New North Carolina Project Weekly Bulletin

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, reproductive rights, and more from the desk of our digital director, Kristen Havlik.

TAKE ACTION NOW

We're canvassing in Rowan County and Wilmington this weekend! We've added a new weekly virtual phone bank on Tuesdays from 5-7:30PM. And we have a text bank coming up this Thursday! 

Democracy is not a spectator sport! If you want us to have a democracy in NC and in our country, we need YOU to help us reach more people throughout our state either via phone, via text or by knocking on their door creating relationships with them. That is how we will empower people to vote in #EveryElectionEveryTime. 

Don't want to knock doors, make phone calls or send texts? Fund someone who will, because this work that we are doing on the ground is so necessary. 

Follow the New North Carolina Project Foundation on Social Media!

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Senate Judiciary Hearings

This week Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson completed four days of hearings leading up to the vote for her confirmation. This isn't the first time Judge Brown Jackson has been through hearings, but this time felt different as she faced macro-aggressions and was questioned on her religion, Critical Race Theory and her test scores on the LSAT and the Bar exam. There is no doubt that Judge Brown Jackson is the most qualified for this job, compared to all of the judges that are currently on the Supreme Court. At this time a vote has not been set to confirm Judge Brown Jackson but Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Dick Durbin hopes there will be a vote before April 8 when the Senate goes on recess. A simple majority of 51 votes is needed to confirm her which can have Vice President Harris as the tie-breaking vote.

Do You Have a Plan to Vote in May?

The May Primary will be here before we know it! Getting engaged in #EveryElectionEveryTime is important for us to have a democracy on every level. Make sure you and everyone you know has a voting plan! The following deadlines are important for the 3 ways you can vote- in-person early voting, in-person voting on Election Day or vote by mail!

1. 1. Registration Deadline to vote in-person on May 17 is April 22!
   2. In-Person Early Voting starts on April 28 and ends on May 14. You can also same day register or update your voter registration during early voting.
   3. The Absentee/Vote by Mail ballot request portal is open NOW! The NC State Board of Elections will start to send out absentee ballots on March 28. The last day to request an absentee ballot is on May 10, but we highly recommend requesting NOW and returning your ballot ASAP due to lengthy mail times. Vote by mail ballots have to be postmarked by May 17 in order to be counted.
   4. The Primary is on May 17 and polling places will be open from 6:30am to 7:30pm.

Who can vote in the NC Primaries?

1. NC citizens who will be 18 years old by the November 2022 General Election can vote in this election- must be pre-registered to vote. Learn more about that HERE.
2. Unaffiliated/independent voters can still vote in the primary- you will need to choose a ballot when voting- either Democrat or Republican.
3. Citizens not currently serving a felony conviction, including probation or parole of a felony conviction are also eligible to vote.

A photo ID is still not required to vote in NC. (We are still actively monitoring this situation as it was recently argued at the US Supreme Court.)

Moderna to apply for FDA authorization to distribute COVID-19 vaccine to children 6 months to 6 years old

Earlier this week, Moderna announced that they will be applying for FDA authorization for their

2-dose COVID-19 vaccine at 25 micrograms per dose for disbursement to children from the ages of 6 months to 6 years of age. The lower dosage is just as effective in children as it is in adults, which received two doses at 100 micrograms per dose.

Women's History Month

The Future of Reproductive Rights

Since SB8 went into effect in Texas in September of 2021, states across the country, including North Carolina, have attempted and many have passed anti-abortion laws and bills that will criminalize women and healthcare providers for providing care for unviable pregnancies like miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies. Some of these bills also give people the authority to sue if they think someone had an abortion or assisted someone that is obtaining an abortion. A few weeks ago, the US Senate failed to pass the Women's Health Protection Act. 

In Missouri, a bill was proposed to criminalize women that aborted ectopic pregnancies. If you aren't familiar with what an ectopic pregnancy is: An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside the main cavity of the uterus. If an ectopic pregnancy is not removed, the carrier could face internal bleeding, infection or death. 

Lawmakers in Idaho and Missouri also proposed bills to criminalize any of their residents that went out of state to obtain an abortion. 

Currently in NC, abortion is protected but highly regulated- you can start to obtain an abortion at 6 weeks pregnancy (which is 2 weeks after a regular missed period) all the way through 20 weeks. Last year the NC Legislature proposed many restrictive abortion bills, including a Texas style bill, and passed one bill that was later vetoed by Governor Cooper. However, after Roe is overturned in June, abortion rights are heavily at risk of being prohibited. If abortion were to be outlawed in NC, the closest state that will have access to abortion is Maryland. 

If we outlaw abortions, we are also denying access to other forms of healthcare because reproductive healthcare centers are not just for abortions. Many provide family planning, testing for STI's and STD's, LGBTQ+ affirming care, HIV services, birth control, cancer screenings and other exams. By outlawing abortion and cutting off funding for these centers, legislatures are putting people's health at risk by denying them access to essential healthcare.

How do we protect access to reproductive rights? 

1. Write your legislators to ask them to support paid family leave, protect pregnancy discrimination in the workplace, funding to help end the Black maternal mortality rate, and updated sexual health education

2. Get educated on reproductive healthcare

3. Support your local abortion fund

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Check Your Voter Registration

We’re no stranger to voter suppression in our state. So we encourage you to check your voter registration often as board of elections offices purge voters from time to time.

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