader
- If you live outside of one of our established chapters, please contact Debbie Goldstein!
And for the next time you get to cast your ballot, Rabbi Laura Novak Winer created a prayer for voting:
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, shemeyzpeh me’itanu l’asok b’avodat exrachut ha-medina
Blessed are we who engage as citizens, upholding our values of freedom and justice and exercising our power to choose our leaders.
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