Believe it or not, it’s that time of year again! Ballots are being cast in North Carolina, and your voice has truly never mattered more.  

Why? Because our voting rights have never been more at risk. 

Over the past year or so, we’ve seen an unprecedented campaign, from Washington on down, to strip away our voting rights. And the campaign has hit North Carolina as hard as anywhere. 

Let’s go back to November 2024, when Jefferson Griffin refused to concede his race for a seat on the NC Supreme Court. Griffin sued and appealed his way through the legal system in his attempt to toss over 60,000 legally cast ballots in his attempt to overturn the results of the election. The NC GOP had Griffin’s back every step of the way, helping Griffin file hundreds of legal challenges in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Among the challenged voters were 5,500 North Carolinians who utilized overseas and military absentee ballots. 

Repeatedly trying to toss military ballots was a new low. But then 2025 rolled around, and the NCGOP wasn’t done. At the state level, Republicans successfully executed a power grab of the Board of Elections. 

Because North Carolinians consistently elect Democratic governors, Republicans decided that they would do everything in their power to weaken the office. That included attempting to seize power over the Board of Elections– six times. They were finally successful in 2025, and they’ve used that power to shut down voting sites at HBCUs as well as reduce early voting hours.

And then there’s the White House. If I were to list every way that Trump has attacked, or attempted to attack, voting rights, we’d all be here for a while. 

On his first day in office, he pardoned roughly 1,500 people who participated in the violent January 6 insurrection. He’s still stuck on the 2020 election, as he sent the FBI to Georgia last week to seize ballots from 6 years ago. 

Last year, he personally called on North Carolina Republicans to manipulate our electoral maps to his benefit. And they did– passing Trump’s gerrymandered maps long before they’ve come even close to passing a state budget. 

Trump has also vowed to end mail-in voting, has sued 20 states to gain access to their voter rolls, and won’t rule out sending ICE agents to polling places. We’ve seen what Trump’s ICE is doing to American citizens in Minnesota. Who knows what they would do at the polls.

We are at the brink, a true turning point for the future of our fragile democracy. 

They want our rights more than ever. They want you and me to be silent, to stay home. And folks everywhere, especially in North Carolina, are saying hell no. 

Whenever our rights have been threatened, you’ve showed up to the protests, called your legislators, and spoken to your neighbors. It’s in our state’s DNA. It’s why North Carolina played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement, and it’s why North Carolina college students from three colleges have already sued over early voting site denials. 

It’s also why North Carolinians have come together to create the NC Voter Protection Alliance, an organization that will fight to safeguard the right to vote and ensure that elections in our state are run fairly and lawfully. NCVPA launched this week, and what a crucial time for them to be doing this important work. 

One of the most important things you do this year, one of the greatest acts of resistance, could simply be casting your ballot. Your first chance is in the March 3 primary. Early voting is already under way. Check your registration, and if you need to update it, you can do so in-person during early voting. 

Our rights are being threatened, but your voice has never been stronger. Let’s send a loud message at the ballot box.