Civic Engagement and Representation
Civic engagement is the foundation for building healthy, just, and equitable communities. Our communities and our democracy become more equitable and just when people get involved and share in power. Civic engagement is a vital tactic for power building that leads to long-term systemic change for BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+, low wealth, immigrant, and other communities.
NC Counts Coalition supports our community partners in power building by providing nonpartisan civic engagement education and resources to:
- Educate the communities we serve on the democratic process, and the intersection of issues they care about (such as education and healthcare) with the democratic process.
- Engage and Empower community members to take action and be seen and heard in our democracy.
Initiatives
Decennial Census planning begins as early as the day after the end of a Decennial Census operation. NC Counts Coalition convenes a 2030 NC census work group and has developed a 2030 census plan that outlines NC Counts Coalition’s broad categories of work to ensure a complete, equitable 2030 Census Count for the state of North Carolina.
Census 2020 results show North Carolina is the 11th fastest growing state in the country, growth that is driven largely by communities of color and has resulted in the State receiving an additional 14th Congressional seat. These factors, along with the State’s long and recent history of racial and partisan gerrymandering that has adversely impacted communities of color, demonstrates the ongoing need for consistent education, engagement, and advocacy around the redistricting process in North Carolina.
NC Counts Coalition serves as a hub for redistricting that brings organizations together for alignment, collaboration, updates, best practices, and resources to support community outreach. NC We are leveraging and building on the broad community partnerships developed to support 2020 Census outreach to construct a broad coalition of leaders, activists and grassroots organizations armed with information and skills needed to advocate for fair maps.
The mission of NC Counts is to advance systemic solutions that address systemic issues. Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is a systemic solution that directly addresses the issue of true democratic representation. It is a method by which we could ensure our communities are electing candidates of choice. However, this solution is understandably unknown, strange and alien because it is contrary to the “winner take all” system that we are most familiar with.
NC Counts Coalition has received a grant from the More Equitable Democracy Fund to explore electoral reform through proportional representation in North Carolina.
Additional Resources
The People’s Hearing
Learn about The People’s Hearing, a hearing held to discuss the people’s desire for resdistricting and fair maps.
