Progressive Democrats Urge Vote ‘Against’ NC Constitutional Amendment

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Early voting is underway, and you can find all of the INDY’s election coverage here. Our questionnaires for candidates running in local races in Wake, Orange, and Durham counties, and for state house and senate seats in Triangle districts, are live and will continue to be updated. We’ll be reporting up to Election Day on November 5 and after and plan to bring you coverage on state constitutional amendments, candidate visits, and more. Send us your election thoughts, questions, and concerns and we’ll try to get you answers promptly. 

Good morning, readers.

With one week ‘til Election Day, you’ve probably heard quite a bit about the candidates running for office. But have you heard about a bizarre little referendum on your ballot’s B-side that seeks to amend the North Carolina constitution?

The constitution currently says that “Every person born in the United States and every person who has been naturalized,” may vote. If approved, the referendum would amend that to “Only a citizen of the United States” may vote.

It doesn’t really make sense, because anyone born in the United States or naturalized is, by the supreme law of the land, a citizen. So why did both parties in the state legislature overwhelmingly vote this summer for a bill to put this confusing measure before North Carolina voters?

Republicans have called the measure necessary to prevent “chaos and election fraud.” Most Democrats joined them in voting for it, leaving the few Democrats who voted against it quietly furious.

Sen. Graig Meyer, who voted against it, calls the referendum a Republican “turnout tool to match all of their anti-immigrant rhetoric” and urges Democrats and progressives to vote against it in this election. 

“I don’t understand why any Democrat [in the legislature] would have voted for it,” Meyer told the INDY last week. Groups like the ACLU of NC, Democracy NC, and the League of Women voters agree with Meyer.

But if it is a Republican turnout tool, no one seems to have told the Republicans, who have rarely mentioned it in their campaigning across the battleground state.

Read our full rundown here.

And have a good Tuesday.

—Chase

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