Elections & Public Integrity
We advocate for election and government integrity, investigate possible violations of election laws, and track threats to government integrity and to civilized public debate.
Two Problematic State Senate Districts and One That Is Not As Bad as It Looks
We noted on October 20 how the proposed North Carolina Senate map tended to favor Republicans. We also noted how closely they adhered to or failed to adhere to traditional…
Misconceptions about Redistricting: What Are the Stephenson Criteria?
The North Carolina General Assembly is expected to have its new legislative and congressional maps ready this week. The 2022 interim congressional map was always expected to be redrawn this…
Empowering Oversight: Perspective on Oversight Commission’s New Powers
The North Carolina state budget, recently enacted, expanded the powers of the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, a body that has been in existence since 1975. Expanding the Commission’s…
SCOTUS Cases May Establish Brackets for Race and Redistricting Claims
A case out of South Carolina could help set limits on claims of racial gerrymandering, further clarifying how such claims may affect districts the North Carolina General Assembly will draw…
Veto Override Delivers a Host of Locke Election Policy Victories
The General Assembly overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 747, “An Act to Make Various Changes Regarding Election Law,” on October 10. The party-line votes were 30-19 in…
A Redistricting Tale of Three Counties Split Three Ways
One goal when drawing congressional districts is to keep political communities, including counties, together. As Jim Stirling and I noted in our report, Limiting Gerrymandering in North Carolina, “[W]hile there…
Public Comments to General Assembly Committees on Redistricting Standards
The John Locke Foundation’s Jim Stirling and Andy Jackson both spoke at a public hearing of the joint Senate Redistricting and Elections and House Redistricting committees on September 27 at…
Legislative Gutting of Public Records Law Can — and Should — Be Fixed
Legislators added a provision to the state budget that would make them functionally exempt from public records law. Government transparency is a defense against corruption and misfeasance. The General Assembly…
Criteria Recommendations for North Carolina Congressional Maps
Though North Carolina passed its newest budget last week, the legislature will still be busy this week. The legislature still must draw new congressional and legislative maps following the North…
State Budget Includes Several Good Election Reforms
I wrote last April about how the proposed state budget includes several good election policies, even if not all of them belong in a budget bill. I evaluated those reforms…
Anita Earls’ Lawsuit Against the Judicial Standards Commission Should Spark Changes
North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls is suing the state’s Judicial Standards Commission to make them end investigations into some of her public statements. The lawsuit is based purely…
Allison Riggs Will Likely Have a Short and Unhappy Tenure on the Court of Appeals Supreme Court
Gov. Roy Cooper announced on September 11 that he is appointing Allison Riggs to fill the remaining term of North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Michael Morgan, who announced his retirement…