In a decision fraught with circular logic, the North Carolina Supreme Court has rendered a decision insuring that political minorities will continue to be discriminated against in North Carolina elections.

“Here, the avoidance of ‘voter confusion, ballot overcrowding,’ and ‘frivolous candidacies’ is an important regulatory interest,” (Justice) Timmons-Goodson wrote in the first constitutional challenge to the ballot-access law the high court has considered.

Isn’t it interesting that we live in a country where our governmental bodies supposedly applaud democratic elections in other countries that have dozens of parties and hundreds of candidates but here at home our courts make statements like the one in red above?

In North Carolina, nearly half of the congressional races have only one candidate because a “Major” party has chosen not to run in the race and write-in candidates are not counted without first having been vetted by the local boards of elections.

That sure reduces “Voter confusion” – give them but a single choice and they will not be confused at all!  Oh, a ballot with only a single choice is certainly not overcrowded, and, lest we forget, those evil “Frivolous candidates” that might actually bring a fresh idea or a new perspective to the process.

I say shame on the North Carolina Supreme Court and State Legislature for actively working to disenfranchise a very large percentage of voters.  Most of all, I say shame on the citizens of North Carolina who do not demand that their elected officials correct this wrong.

Jim Crow is alive and well in North Carolina, it just wears a better disguise than in years past.