Thanks for signing up for Part I of our discussion on the battle for fair elections in NC's county commission elections. Part II is coming up next Wednesday, May 26, at 5:00. We will be continuing our conversation with distinguished North Carolina Central University law professor Irving Joyner, one of the key figures in the struggle against racial gerrymandering in NC. 

Register here to join us for a deeper dive into some of the most interesting and impactful VRA court battles in NC's 20-year struggle for fairer county commission elections.  North Carolina's counties have been a key battleground for racial equity and voting rights. In 1989, more than 20 years after the passage of the Voting Right Act, only 36 of the 529 county commissioners were Black (6.8%). Most of them owed their election to VRA cases that forced counties to change how they elected county commissioners, creating real opportunities for Black candidates to succeed at the ballot box.

This year's redrawing will be the first without the protection of VRA preclearance, struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013. Protection against vote suppression and gerrymandering at the county level is as important as it is for the Congress and the legislature--and arguably easier to influence! 

If you missed our first conversation with Professor Joyner or you'd like to listen to it again, you can find the recording here.