Chop Wood, Carry North Carolina

Dems need better media and communications! Come learn on Monday. Plus a State Supreme Court update

Hi All!

Every day is a new challenge and I hope you’re staying strong! I find learning about ways to fight back and then taking action fortifies me and I thought it might for you too. There’s a great media learning opportunity coming up Monday and a few other upcoming actions to highlight.

All In North Carolina has some learning to offer:

Now more than ever, we need factual and objective reporting focused on issues that matter, journalism that can help people be in community and feel their power in our democracy.

On Monday, February 24, we will hear from four speakers at the forefront of delivering alternatives to North Carolinians and all of us who care about the state.

Progressives and Democrats generally agree that we are behind the curve in understanding and using cutting edge communications tools to reach and cultivate voters.

Several new groups in North Carolina have emerged who are doing this work. Meet some of the exciting new leaders working to amplify our movement's voices and messages in the state:

• Gwen Frisbie-Fulton, columnist for Beacon Media and former communications director of Down Home NC;

• Durrell Johnson, managing director of Progress NC Action;

• Kate Bassett, political director of Cardinal & Pine; and

• Blair Reeves, executive director of Carolina Forward.

Jess Jollett, senior advisor to Progress NC Action and founder of the CARE Coalition (Coalition Against Robinson Extremism), will moderate the discussion.

Co-sponsored by Carolina Forward, Chop Wood Carry Water, Lean Left VT, and Register and Vote NC.

North Carolina Supreme Court Update

If you are not a lawyer, trying to follow the strategy behind the twists and turns of the Jefferson Griffin case–in which he is attempting to discard the ballots of 60,000 NC voters so as to overturn Allison Riggs’s victory–can be nigh impossible. We are grateful to the journalists at Democracy Docket for guiding us through the latest development:

The North Carolina State Board of Elections filed a bypass petition Monday asking the state Supreme Court to decide [the] ongoing 2024 election dispute … in which GOP candidate Jefferson Griffin is seeking to overturn his loss to incumbent Democratic Justice Allison Riggs. … [They have] asked North Carolina’s highest court to bypass the court of appeals and take up the case in order to promptly resolve the weighty election-related matter that’s been proceeding for months. …(Democracy Docket goes in depth on this)

As freelance North Carolina journalist Bryan Anderson explained on Bluesky: If Griffin’s case goes straight to the state Supreme Court, he would need a 4-2 ruling in his favor to reverse the Wake County Superior Court’s decision. But if his case first proceeds in the court of appeals — a venue more favorable to him — Griffin could theoretically prevail in overturning his election loss with a 3-3 split from the justices. In turn, the high court’s granting of the bypass petition at this stage in the case would likely be beneficial to Riggs and the board.

STUFF TO DO ABOUT IT!

• For information and actions anyone can take (there are five of them!), go to the Common Cause NC website. Click here.

• For folks in the Triangle area, make sure the state legislature (General Assembly) knows we're watching. Sign up to pack the NC General Assembly Gallery in Raleigh on Wed 2/26 at noon. Sign up here.

• And for something fun! Attend the "Disenfranchised Disco," a gathering on the evening of 2/28 to celebrate the voices of 60,000 voters in North Carolina whose rights have been challenged. “Dance, plan, rejuvenate, make friends, and make a difference, while connecting with fellow advocates, individuals and organizations, sharing stories, and empowering each other to stand and dance! for justice. Together, we will ensure that every vote counts!” It’s free! Sign up here.

There are so many great actions happening in North Carolina it makes me invigorated and hopeful. I hope it does for you too! One step at a time—including having a great weekend and week ahead!

Jess and Andrea (Jess’s helper on state newsletters)