Democracy NC

Democracy NC
1821 Green Street
Durham, NC 27705

Democracy North Carolina began as Democracy South in 1991 as a project of the liberal political group – Institute for Southern Studies, an organization that prides itself as an advocate for progressive change. The Institute for Southern Studies is the parent organization behind Carolina Public Press and Facing South, a progressive publication with a history of attacking conservatives.

They are a founding member of Blueprint North Carolina, an organization that gained infamy with their strategy memo that directed their members to "eviscerate, mitigate, litigate, cogitate and agitate" the state's leadership in 2013. Under their former leader, Bob Hall, they organized many of the attacks on North Carolina's election law via litigation or lobbying the North Carolina State Board of Elections. Bob Hall has been an influential figure in North Carolina's election process for years, and he will be covered separately in another article.

Election law Influence

Democracy NC has been a part of many of North Carolina's election lawsuits either by submitting amicus briefs supporting progressive candidates and groups or by direct involvement in these lawsuits. They have also been a significant organization in the fight to change election law to allow for same-day registration for voting and prevent the enforcement of Voter ID laws. They are were responsible for preventing individuals from inquiring on voter fraud cases by attacking and suing individuals for contesting ballots in the 2016 election.

Preventing the implementation of Voter ID has been one of Democracy NC's main objectives since Republicans took control of the General Assembly in 2010. They joined with the ACLU to sue the State Board of Elections in 2015, accusing them of violating the National Voter Registration Act – known as "motor voter law." The State Board of Elections immediately provided data and charts to demonstrate that the lawsuit was most likely frivolous. Following the 2018 passage of North Carolina's Voter ID laws, they filed injunctions to the NAACP lawsuit to prevent implementing the law in the 2020 primary election.

During the 2020 election, Democracy NC looked to implement extreme changes to the States election laws by suing the State Board of Elections. Using the Covid Pandemic as the reasoning for the suit, Democracy NC attempted the following election law changes:
• Alter the 25-day voter registration deadline.
• Overturn the law requiring absentee ballots to be requested on a form created by the State Board of Elections.
• Expand the types of documents that can be used as proof of residency for absentee ballot requests.
• Allow political operatives to fill out and submit absentee ballot requests for voters.
• Eliminate the witness requirement for absentee ballots.
• Eliminate the residency requirement for all precinct poll workers.
• Overturn North Carolina's ban on ballot harvesting.
• Allow county boards to advantage some voters by setting different voting hours for early "one-stop" voting sites.
• Require county boards of elections to notify voters whose ballots were rejected.

Redistricting

While Democracy NC has not been the primary organization suing over redistricting maps, they have been a consistent backer. They have filed amicus briefs regarding various redistricting suits, siding with other progressive groups, against North Carolina's congressional and state legislative maps. According to the Brennen Center, they have filed amicus briefs in:
• Rucho v. Common Cause: Filed alongside the Peoples Alliance Fund, Democracy NC sided with Common Cause regarding the 2016 congressional gerrymandering case.
• NC NAACP v. Moore: Democracy NC sided with the North Carolina NAACP, saying that voter ID laws and the 2018 redistricting maps negatively impacted the influence of minority voices.
• Covington v. North Carolina: Democracy NC filed this alongside the League of Woman Voters and the NC NAACP regarding a complaint that the general assembly had not provided enough public input regarding the redrawing process for the maps

2016
$1,000.00
Organizational support
2016
$10,000.00
2016
$10,000.00
General operating support
2016
$5,000.00
General support
2016
$2,100.00
2016
$50,000.00
For general operating support
2016
$50,000.00
For general operating support
2016
$2,000.00
2016
$10,000.00
2016
$27,000.00
2016
$1,000.00
General support
2016
$2,000.00
2016
$5,000.00
2016
$200,000.00
For support of the Millennial Engagement Partnership Project
2016
$410,000.00
For general operating support
2015
$109,810.00
2015
$3,000.00
2015
$2,500.00
General purpose of charity
2015
$100,000.00
For general operating support
2015
$200,000.00
Grant made through State Infrastructure Fund (SIF)
2015
$25,000.00
2015
$1,000.00
General support
2015
$5,000.00
2015
$40,000.00
Program development
2015
$45,250.00
Voter education and registration
2015
$50,000.00
General Support to protect and expand democratic systems
2015
$1,150,000.00
For general operating support
2014
$10,000.00
2014
$1,000.00
Increase voter participation
2014
$22,200.00
2014
$15,000.00
Grassroots Voter Protection Project
2014
$4,000.00
General purpose of charity
2014
$50,000.00
2014
$5,000.00
Organizational Development
2014
$125,000.00
Policy, advocacy and systems reform; Litigation
2014
$10,000.00
Education programs
2014
$10,000.00
2014
$13,500.00
General support. Grant made through Piper Fund
2014
$25,000.00
2014
$1,000.00
2014
$1,000.00
2014
$2,000.00
2014
$40,000.00
Program development
2014
$2,500.00
Continuing support
2014
$3,000.00
For general support
2014
$2,000.00
For general operating expenses
2014
$2,500.00
2014
$1,000.00
2014
$1,000.00
2014
$1,000.00
2014
$9,000.00
2014
$10,000.00
2014
$2,000.00
2014
$700,000.00
For support of the Millennial Engagement Partnership Project
2013
$1,000.00
Organizational support
2013
$150,000.00
2013
$6,500.00
General purpose of charity
2013
$10,000.00
For Youth Leadership Training Project, offering training and summer workshops for college-age students in North Carolina to develop citizenship responsibilities and community organizing skills
2013
$17,000.00
General/operating support For general support
2013
$1,000.00
General/operating support For General support
2013
$5,000.00
2013
$1,000.00
Support
2013
$1,000.00
For general operating budget
2013
$2,000.00
2013
$25,000.00
2013
$40,000.00
To provide support
2013
$1,000.00
2013
$1,500.00
2013
$3,000.00
For general support
2013
$10,000.00
Continuing support
2013
$10,000.00
Continuing support
2013
$25,000.00
For general support
2013
$5,000.00
2013
$1,500.00
For the general fund to help with Z Smith Reynolds grant
2013
$3,000.00
2013
$10,000.00
For General Operating Expenses
2013
$40,000.00
For program support
2013
$30,000.00
Charitable purpose of recipient
2013
$600,000.00
For general operating support
2012
$10,000.00
Unrestricted
2012
$80,000.00
2012
$4,000.00
General purpose of charity
2012
$50,000.00
For Grant made through SIF - State Infrastructure Fund
2012
$10,000.00
Continuing support
2012
$13,500.00
General/operating support For general support
2012
$2,000.00
2012
$10,000.00
Program development For voter registration efforts for youth of color
2012
$10,000.00
General/operating support For general support
2012
$15,000.00
Continuing support
2012
$20,000.00
2012
$1,000.00
2012
$3,000.00
Continuing support
2012
$10,000.00
Continuing support
2012
$10,000.00
Continuing support
2012
$15,000.00
2012
$1,000.00
For the general fund
2012
$400,000.00
For general operating support
2011
$7,500.00
2011
$50,000.00
Program development; Research To develop and document national model for expanding civic engagement among youth through voter pre-registration policies
2011
$25,000.00
Program development For Voter-Owned Elections for North Carolina
2011
$100,000.00
General/operating support; Continuing support For general support
2011
$10,000.00
Continuing support; Program development For Youth Leadership Training Project offering training and summer workshops for college-age students in North Carolina to develop citizenship responsibilities and community organizing skills
2011
$2,000.00
2011
$15,000.00
General/operating support For general operations
2011
$10,000.00
Program development To help defend voting rights
2011
$10,000.00
Continuing support
2011
$10,000.00
Continuing support
2011
$17,500.00
Continuing support
2011
$2,500.00
2011
$1,000.00
General/operating support For general support
2011
$30,000.00
For general operating support
2010
$7,500.00
2010
$50,000.00
General/operating support For general support
2010
$100,000.00
General/operating support; Continuing support For general operating support
2010
$2,500.00
2010
$15,000.00
Continuing support; Program development For Youth Leadership Training Project
2010
$2,000.00
2010
$2,200.00
Conferences/seminars For advocacy workshops and youth civic engagement trainings
2010
$15,000.00
Continuing support
2010
$10,000.00
Continuing support
2010
$1,000.00
For Summer 2009 intern
2010
$10,000.00
Continuing support
2010
$700,000.00
For general operating support
2009
$50,000.00
Program development; Research Toward research and public education around youth voter pre-registration policies
2009
$100,000.00
Program development For Voter-Owned Elections for North Carolina
2009
$100,000.00
General/operating support For general support The period covered here includes a number of grants given to assist organizations that have been the recipients of support from the JEHT Fund In most such cases these were one-time grants
2009
$10,000.00
Continuing support; Program development For Youth Leadership Training Project
2009
$2,000.00
2009
$3,150.00
2009
$12,500.00
General/operating support; Continuing support For general support
2009
$25,000.00
Continuing support
2009
$15,000.00
General/operating support
2009
$10,000.00
2009
$350,000.00
For general operating support
2008
$10,000.00
Continuing support; Program development For Youth Leadership Training Project
2008
$2,000.00
2008
$15,000.00
Program development For Community Grantmaking Program
2008
$20,000.00
General/operating support
2008
$1,000.00
General/operating support
2008
$1,000.00
For operational support
2008
$1,000.00
For general operating support
2008
$5,000.00
2008
$10,000.00
Program development For Community Grantmaking Program
2007
$150,000.00
Continuing support; Program development; Research For final grant toward research and public education on impact of same-day registration and other voting reforms on turnout in North Carolina
2007
$10,000.00
Continuing support; Program development For Youth Leadership Training Project
2007
$25,000.00
Program development For Campaign Donors for Campaign Reform program
2007
$1,000.00
2007
$47,900.00
Continuing support
2007
$700,000.00
For general operating support
2006
$50,000.00
Program development; Research Toward research and public education on impact of same-day registration and voting on turnout in North Carolina
2006
$100,000.00
Program development For Same Day Registration and Voting Project
2006
$10,000.00
Program development For Youth Leadership Training Project
2006
$7,500.00
Program development For public education on campaign finance reform
2006
$15,000.00
Program development For public education on campaign finance reform
2006
$1,000.00
2006
$14,250.00
Continuing support
2006
$350,000.00
For general operating support tofight influence of money in politics and advocate for good government reforms
2005
$5,000.00
2005
$10,000.00
Continuing support; Program development For Leadership Development Training Project
2005
$4,000.00
2005
$2,000.00
2005
$3,000.00
2005
$350,000.00
For general operating support
2004
$25,000.00
Program development; Research Toward research public education and advocacy on judicial campaign financing reform in North Carolina
2004
$15,000.00
Program development For Leadership Development Project
2004
$400,000.00
For general support to educate the public about comprehensive campaign finance and voting rights reforms
2003
$400,000.00
For general support to continue building public support for comprehensive campaign finance and voting rights reforms