Activists’ legal complaint against NCGOPe starting to get interesting
We’re starting to see some activity on the legal complaint filed in mid-July by three NCGOP activists about the state party’s June convention.
Phil Strach, John Branch, and Jordan Koonts of Raleigh’s NELSON MULLINS RILEY & SCARBOROUGH have stepped forward as counsel for the defendants (a/k/a The North Carolina Republican Party a/k/a The NCGOPe). The defense has filed a motion asking the court to extend their time to respond to the complaint until September 18.
Interestingly, sources close to the plaintiffs tell us a preliminary injunction hearing is slated to take place in late August or early September. If the judge in that hearing rules in favor of the plaintiffs at that hearing, the state party could be forced to hold a new leadership election real soon.
If the injunction is not granted at that hearing, the case would move forward to trial. This would be a longer process involving some pretty detailed (read: interesting) discovery and testimony.
The discovery will be fascinating! The testimony could finally reveal the absolute train wreck perpetrated by the NCGOP at this convention. Here are some questions I would love answered:
1. Who signed the contract with Cardinal GPS when they were operating as an invalid LLC?
2. Who directed Josh Bailey and Greg Fornshell to tell the NCGOP Credentialing Committee hours before the election they knew the app violated rule 9D of the convention rules and had no way to track the location of voters?
3. When did Jason Simmons know this?
4. When did Michael Whatley know this?
5. Why didn’t the chair of credentials immediately confer with the rules chair and demand transparency to the delegates on the use of an app the NCGOP KNEW violated the rules?? Did the rules chair or committee even know the NCGOP knowingly bought a voting app that violated the rules??
6. Who directed Josh Bailey to give Cardinal GPS a 5-star rating as “the best convention app” prior to it ever being used at the convention?
7. When was the convention chair, Mr. Billy Miller, made aware the election he was overseeing was using a platform that knowingly violated the convention rules?
8. One of the principles in Cardinal GPS has stated on many occasions — “it is not a voting app.” So why in the world did the NCGOP pay over $40k for an app to vote on that is not for voting???
This lawsuit is centered on 1 key issue – credentials! That committee credentialed all registered delegates. Did the chair sit silent after being informed by 2 NCGOP staffers the app violated the convention rules? A patriot on that committee offered an affidavit attesting to this in the lawsuit.
Actually, Michelle, there’s no clear evidence that there was a Rules Committee for this year’s convention. If you look carefully at the convention agenda, it refers to the 2022 Convention Rules Committee. The plaintiffs ought to take note of this. I’ve been told that a member of the 2022 Rules Committee, who is a respected former county chairman, reached out to a number of delegates to inform them that he had nothing to do with the 2023 convention rules though his name was posted on the convention agenda.
Spot on!! We need the answers to those good questions.
There are ways we COULD fix the electonic voting problem by getting rid of it. That is why I offered an amendment to the NCGOP budget at the state ExCom meeting immediately after the convention to delete and prohibit all funding for electronic voting systems for conventions. After it was seconded and debate began, Billy Miller, who was chairing the meeting responded to a negative comment in debate by ruling the motion out of order, so it went no where.
There is another aspect to consider on this boondoggle. Convention registration fees are supposed to be based on costs of holding conventions. If the funding for this dubious electronic voting system came out of convention receipts, and it cost the party $40,000, then this stupid and unnecessary system added between $25 and $30 dollars to the registration fee. That registration fee was widely thought to be way too high and discouraged delegates from attending.. Using the traditional roll call of the counties to conduct votes for chairman and vice chairman has almost no cost and would save delegates significant money, in addition to being more transparent and trustworthy.
Another question is who approved this boondoggle? It never came before the Executive Committee prior to the convention.. Did it come before the Central Committee? Just who was calling the shots here?
Why hasn’t anyone asked why the credentials committee seated delegates that didn’t meet the eligibility requirements (attended their precinct meeting, duly elected at their county convention, etc.)? They label them as “clerical errors” when in fact it is blatant violations of the Plan of Organization at all levels. I hear a credentials committee member questioned it but was ignored.
A new leadership election? Is that for Chair? Vice-Chair? When? Where? Who are the candidates? Josh Baily has taken a position with a campaign out of state. Congratulations Josh. I’m looking forward to reading discovery. Train wreck.
Dagnabit Woodhouse!
There ya go with all this common sense.
Somehow in this mess it has to be connected to the manipulations of the plan of organization to keep the body from properly governing, whether it be the administering of the rules or the lack of administering. There was that one guy from that one county who worked all years on proposals to the plan of organization only to be shot down, again.
Why is this important? Its just another way that the NCGOPe’s did what was in their own best interest. Further, who is supposed to approve the $40,000 expenditure? That would be a good proposal spelled out in the plan of org that the executive committee has to vote on spending above a certain level.
When this group of leaders gets away with one thing then who is to stop them from getting away with another. The worst are the naysayers “oh just let it be” instead of standing up for whats right.
Next thing you know we will have legalized marijuana and gambling. But hey what do you expect of the party that celebrates and puts in power felons convicted of bribery and child molesting..
It really is an embarrassment. The senior senator was censured and there has been little to no comments by the NCGOPe that I have heard.
Heck, maybe McCrory is onto something with no labels.
Very good write up Michele. You are a warrior for true conservatism in this state.
40 mg baclofen
metformin 1 g
$40,000 of party contributor money for this unnecessary piece of crap electonic voting system? There are LOTS of way that money could have better been spent to help elect Republicans. This is an insult to contributors. And how much did that raise the registration fees of delegates? Since the system failed miserably, has the NCGOP asked for its money back or sued for its money back?
The traditional system of counting votes within each delegation and reporting them by roll call of the counties is an efficient, inexpensive, transparent and honest system. In most party elections since Woodhouse brought in this electronic voting, there have been questions raised afterward about the integrity of the count, with anecdotal evidence to back those questions. We NEVER had that when votes were cast by counting in each county and then a roll call of the counties. It saves money, time, and it is a more trusted system.
Republicans oppose electronic voting in general elections. Why is heck should we tolerate it in party elections?
Amen, Steven Rader!!!!
Yes, we need a new leadership election for a start. But let’s be real. The NC GOP has a long way to go to have any credibility. The NC GOP is not functioning. Our state convention legitimately censured Senator Tillis in a morning session and had an electronic dumpster fire farce of an election for chairman in the afternoon session. That’s it. We didn’t even try to have elections for other positions. We didn’t even come close to conducting our convention business. We have yet to even have district conventions. The NC GOP is in shambles. That is the truth.