There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the U.S. presidential elections in 2020, but the statewide elections could prove to be equally consequential, particularly for UNC students. Every seat in the N.C. General Assembly is up for grabs this election cycle — and the outcome could fundamentally shift politics in North Carolina as we know it.
In 2018, Democrats broke the Republican super-majorities in both chambers of the state legislature, which was enough to shift the power dynamics in Raleigh. Since then, Republicans haven’t been able to overturn the governor’s vetoes without at least some support from their Democratic colleagues.
This year, however, Democrats have a chance to turn the General Assembly blue, especially since recently redrawn legislative maps eliminate much of the unconstitutional gerrymandering that North Carolina has become known for. Under the new maps, Democrats pose a legitimate threat to Republican incumbents throughout the state, giving them the best chance to flip the General Assembly since the GOP took over in 2010.
The General Assembly wields significant power over the UNC System, as well as the University itself. Beyond the obvious things such as determining the state budget, which affects funding for higher education and taxes, the General Assembly is responsible for directly appointing all 28 members of the UNC System Board of Governors, as well as four members of the UNC Board of Trustees. In the past decade, the BOG has become increasingly partisan and increasingly conservative under Republican control.
The BOG in particular enjoys an uncomfortably close relationship with the Republican-controlled General Assembly. A significant number of BOG members have donated thousands to the North Carolina Republican Party, as well as to the campaigns of Republican politicians such as U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore and N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger.Some members of the BOG once served in the General Assembly themselves.
The General Assembly, too, is responsible for the dreaded Monuments Law, which has caused immediate harm to the student body — particularly Black students — since it was enacted in 2015. The law forbids the removal of monuments from public spaces, and it’s a major reason why Silent Sam remained on campus until protesters bravely toppled it to the ground in 2018. Notably, former legislators and current BOG members Leo Daughtry and Rob Rucho voted for the law.
It’s become obvious that the BOG’s overwhelmingly conservative agenda is incompatible with student interest; in fact, we doubt the BOG concerns itself at all with what students want or need. Sure, there’s no guarantee that things will be any better if Democrats are in charge, but the correlation between Republican control of the state legislature and the moral downfall of the UNC System is impossible to ignore.
This year, the Editorial Board urges you to pay close attention to the N.C. House and Senate races for your district (in addition to those for other state and local offices). Ignorance and/or indifference is no longer an acceptable excuse, especially not when so much is at stake.
As students, we are uniquely affected by what happens in the General Assembly. With critical issues such as the fate of Silent Sam and the next UNC System president still yet to be determined, it’s incumbent on us to ensure our voices are heard at the ballot box.
