From the dastardly deeds from NC State Auditor Dave Boliek’s offices’s attempts to corrupt NC elections, to the sad trumpification of the NC Republican Party to the First Amendment, GOTV, Duke Energy, and the impact of the NC budget on teachers – it’s time to celebrate local and state voices!

Sailor Jones: When it comes to early voting, North Carolinians won’t be fooled

When North Carolina’s State Board of Elections met Aug. 20 to decide early voting options for 20 counties where local boards couldn’t agree, it surprised no one that Auditor Dave Boliek’s GOP majority largely chose plans crafted by Republicans.

What was surprising, was the immediacy of the campaign to rehabilitate Boliek’s reputation by couching 2026 early voting plans as a victory for all voters after local whistleblowers revealed Boliek’s office, including former “elections liaison,” Dallas Woodhouse, pressured county elections chairs to pass plans favoring Republicans.

Attempting to distance himself from the elephant in the room, State Board Chair Francis DeLuca kicked off the marathon meeting admitting, “I hope we never hear the name Dallas Woodhouse in here again.”

But if Boliek and DeLuca think they can fool voters into believing this summer’s efforts haven’t hurt voters, Woodhouse provided a taste of how they’d try.

First, Woodhouse suggested that the auditor’s board may tout overall increases in sites or hours compared to 2022.

But registered voters in North Carolina have grown by 6 percent since 2022. Adding handfuls of sites or a few percentage points in hours this year doesn’t keep up.

Even in the 80 unanimous counties decided locally, analysis from political scientist Chris Cooper shows that while the total number of sites increased by five (+1.8 percent) since the last midterm, sites available per 10,000 voters actually dropped (-3.2 percent), signaling a shift away from where voters actually live.

Simply put, many of the sites and hours approved under Boliek’s watch meet his demands, not voters’.

The auditor might argue that while he meddled in county options, it prevented bigger early voting cuts.

Preventing “bigger cuts” doesn’t mean chosen sites work for all voters.

Public records show the auditor’s effort to add or protect sites that may help certain Republican candidates. Woodhouse’s texts focused on what sites and hours “GOP voters need” in counties like Columbus and Anson. These partisan add-ons may pad the state board’s stats, but they distract from devastating site closures, including the site serving the poorest part of Columbus, multiple sites in Lenoir where 40 percent of voters are Black, and the most popular site for Black (and all) voters in Granville.

The auditor could repeat tired excuses that unprecedented cuts to Sunday voting address poll worker fatigue, religious preferences or costs.

But when the auditor’s appointees cut Sunday access in 23 North Carolina counties that had it in 2022, they failed to mention their true motives.

Fortunately, Lee County Board of Elections member Jay DeLancy did it for them.

DeLancy’s testimony to the state board revealed that Woodhouse told him to slash Sunday voting because the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2026 Callais decision, gutting the Voting Rights Act, greenlit Republican cuts to options used by Black voters.

“I had not thought about getting rid of Sunday until (Woodhouse) planted that seed,” DeLancy told the board.

Woodhouse started planting seeds a decade ago when, as state GOP chair, he sent a memo to GOP elections chairs in every county demanding they eliminate Sunday voting. His ultimately unsuccessful loyalty test followed a federal ruling that struck down legislative efforts to cut Sundays because doing so targeted African-American voters “with surgical precision.”

Thanks to the auditor, the surgeons are back. And their amputations of Sunday voting will be felt throughout the state.

The auditor’s state board might try to justify their decisions by saying campus voting largely survived.

But campuses with some of the largest and most diverse populations likely disagree.

Public records show State Board Member Angela Hawkins worked with Woodhouse to make sure Wake County moved its N.C. State site off of the main campus. Woodhouse approved moving Pasquotank’s site to its under-renovation elections office rather than keep it on a historically-Black college or university (HBCU). In Guilford, none of the 168 public comments to the state board supported the plan it ultimately approved, leaving no site at N.C. A&T, the nation’s largest HBCU.

Finally, the auditor may try to say with a straight face that 2026 early voting planning was a transparent process, full of compromise.

But his partisan manipulations were only revealed after threats of litigation over unfulfilled public records requests — he has since admitted Woodhouse deleted many of those conversations.

If you “read the documents and check the record,” as Woodhouse suggests, the only thing in public view is the auditor’s staff pressuring counties to adopt plans that led to some of the most toxic local debates over early voting in recent history and forcing only the voters to compromise.

These controversial changes so conflicted with community interests that even GOP elections board members in counties like Cabarrus, Jackson, Moore, and Randolph pushed back.

Like them, North Carolinians won’t be fooled.

Sailor Jones is state director of Common Cause North Carolina.

Rob Schofield: Trump-inspired political cynicism continues to transform NC conservatives

Today, longstanding American political traditions in elections and lawmaking like respect for one’s adversary, self-discipline and sacrifice, abiding by established rules and roles, and commitments to open debate, widespread voter participation and honorable, nonpartisan public service are fast becoming passé. Instead, accumulating and maintaining power at all costs now trumps all other priorities.

And in few places is this disturbing trend more readily evident than in North Carolina. Especially over the last decade as Donald Trump’s transformation of conservatism has come to full flower, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the state’s Republican leaders have made Stalin’s brand of raw power politics their North Star.

The examples are sadly and tragically numerous, but for a most recent, egregious and high-profile example, consider the appalling transformation of the office of the state auditor — the state’s accountant.

While there’s no doubt that past Democratic and Republican auditors brought different temperaments and agendas to the position, at no time was the auditor’s office designed or understood to serve as a powerful administrator of broad executive authority — much less a repository of powers illegitimately snatched from other constitutional officers and transformed into hyperpartisan weapons…

…And so it is that current Republican Auditor Dave Boliek — a willing and happy accomplice in this sudden, unprecedented and undemocratic scheme — is now not only overseeing the state’s elections but doing so in a blatantly and embarrassingly partisan fashion. One need look no further than the scandal surrounding Boliek’s hiring of veteran right-wing political operative — Dallas Woodhouse as a key election administrator to understand the deep and overt nature of the corrupt cynicism.

Indeed, as NC Newsline’s Lynn Bonner reported recently, email exchanges obtained under a public records request reveal numerous incidents during Woodhouse’s brief tenure as Boliek’s special “elections liaison” to local county election boards in which — surprise! — he sought to convince and advise local boards to craft rules in hopes of aiding GOP candidates.

Read the entire opinion at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/08/19/rob-schofield-trump-inspired-political-cynicism-continues-to-transform-nc-conservatives/

Elisabeth Strillacci: Welcome to class

Today, I invite you to join me in a civics class that, at least in my own opinion, is long overdue.

Of late, as the internet has grown and social media has, for better or worse, become our abiding source of information, I have seen more and more arguments about freedom of speech and what constitutes infringement.

So let’s start here, with the 45 words that make up the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which was added to the Bill of Rights in 1791.

The amendment states, in full:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Those 45 words address five specific issues. They give us freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble and freedom to petition. It isn’t just about the freedom of speech.

And here is the first, huge lesson: all of it is specifically aimed at the government, at preventing the government from restricting any of these freedoms.

None of this is aimed at the private sector. And social media platforms are, by and large, private entities.

In more detail, the amendment means the government cannot establish an official religion, favor a particular faith or prohibit people from practicing their beliefs, even if that is no practice at all.

• People are allowed to express ideas and opinions free from government censorship. Again — government.
• Media outlets and journalists are allowed to report on and critique leadership without government censorship or interference.
• People are allowed to gather peacefully for rallies, protests or marches.
• And finally, people have the right to ask the government both to address grievances and to change laws.

Let me repeat this at the risk of being annoying — the amendment is specifically aimed at the government and public entities.

Read the entire opinion at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/08/23/elisabeth-strillacci-welcome-to-class/

Get out the vote – Becky Conner

As the November elections approach, we are reminded that democracy depends on active participation. Voting is one of the most important ways citizens can make their voices heard and help shape the future of our country. But civic engagement should not stop at casting of our own ballots. Each of us can play an important role in motivating others to vote as well.

An effective way to do this is by sending postcards out to registered votes who don’t always participate in elections. An easy way to do this is by using Activate America to send post cards to prospective voters.

The Activate America website (https://activateamerica.vote) provides free of charge lists of names and addresses of prospective voters to send postcards to, and a short script to write on the post cards that encourages the receiver of the postcards to vote for candidates that will put the people of our country first, not corporations and the wealthy…

Read the entire opinion at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/08/16/letters-get-out-the-vote/

Pay a fair share: Michael Pope

While Duke Energy is raising our rates and corporations are raking in record profits off working people everywhere, the N.C. legislature has put two proposed amendments on the ballot this November. One would cap N.C. state income tax at 3.5 percent, while the other would give the state control over local property tax rates. Combined with a corporate tax that will phase out to zero in 2030, what kind of fiscal disaster is N.C. setting itself up for in the coming decade?

Meanwhile in Rowan County, we have new data centers being built, and Duke Power trying to raise our rates to pay for a new gas plant to supply this new demand. Data centers promise easy money, but if these amendments pass, this windfall will vanish into thin air, and here’s why: Rural counties like Rowan depend on property taxes. Because our rural tax base is smaller, grants and state allocations for rural counties help to meet our costs. Remember, no corporate tax after 2030 and the amendment proposed for state control of property tax rates? Add lower state income tax revenue, and rural counties like Rowan will have looming budget shortfalls with little to no support available from the state.

Rowan wants sensible and responsible growth, but how will we be able to build that growth — the roads, schools, fire departments, services, water/sewer lines, etc.— if we’ve gutted our community’s means of growth? Our community, county and state need to look beyond the short-term and look to building a strong future for all Rowan County and North Carolina citizens. For the sake of this future, we demand that counties control their tax base, corporations pay their share, and the state finally use our tax dollars to build a future for all North Carolinians.

More opinions at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/08/14/letters-pay-a-fair-share/

Take a stand against Duke Energy – Maegan Mack

The author of the recent article “Data Centers are good actually” erroneously equated Duke Energy’s signing onto a “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” to mean the data center industry is “good actually.” All while policy mechanisms for accountability remain nonexistent and Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC and Duke Energy Progress, LLC aggressively pursue yet another rate hike of nearly 10 percent. In fact, North Carolinians cannot rest because of our concerns related to higher energy rates, rampant data center development and commonplace corporate tax benefits. This hurts the everyday American while politicians and corporations get richer.

Our legislators across North Carolina must stand up for solutions, such as a large load tariff, and force billionaire for-profit corporations to pay their fair share. When massive corporations like Duke Energy and Big Tech don’t pay their fair share, those costs don’t disappear. Instead, they’re shifted onto everyday working people, on top of rising bills for energy, groceries and gas.
In good faith, Duke Energy — a company claiming over $5 billion in 2025 net profit — should rescind their requested rate hike of almost 10 percent. Instead, Duke Energy is still hounding the N.C. Utilities Commission for a rate increase to be passed onto ratepayers to fund the building of massive infrastructure for hyperscale data centers. This is not what rural North Carolina wants or needs. Instead, it is past time that corporations pay their fair share. Two amendments on the ballot this November would make this problem worse, threatening funds for public schools, clean water and disaster relief, while massive landowners like Duke Energy and Big Tech corporations would get yet another tax break. As a resident, voter and leader in Salisbury, N.C., I ask all elected officials to advocate for no more rate hikes and fair tax policies.

A concerned citizen.

Read more opinionsat: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/08/13/letters-take-a-stand-against-duke-energy/

Pick up the remote – Ed Hege

Because King Donald the Corrupter is out of control, the United States of America is not united and is in serious decline. The world is in greater danger now than at any time since World War Two while the Commander-in-Chief compounds the damage done by Elon Musk, diminishes our military strength and readiness, undermines public health while raising its cost to millions, and guts goods and services to more millions. He mocks concerns about the rising cost of living. He has started a war he can’t win. He denigrates the role of Blacks and women in the military. He plays golf and obsesses over his “beautification” projects, all named Trump. SNAP benefits have been cut, vaccines demonized and immigrants terrorized. Tax cuts have been bestowed on mega donors and rich sycophants. Oligarchs are running the country.
All the above with the blessing of the spineless Republican congress and the Supreme Court.

My advice to those who rely on Fox News: it’s time to change channels.

Read more opinions at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/08/23/letters-pick-up-the-remote/

What NC’s new budget means for teachers like me – Dr. Dorothy Holley

As an experienced science teacher in North Carolina, finding innovative, authentic resources to engage my students has never been easy. After all, math and English are the tested subjects, and school funding and professional development often follow the areas the public sees — and judges —first. The new state budget has made my job even harder.

On the surface, lawmakers say this budget improves educational outcomes for students. An EdNC headline announcing its passage highlights funding for “raises, literacy and math.” But for teachers like me, the reality looks very different.

..While my salary has increased by 5.4 percent, the cost of living has risen by more than 11 percent, meaning my purchasing power has continued to decline. Even more troubling, legislators have once again excluded teachers with 14 to 29 years of experience from any future salary increases, sending a clear message that experience — the very quality that research consistently links to improved student outcomes — is not a priority to be compensated. At the same time, resources I have relied on to teach effectively have been stripped away…

Read the entire opinion at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/08/13/what-ncs-new-budget-means-for-teachers-like-me/