State co-chairs of the Network, former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts and former NC Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr, along with Catawba College Professor Dr. Michael Bitzer, Western Carolina University Professor Dr. Chris Cooper, and UNC-Charlotte Professor Dr. Martha Kropf, will serve as the organizing committee for the Commission. The Commission will be representative of North Carolina voters across the political spectrum.
“We are excited to continue our efforts in North Carolina to provide a cross-partisan examination of how elections work in our state and what would best serve the public in the future,” said Roberts. “Particularly in these times, there is a critical need to explore evidence-based best practices for North Carolina’s election systems. That will be the goal of this Commission.”
This past year, the Network engaged citizens across the state in all 14 of North Carolina’s congressional districts, with a series of town hall panel discussions aimed at solidifying confidence in North Carolina’s election process. These town halls featured election experts from across the political spectrum as well as professional election administrators.
“We were extremely pleased with the participation and bipartisan perspectives expressed across the state, affirming how well our election system works because of the tireless efforts of professional election staff and volunteers from both parties,” said Orr. “When citizens understand how a highly complex election system works for over seven million registered voters, they are much more confident in the process and the outcomes.”
The Commission will officially launch in October with the work continuing through the 2024 election cycle.
“We anticipate committees working on a host of election subjects,” said Orr. “They will examine how elections are administered now, noting strengths and weaknesses, and research best practices in order to discover how to have a state-of-the-art fair, safe, and secure election system going forward in North Carolina.”
