Politics

September 16, 2014 - The civil rights group has filed a complaint with the State Board of Elections and a local district attorney over a TV ad sponsored by the campaign of state Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger that suggests citizens need to show a photo ID to vote -- even though the ID requirement doesn't take effect until 2016. In North Carolina, misrepresenting election law to discourage voting is a felony.

September 12, 2014 - A resolution to amend the U.S. Constitution and overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision lifting restrictions on money in politics failed in the Senate this week on a party-line vote. But voters support such an amendment by a wide margin, and pro-reform activists vow to press on.

September 12, 2014 - Suppose we stopped bribing companies to do what already benefits them, and instead focused our public dollars on restoring and expanding public services.

September 11, 2014 - A Facing South analysis finds that candidates for the North Carolina Supreme Court and Court of Appeals are set to spend record sums on campaign ads in the coming weeks. The election will be the first in a decade without the state's public financing program for judges, and special-interest money is pouring in.

September 11, 2014 - An analysis by a voting rights watchdog found that 454 North Carolina citizens who would have been able to successfully cast ballots in previous elections had their votes discounted in this year's primary because of the state's new election law -- and those affected were disproportionately African Americans and Democrats.

September 5, 2014 - Two election cycles after the landmark Supreme Court decision loosening restrictions on corporate money in politics, research is emerging that assesses its impact on our political system -- and it finds that the decision has disproportionately benefited Republicans, especially in North Carolina and Tennessee.

September 4, 2014 - With money pouring in from groups that don't have to disclose their donors, this is being called the "Dark Money Election." But a number of innovative initiatives are underway to limit money in politics and to promote reforms that give political power back to ordinary Americans.