North Carolina Politics for Dummies: Why Voting in North Carolina Matters
Becca Boynton | October 4, 2023
Voting season is in full swing. Municipal elections begin in November for smaller North Carolina (NC) cities, and presidential elections commence in 2024. This voting period is crucial not only for all of the United States but especially for NC, a state doomed for a red takeover.
In April, NC Rep. Tricia Cotham switched parties, leaving the state with a Republican supermajority. Since then, the party has had a veto-proof ruling in NC politics, leaving Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper with nearly no legislative power.
NC has historically been a purple state, switching between red and blue votes in past elections. However, the state is quickly evolving into a Republican majority, joining its southern counterparts Florida and Georgia in strict reproductive laws.
Currently, NC is a hotspot for non-Carolinians to move and establish their new lives. People are coming to NC for the lower cost of homes, taxes, or family. This growth can be beneficial for the residents of NC.
Around 6,500 individuals move from New York to Charlotte, NC annually. Also, a bulk of residents in Asheville are from places such as New York, Colorado, Pennsylvania and other historically blue states.
Furthermore, Warren Wilson College (WWC) has a considerable amount of out-of-state students. Over half of WWC students were not from North Carolina in the 2021/2022 school year.
This is crucial for the voting results of NC—if people decide to vote.
With people coming in from cities or historically Democratic states, if they chose to vote as an NC resident, the outcome could be extremely beneficial for NC. Use New York (NY) as an example.
NY has a population of about 18 million people and 53 percent of the population is registered Democratic. NY has voted Democratic in the last nine elections, with 60 percent voting blue in the 2020 presidential election.
NC has a population of around 10 million people as of 2022 and, differentiating from the historically blue state of NY, voted Republican in the 2020 election. Since the year 2000, NC has voted Republican 83 percent of the time.
While presidential elections in NC have historically been Democratic, local elections have shown to be the opposite. Just last week, the House of Representatives passed a new legislation that would put the majority Republican state legislature in charge of all election board meetings. The ruling also eliminates Gov. Cooper’s seat in the meetings.
Voting blue as a resident of NC allows Democrats to have more say in the NC government. The state is currently being ruled by Republican politicians who continuously stand against matters such as abortion and same-sex marriage, such as House Speaker Tim Moore.
Purple states such as NC are critical in presidential elections. However, voting matters not just in primary elections: local elections directly impact everyone in the state. Newcomers’ fresh votes to the ever-changing status of NC could influence the result of local elections and positively influence the citizens of NC.
Before requesting a mailed ballot from your home state, consider the influence you would have there compared to the impact you will have on NC elections. Already blue states do not need more blue votes. The future of NC is in the hands of young voters.