State elections official stars in leftist “History of Vote Suppression in North Carolina” video
Josh Lawson used to be the official spokesman for the North Carolina state board of elections. Now, he serves as the general counsel for that agency. The state board has a Republican majority appointed by the Republican governor. THAT is why it is so curious to see a senior elections official participating on-camera in a leftist video entitled “The History of Voter Suppression in North Carolina.”
Cue to the 4:50 mark of the linked video to see Lawson and his comments. Here is a transcript of the relevant portions:
“The aspects of House Bill 589 have been controversial and it as been centering principally around photo identification, the compacted early voting period which went from 17 down to 10 days but required the same number of hours — interesting formula — the end of straight ticket voting used to be able to pull the effective lever and determine whether you were casting for all Republicans or all Democrats.
You also saw the elimination of pre-registration of 16 and 17 year olds who wouldn’t be 18 by the time of the next election and that principally took place in high schools and DMVs which you would expect because that’s when people are having their first DMV run-through and that’s where a lot of North Carolina voters register.”
*Nice.* A state employee in a Republican administration aiding a propaganda effort to slam election law reforms 
by a Republican majority in Raleigh. Lawson’s co-stars in the video include The Round Rev Bill Barber, former US AG Eric Holder, and far-left “civil rights attorney” Debo Adegbile.
The video was produced and disseminated by Mother Jones — one of the more prominent leftist publications in America. Lawson wasn’t ambushed. He clearly, judging from the video, came into a studio and took part in a formal production.
Why legitimize this kind of thing with an official on-camera presence? Watching Lawson on camera, his comments appeared to be more of a back-handed criticism of the Republican-supported reforms than an objective explanation of the laws.
I would have expected a rebuttal of the presumption that recent reforms are “voter suppression.” But Lawson appeared to be providing support for the video’s thesis.
The folks in the McCrory administration who handle personnel and appointments are total failures. This has been a problem for the entire four years of McCrory’s term and is probably the reason he won’t get a second term.
I agree that there has been a massive failure in hiring policy-oriented Republicans and conservatives in the McCrory administration, but the SBOE is not an example of that.
The governor is required by law to appoint the members of the SBOE from a list provided by the state party chairmen of the state’s two largest political parties, three from the party of the governor and two from the other party. The three Republicans come from a list submitted by Robin Hayes in his last incarnation as state Republican chairman. In this case it is Hayes who is to blame, not McCrory. Unfortunately, Hayes, now a usurper, will be in office at the time the next list is submitted as well.
The board majority hired a Republican as Executive Director, but she seems to exercise little control over the rest of the staff. Appearing in a political film that attacks the election laws of North Carolina ought to be grounds to be fired. This is clearly an individual in the General Counsel’s slot who is an ultra-partisan Democrat. He needed to go yesterday.
And sadly, this is far from the only problem with the weak and ineffective Executive Director of the SBOE. There is a lot of partisan Democrat crap going on, and violations of state election laws. She needs the sack.
John Steed: Well, aren’t the three GOP names submitted by Hayes for the SBOE all McCrory supporters? Shouldn’t they be loyal to McCrory and the GOP? Or, are they just typical RINOs? There has to an explanation for the disaster at the SBOE. After all, the GOP majority on the SBOE has ultimate responsibility for what happens there.
Hayes sent the names of three RINO’s, of course, and they are weak kneed cowards like most RINO’s. I am sure they are at least nominally loyal to McCrory and the GOP but they are wimps. I am sure that Hayes’ next list will not be any better.
What has emerged is that the Executive Director this GOP majority hired is worthless. She has left the same partisan Democrats in all the other positions or even promoted them, and allowed them to still play their partisan Democrat games.
Accepting unsigned voter registrations in violation of state election law should be grounds for firing, as should participating in this leftwing propaganda film that undermines state election laws. Heads need to roll.