Election 2010: Results Wrap Up

The 2010 Election is over and now we know who will lead North Carolina during the next legislative session. After a very heated and hard fought campaign season, the North Carolina Republican party ended Tuesday night with control of both the House and Senate.

Here are the breakdown of numbers as compiled by the AARP-North Carolina.

Current General Assembly make up:
Senate – 30-20 Dem majority
House – 68-52 Dem majority

2011 General Assembly make up:
Senate – 31-19 GOP majority
House – 68-52 GOP majority

What this means for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities in North Carolina?

The first thing that will happen is that all of the major committees that we work with will have new leadership. We will see significant changes to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Service. In addition we will see a political structure where the state house will be run by Republicans while the Executive Branch will be run by Democrats.

Regardless of who leads the state house, real challenges remain. The state of North Carolina will be facing at least a $3.5 billion deficit as we begin the next legislative session. We will also be looking down line to the implementation of health care reform in our state. North Carolina continues to see significant unemployment numbers. These challenges and their solutions now fall on the shoulders of the Republican party.

Election 2010: Results

WRAL has called the following races for the US House. The following incumbents will be returning to the Hill:

US House District 1-G.K. Butterfield (D)
US House District 3-Walter Jones (R)
US House District 4-David Price (D)
US House District 5-Virginia Foxx (R)
US House District 6-Howard Coble (R)
US House District 9-Sue Myrick (R)
US House District 10-Patrick McHenry (R)
US House District 11-Health Shuler (D)
US House District 12-Mel Watt (D)
US House District 13-Brad Miller (D)

Track the results with WRAL.


The Constitutional amendment on no convicted felons for sheriff amendment will pass with 85% in favor to 15% opposed.

Election 2010: Results

WRAL has called the US House District 4 seat for incumbent David Price.

Election 2010: Results

Polls in North Carolina closed at 7:30pm and results are coming in slowly in some parts of the state.

Here is what we do know, Senator Richard Burr (R) will return to the U.S. Congress having defeated Democratic candidate Elaine Marshall.

In the US House of Representatives Brad Miller has been called the winner by WRAL and will return to the HIll. We are still waiting for called results in other races across the state.

Some quick numbers for you, compliments of the North Carolina State Board of Elections:
33 of 100 Counties Reporting
Percent Votes
Democratic (DEM) 50.68% 447,282
Republican (REP) 48.54% 428,379
Libertarian (LIB) 0.77% 6,838
882,499

Election 2010: Today Is Election Day!!!!

Good Morning North Carolina! Today is Election Day!! The polls have been open for over an hour now and we encourage you to Go Vote!!!

Polls in North Carolina will be open from 6:30 AM until 7:30 PM.

If you need to know where your polling place is please visit the North Carolina Board of Election website.

If you are a North Carolinian with a disability here are your rights:

MY VOTING RIGHTS
As a voter with a disability I have the right to:
1) Not be denied my right due to a disability.
2) Vote if I am in line before the polls close.
3) Choose a person to help me, but this person cannot be my employer or an agent of my employer or union.
4) Be reassigned before the election to a site accessible to me.

WAYS TO VOTE
1) Voting inside the polling site…..usually accessible, but maybe not for all
2) Curbside voting….If you can get to the voting site, but can’t get into the building because of your disability, a poll worker can come to your vehicle.
3) Absentee Ballot by mail….Any registered voter is authorized to vote by mail using an absentee ballot.
4) Absentee One-Stop (No excuse)…Allows voters to vote in person ahead of the election by up to 19 days.
5) Satellite voting sites…Some counties establish a plan that allows voters with disabilities to vote at designated sites.

WHAT IF I HAVE TROUBLE
1) Laws protect your right to register and vote
2) Call the County Board of Elections and State Board of Elections
3) Call Disability Rights NC
4) You may always vote a provisional or contested ballot


If you have problems voting, please report the incident by calling:

The NC State Board of Elections at 866-522-4723.

Democracy North Carolina at 888-OUR-VOTE.

Know Your Rights

After Labor Day is historically the beginning of the major political campaign push. This September is no different! There will be lots of scheduled campaign events in your local counties. We encourage you to get to know your candidates. We also encourage you to know your rights as a NC Voter.

Democracy North Carolina has an excellent resource for you to review. Go here to learn about your rights and remember to vote!

NC News: Primary Election 2010

Election results can be found here.

NC News: Primary Election 2010

Polls will be open until 7:30pm today. Please go vote.

NC News: Today is Primary Election Day in North Carolina.

If you have registered to vote today is the day to make your voice heard! There are multiple contested seats in the NC House and Senate as well as a Democratic Primary for the US Senate.

Here is the information you will need: 

To learn where your polling place is go to the North Carolina State Board of Elections website.

To get an ideal about the overall election and contested seats check our WRAL's coverage.

NC Election New: Two Articles Highlighting Election 2010

Remember yesterday when I said that election 2010 was just around the corner? Well it is and the media is picking up on that too!
Here are two articles that highlight what to expect in 2010. In case your curious, the two issues most important to voters are employment and economic recovery.

Quick Fact: All 170 seats in the General Assembly and 13 Congressional seats are up for grabs in 2010. Now obviously not all of those seats will be as competitive as other but some will be highly sought after and will be fun to watch.

Read the articles here: The Daily Reflector and Istockanalyst.

Get Ready! Get Set! Register to Vote!!

2010 will be an important election year in the state of North Carolina. We encourage all eligible voting citizens to check their registration and if you are not registered please register.

We will be blogging election details on this webiste.

Please remember: The Arc of North Carolina does not endorse any candidate or any party platform. We are a non-partisan organization. We run this blog so that people with developmental disabilities and their families are informed of election laws and their rights as well as how to get involved in the political process.

That said...its time again to say "Welcome to the Election 2010 Blog!"

Dispatch from Jones St: Seven Days and Counting

The North Carolina General Assembly will be back in session in just seven days. There are some serious issues facing the 170 elected officials who will be sworn in on January 28, 2009.

There is real concern about the health and stability of the State Health Plan. Many news outlets are reporting that to keep the health plan "healthy" we will need to see a $300 million dollar infusion.

Then there is Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse needs. Our state has watched people with developmental disabilities in the south east loose all of their supports and services. This has sent families into crisis. We have witnessed two LMEs falter. 

There is a real need to stabalize these systems and to promote and expand community based services for all three populations served under the Division of MH, DD, SA.

The next big issue is going to be affordable housing. We need more of it. There is a shortage of it. Investing in housing options is an economic stimulus plan.

Last but not least is addressing the dropout rates of students with disabilities in our public school system. 

Lots to do and not a lot of money to do it with. Still these are the times of great leadership and innovation. Let's get to work.

HIll Report: Regulations on Hold

First order of business was to freeze all of the former President Bush's executive orders for 120 days as they are now under review by President Obama's team.

Hill Report: President Obama's Cabinet Update

The following members of President Obama's cabinet were approved yesterday by unanimous vote.
Steven Chu-Energy Secretary
Arne Duncan-Education Secretary
Janet Napolitano-Homeland Security
Ken Salazar-Interior
Eric Shinseki-Veterans Affairs
Tom Vilsack-Agriculture

We are expecting to have a full floor vote today to confirm Senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.

The New Website: President Obama

With a click of a mousekey we have not only a new President but a new webpage for the White House.

Sincere Thanks for Joining Us

I would like to thanks all those folks who have visited this blog during the election. We hope you have enjoyed our blogging and have found this site useful and helpful. With the inauguration all but finished, except for the parade and the balls, we are going to retire this site for the next two years.

Election 2010 will see the site spring back to life! Have a lovely day and enjoy the process that is uniquely America! The smooth and effective transfer of power and the beauty that is the American democratic process.

Thanks again.

Text of President Obama's Inaugural Address

Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address

The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, as prepared for delivery and released by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

OBAMA: My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

The World Welcomes: President Barack Obama

I slightly rocky swearing in but hey there is a lot of pressure in administering this important oath.

Musical Interlude

Here is some more trivia for you.  Disability History trivia.  Itzhak Perlman is performing right now.  Mr. Perlman is an Israeli-American violinist who contracted polio at age four.  Truly a national treasure.

A World Welcomes Vice President Joe Biden

With a few quick but important words we now have a new Vice-President.  Welcome Vice President Joe Biden.