To the Editor:

These two proposed amendments are opposed by all five living former governors — McCrory, Hunt, Martin, Purdue and Easley. Before you vote, read the fine print and understand the implications.
The Board of Elections and Ethics Amendment. Currently North Carolina’s long-established bipartisan Board of Elections has nine members consisting of four Democrats, four Republicans, and one unaffiliated member chosen by our Governor. This (proposed) amendment attempts to limit the number to eight members and establish a 4-4 board, despite the N.C. Supreme Court’s striking down a similar law passed by our General Assembly in 2017. This amendment (1) creates a 4-4 board designed for gridlock, (2) leaves out representation for unaffiliated voters (nearly 1/3 of the electorate), and (3) would allow politicians to choose the members of a board that will investigate those same politicians.
Judicial Vacancy. Currently, N.C. citizens elect judges, but when a judge leaves office midterm, the Governor appoints a judge to serve until the next General Election. This amendment takes away the Governor’s authority to select midterm judges along with his veto power for judges recommended by our legislature. Instead the authority would reside in a handful of partisan politicians who would offer our Governor two names for replacement judges, forcing the Governor to choose one. This amendment (1) would undermine the independence of our courts and (2) could allow politicians to stack the State Supreme Court in their favor and continue to draw gerrymandered districts. Plus, the official wording, one sentence at 104 words long, is nearly impossible to decipher.
Vote “no” to practices that undermine our democracy.

Sue Jefferson

Washington