Political Parties? – Why We Have Them and What They Do | Eastern NC Now

Political Parties? – Why We Have Them and What They Do

By Ray Leary

The single most important reason for political parties in North Carolina is to provide the citizens with access to the voting booth. Registering with a political party is necessary for county election boards to provide you with a local, state, or federal ballot so that a voter can cast a vote for the leaders of their local, state, and federal government.

Participation in other activities that political parties engage in is voluntary. One does not have to be an active member that raises funds, participates in Get Out the Vote campaigns, attend parades, fund raisers, donate money to candidates, attend precinct meetings, county conventions, state conventions, national conventions, city council meetings, or participate in any activity sponsored by the political parties. There is no requirement that a citizen have any interaction with elected officials.

The prominent political parties recognized in North Carolina are Democrat, Republican, Unaffiliated, Green Party, and Libertarian. The current numbers of registered voters in each party in NC are 1) Democrats – 2.31 million, 2) Republican – 2.32 million, 3) Unaffiliated – 3.04 million, 4) Green Party – 4,513, and 4) Libertarian – 46,274. In Beaufort County there are more than 33,000 registered voters. Democrats have 26%, Republicans have 39%, and Unaffiliated have 33%. We have a county commission with five Republicans and two Democrats. Why can we not get reasonable tax rates and stop spending on things we do not need? The voters have been deceived into electing board members that do not care about you! The Beaufort County Republican party is responsible to ensure this does not happen. Yet, it continues to happen over and over.

During primary elections a Democrat voter receives a Democrat ballot, Republican voters receive a Republican ballot, unaffiliated voters get to choose which of these ballots they receive. If there are primary candidates on the ballot from the other parties, those registered under that party’s banner receive ballots for that party.

If there are several candidates on the ballot for one seat and none of the candidates receives 30% of the votes, the top two candidates participate in a second primary election.

Each political party has a collection of issues and policies the party promotes. This is referred to as the Party Platform. These platforms are developed at the local, state, and federal level. The parties also develop a collection of rules commonly referred to as the Plan of Organization. The Plans of Organization are updated annually during county, district, state, and national conventions and are guides to conduct the business of the parties. The county Plan of Organization cannot conflict with the State Plane of Organization. If there are conflicts, the county party must correct the conflict as soon as possible.

The county conventions set and amend the county Plan of Organization, elect a chairman, vice chairman, secretary, and treasurer to serve a two-year period. An Executive Committee is elected to advise and consent on the actions of the chair to be conducted between the annual county conventions. The elected officers are responsible for scheduling meetings of the Executive Committee, maintain a list of registered party members in the county, fund raising, encouraging candidates to run for office, promoting candidates that win primary elections, keep accurate minutes of the Executive Committee meetings and other subcommittees, and provide accurate reporting of campaign finances to local and state Boards of Elections as required by state statutes.

The officers and Executive Committee members are elected by the attendees at the county convention. The Plan of Organization requires procedures to be adhered to in the conduct of the business of the party. Some of the requirements are codified in NC state statutes.

Beaufort County NC currently has over 33,000 registered voters with over 13,300 Republicans. Over the last few years, there have been less that 150 attendees at the Republican precinct meetings and county conventions. With so few people showing any interest in the actions of school boards, county commissioners, and city council members, it is easy to see how a few people, perhaps less than 30, have so much influence over who is elected and how those elected members perform their constitutional duties.

National and state political parties may and do influence state elections to gain more members in the General Assembly and the US Congress or to defeat a sitting member that fails to toe-the-line of the so-called establishment kingpins. This was evident in the most recent general election where Representative Kidwell was ousted from office by a candidate supported by an infusion of big bucks from outside the district.

On the other side of this coin, Senate Pro Tem, Berger had big bucks infused into his campaign to retain his seat. He and his supporters reportedly spent in excess of $10 million on radio, TV, and direct mail advertising. Having outspent his opponent, Sheriff Sam Page, ten to one, Berger lost by 23 votes.

It has been said that people get the government they deserve. It appears that even though there is a large number of citizens who take the time to register to vote, many cannot find the time to actually vote. They do not attend candidate forums or fund raisers to meet the candidates.

The voting periods have been open for 13 days during the primaries and November elections in North Carolina for the past several years. I am dismayed as to why there is such apathy toward voting. Rush Limbaugh referred to those that do vote, but do not know why, as low information voters. They are easily swayed to vote for candidates promoted by big donors, many from out of the state, and influential political leaders at the local, state, and federal levels.

As long as less than 1% of registered voters turn out at precinct meetings and county conventions, there is little incentive for those elected to do anything other than enrich themselves and waste taxpayer money.

As stated at the beginning of this post, participation in party activities is not required to vote. However, participation is encouraged and is open to all. Failure to participate results in less than qualified people being elected that affects your lives and financial security. When coupled with collective voter apathy the government we depend upon cannot self-correct.