People need to take democracy back in N.C.

She’s a Buncombe County commissioner and former Asheville city councilwoman who’s running for lieutenant governor as a Democrat. Her plea, repeated in social media outlets: “You know people in your community who are best suited to run and challenge the Republicans in your county. Let us know, too. We call it crowdsourcing candidates. It’s a good way to involve more people in the political process while strengthening our ticket.”

Let’s not be naive. Jones asks people to respond through her campaign website and to register their names and contact information — just what she needs to build a statewide base of support. Nevertheless, she’s got an idea.

And, let’s face it. This isn’t just a problem for Democrats. There were also 34 legislative races last year where Republicans didn’t put up a candidate. Combined, that’s 78 legislators — nearly half the membership of the General Assembly — given free rides to Raleigh.

It’s no accident. Lawmakers designed the districts to achieve desired results. They dislike democracy, preferring predetermined outcomes.

This is true for most North Carolina congressional seats and, as the legislature dictates election set-ups at the local level, also for city councils, county commissioners and school boards.

Look at Guilford County. Three commissioners were elected last year without opposition: two Republicans and one Democrat. A fourth race was a Democratic blow-out. Ho-hum.

The legislature has given the school board the same stacked districts and worse: School board elections will be partisan. This effectively prevents one-fourth of registered voters from getting on the ballot.

Our Greensboro City Council elections drew the fewest number of candidates in years, possibly because of uncertainty over the legislature’s attempt to impose a new election system. No one is running against incumbents Nancy Hoffmann and Tony Wilkins. Mayor Nancy Vaughan lacks a strong challenger. Because only one council incumbent faces an opponent who has held office before, little turnover is expected.

Statewide elections generally are closely contested in North Carolina. Down the ballot, not so much, largely because of gerrymandered districts drawn by partisan politicians.

While there’s a crowd vying for our nation’s highest office, it’s hard to fill out full slates of candidates for city or county posts — which is exactly where leaders ought to build their experience.

But why should anyone run against an incumbent when the deck is stacked against winning?

Jones acknowledges the problem. While her goal is to elect more Democrats to the legislature, she says that’s not the only objective. “If you’re called to leadership, to public service, it may not always be about winning, it may be something else,” she told me Monday. That something else might be raising issues for public discussion, holding incumbents accountable and increasing voter turnout.

When an incumbent runs unchallenged, he or she is not obliged to answer criticisms, respond to questions or even pay attention to constituents who hold other views.

I often hear complaints from people that they get no reply when they try to contact their legislators. That was my experience the last time I wrote a personal note to my representative in Raleigh.

Dodging engagement with voters may suit incumbents who don’t have to worry about re-election but are more concerned about serving special interests or their legislative leaders. Yet that doesn’t promote good government.

The only way to change this sad situation is for more people to get involved. Is crowdsourcing one way to do that?

“I think so,” Jones said. “We’re having a great response.”

Social media can engage more people who feel left out. It’s a tool for recruiting candidates and “letting them know there are people who will support them,” Jones said.

“I believe in good policy,” she added. “The strongest policy is when we have diverse voices at the table.”

Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or unaffiliated, you should agree with that.

We’re losing democracy in North Carolina. It’s time to take it back.

http://www.greensboro.com/blogs/clark_off_the_record/doug-clark-people-need-to-take-democracy-back-in-n/article_a7bc7a8b-e91f-5333-82a6-9071be60034a.html