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Elena will be at Tea Time on Thursday, March 10th at 6PM at Mills River Restautant, 4467 Boylston Hwy, Mills River, NC. Update on M-RNA. Agenda Items NC Election Integrity Team Updates Election Integrity Training: Training the Trainers report for March 5th!!! NC Legislative Score Card Committees Why your bank's ESG scores are dangerous to liberty. How to stop it. Flat Rock Playhouse update and plan. Guest Speaker: Engineer Elena Zerrou on M-RNA update. See her outstanding qualifications below.

This is what happens when you are persistent and collide head on with evil progressives! Keep up the good work! After years of ignoring it, NC Gov. Cooper signs a proclamation for School Choice Week For more information about joining this week's celebration, or learning about school choice opportunities in North Carolina, click here. School Choice Week has an unexpected new supporter in North Carolina — Gov. Roy Cooper. For the first time during his tenure, Cooper has issued a proclamation declaring Sunday through Jan. 29 as “North Carolina School Choice Week.” The proclamation is a surprise, considering Cooper’s opposition to the state’s private school voucher program and his concerns about expansion of charter schools. “The NC Association for Public Charter Schools requested this proclamation and we honored that request,” Jordan Monaghan, a spokesperson for Cooper’s office, said in an email. “Over the past two years, educators at all levels have responded to unprecedented challenges with grace, flexibility and determination. “We must do more particularly to support our public schools and owe all educators our thanks and recognition.” It’s a victory for school choice groups who’ve been promoting alternatives to traditional public schools. Source: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article257552793.html#storylink=cpy

Click here to sign up and we will let you know of training opportunities in your area. Save Our Elections | North Carolina Want to repeat the success in Virginia, 2020?? Yep, They turned it around. We can do the same. We have plenty of help from premier conservative grassroots groups across the country and in NC. North Carolina is part of an eight state project to duplicate Virginia's 2020 election success. We will not allow the repeat debacle of 2020. We want you to be a part of this exciting history making project! Sign up for notifications for training and events in your area. Come to our Tea Time Meetings to find out more! Check our website action alerts for updates! https://ashevilleteaparty.org Save Our Elections | North Carolina https://saveourelections.com/northcarolina

https://babylonbee.com/news/socialists-condemn-workers-of-the-world-for-uniting OTTAWA—Socialists around the world are condemning the trucker freedom protest in Canada as the working class unites to defend their human rights. "When workers of the world unite against overbearing government mandates, that's literal fascism," said a sobbing socialist Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from deep within his top-secret bunker underneath Washington, D.C. "True, compassionate socialism is when the government partners with private corporations to force experimental drugs on the populace and threaten their very livelihoods if they don't. Everyone knows that." According to sources, socialists were initially thrilled by the trucker convoy, as they had mistaken it for a bread line. To their dismay, they soon found out that it was a toxic freedom march organized by the working class against the Canadian bourgeois.

https://fb.watch/aNgeRCQQOs/

By Allen Zhong February 3, 2022 Updated: February 4, 2022 Epoch Times GoFundMe Makes Controversial Move as Fundraising Campaign for Truckers Reaches Nearly US$8 Million (theepochtimes.com) A fundraising campaign for truckers in the Freedom Convoy 2022 has been Frozen by GoFundMe after it raised over CA$10 million (US$7.96 million.) “This fundraiser is currently paused and under review to ensure it complies with our terms of service and applicable laws and regulations,” reads a message placed at the top of the fundraising page. The campaign was launched by two people who identified themselves as Tamara Lich and B.J. Dichter. The review by GoFundMe appears to be focused on several areas: the identity of the fundraisers, use of the raised funds, and if the fundraising “reflects or promotes behavior in support of violence.” GoFundMe said the fundraising campaign didn’t violate their Terms of Service in the perspective of promoting violence at the time of creation. However, they’re trying to ensure the funds will be used as intended. “As the activity surrounding the protest evolves, we have been monitoring the fundraiser to ensure the funds are going to the intended recipients and that the fundraiser remains within our Terms of Service,” GoFundMe said in a statement. The fundraising platform is also collecting information from the organizer regarding the use of the funds. The organizers of the Freedom Convoy 2022 confirmed the fundraising campaign is part of their movement during a Thursday press conference. Tamara Lich, one of the organizers of Freedom Convoy 2022, said that they have sent all information requested by GoFundMe. “This morning our lawyer sent GoFundMe all the details that they have asked for. I am confident that GoFundMe now has all the information needed to immediately lift the suspension they put on our campaign,” she said. The Epoch Times could not verify that Lich is the same person who launched the GoFundMe campaign. GoFundMe confirmed Tuesday that the fundraising campaign created for truckers protesting against the various COVID-19 mandates and restrictions across Canada is the country’s second-largest ever on its platform, with donations reaching over CA$10 million. After the Public Health Agency of Canada’s announcement that foreign truck drivers can only enter Canada if fully vaccinated starting Jan. 15, and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announcing similar requirements starting Jan. 22 for non-U.S. national truckers crossing into the United States, thousands of truckers decided to protest and meet in Ottawa in an attempt to stop the mandates. Truckers in west Canada started mobilizing on Jan 23. As the record-breaking convoy passed through different cities, they were greeted with throngs of people cheering and holding Canadian flags, with some shooting off fireworks. U.S. truckers started joining the protest soon after the creators of Freedom Fighter Nation, attorney Leigh Dundas and her personal assistant Maureen Steele, heard the news and started organizing in the United States.

Tom Fitton THEGATEWAYPUNDIT.COM By Cristina Laila Published February 17, 2022 at 9:55pm Another huge win for Judicial Watch. Conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch on Thursday announced it settled its lawsuit against North Carolina after it removed over 430,000 inactive names from voter rolls. Recall, Judicial Watch successfully sued California, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana and forced them to clean up their dirty voter rolls. Judicial Watch reported: (Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it is settling its lawsuit against North Carolina and two of its counties after they removed over 430,000 ineligible names from the voter rolls. In June 2019, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) released data showing that voter registration rates in a significant proportion of North Carolina’s 100 counties were close to, at or above 100% of their age-eligible citizenry – statistics considered by the courts to be a strong indication that a jurisdiction is not taking the steps required by law to remove ineligible registrants. Judicial Watch’s analysis also showed that at the time of the EAC report the entire State of North Carolina had a registration rate close to 100% of its age-eligible citizenry. In the settlement, Judicial Watch told the court: [T]he total number of inactive registrations reported by North Carolina dropped from about 1.2 million in 2019, to about 765,000 in 2021 (a 36% drop). The statewide percentage of inactive registrations dropped from 17% in 2019, which the complaint alleged to be a national outlier, to 10% in 2021, which is close to the median state inactive rate. The number of registrations removed for failure to respond to an address confirmation notice and vote in two consecutive elections has increased, from about 220,000 for the period reported in 2019, to about 590,000 for the period reported in 2021 (a 168% increase). With respect to the two North Carolina counties, Judicial told the court: Data for Mecklenburg County and Guilford County also showed improvement. From 2019 to 2021, the percentage of inactive registrations reported in Mecklenburg County dropped from 15.5% to 13%, and in Guilford County from 19% to 11%. The number of registrations removed for failure to respond to an address confirmation notice and vote in two elections increased during that same period, from roughly 21,000 to 51,000 in Mecklenburg County, and from 7,000 to 33,000 in Guilford County (a 142% and 372% increase, respectively). In light of Defendants’ substantial increases in removals of ineligible voters since this suit commenced, Plaintiff has determined in good faith that this legal action should not be pursued. Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said there are ongoing lawsuits in Colorado and Pennsylvania and he is prepping more lawsuits against other states. “Dirty voter rolls can mean dirty elections,” Fitton said. “This is a win for the voters of North Carolina – because clean voter rolls help pave the way to cleaner elections,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “After we filed our federal lawsuit, North Carolina removed hundreds of thousands ineligible voters (people who have died or moved away). North Carolina follows Judicial Watch voter roll clean-up successes in California, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. Tom Fitton: Judicial Watch Settles North Carolina Voter Roll Lawsuit After State Removes Over 430,000 Inactive Names From Rolls (thegatewaypundit.com)And we are right now prepping lawsuits against other states to force them to clean up their rolls.” TRENDING: 1,500 Volunteers Investigate Wisconsin Election: The WEC Is a Member of the ERIC System - They Are Deliberately Not Cleaning the Voter Rolls (VIDEO)

U.S. National Debt Passes Historic Milestone (townhall.com) The Debt Clock in Real Time: U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time (usdebtclock.org) The United States' national debt surpassed a staggering $30 trillion — that's 30,000,000,000,000.00 — on Tuesday afternoon, another economic milestone of shame achieved under President Biden's administration. And while Biden is not solely responsible for all $30 trillion, our national debt is not something his administration has taken seriously or done anything to mitigate. His expensive legislation — from infrastructure which succeeded in passing Congress to the unsuccessful Build Back Better budget that Senator Manchin (D-WV) said again Tuesday is "dead" — Biden and Democrats leaders in Congress are set on adding more to America's national debt. The New York Times noted that the landmark debt level "arrived years earlier than previously projected" and blamed the government measures aimed at addressing the Wuhan coronavirus that saw "trillions in federal spending that the United States has deployed to combat the pandemic." As even The Times notes, the U.S. response to COVID "has left the nation with a debt burden larger than the entire economy, surpassing levels of red ink not seen since World War II." As The Times also admits, the United States is grappling with "soaring prices," another credit to President Biden's mismanagement of the country's economy. As Townhall has covered, inflation under the Biden administration — something it tried to explain away as "transitory" — has notched multiple highs for both consumers and upstream producers.

A One Stop Place For Resources Heritage Action Launches Movement to… | Heritage Action For America Liberal progressives across the country are trying to indoctrinate kids with a racist and Marxist ideology––critical race theory (CRT). The Left tries to deny that CRT is being taught to our school children, but the evidence plainly shows CRT is in our schools. Case in point, Heritage Action uncovered, and The Federalist reported a case out of Gwinnett County, Georgia, where critical race theory was clearly part of the curriculum. We uncovered a syllabus where critical race theory was not only to be taught, but it was to be used to analyze other subject matters. Students would learn to view everything through the lens of critical race theory. Here’s the exact quote, from the class syllabus (page 3): Just a few days after the syllabus was discovered by Heritage Action’s research team, Gwinnett County Public Schools erased the PDF from their website. But not before we downloaded and saved a copy. They knew they slipped up, and we were here to expose them. >>>LISTEN to our podcast to learn more about CRT in Georgia’s largest public school district! Exposing critical race theory is just a part of the work we’re doing in 2022 to create a positive school environment where kids are free to think and free to learn. Heritage Action activists are backing state legislation to stop CRT indoctrination and create transparency around school curriculums. Greater transparency puts parents in the driver’s seat of their children’s education. In Georgia—where we uncovered this latest case of CRT in the classroom—we have backed bills like HB 888, HB 1084, and SB 377 which address this issue and make it illegal to force children to affirm and believe in the teachings of critical race theory. No child should be taught that they are inherently bad or guilty because of the color of their skin. And we’re fighting against racist CRT curriculums in states across America. For instance, Tuesday, our very own Nathan Duell gave testimony before the Arizona Senate Education committee. 3 ways to get involved and help fight back against CRT It’s time all Americans take a stand against the racist teachings of CRT. Here are 3 ways to help: Use the resources at SaveOurSchools.com – You can submit an open records (FOIA) request, download an activist ebook, and more. Advocate for State Legislation. We have a toolkit on the legislation in Georgia and there is more to come as more states introduce and debate legislation. Sign up here to be notified about future state work. Donate to support the fight. We’re working every month, all year long, to advance conservative policies and enact strategic WINS. We’re working on bills in over a dozen states, while still holding Washington, D.C. accountable. In 2022, our activists are doing even more than in 2021, and they need your resources and support. A one-time gift or even a $15 recurring donation will go a long way to support the fight. See the podcast Podcast | Heritage Action For America This is truly an “all hands on deck” moment in American history. So however you choose to serve, we thank you and appreciate your support. Best, Janae Stracke Director of Grassroots Heritage Action for America

Email - Gearing Up for a Post-Roe America - NC Family Gearing Up for a Post-Roe America By NC Family Staff February 19, 2022 The U.S. Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health has been making headlines for months, as people on both sides of the abortion issue anticipate how it may affect Roe v. Wade. The nation’s highest court heard oral arguments on this case last December, and a ruling is expected sometime in June of this year. If the Court overturns Roe, the power to determine abortion policy will likely return to the states. So, how can states prepare themselves to stand for life should Roe be overturned? To answer this question, we welcome Sue Liebel, State Policy Director at the Susan B. Anthony List, to this week’s episode of Family Policy Matters. Liebel shares how states have been taking action on abortion legislation long before Dobbs and a potential overturning of Roe. On the pro-abortion side, New York passed third-trimester abortion legislation in 2019. On the pro-life side, states have passed “heartbeat bills, 15-week bills, discrimination against babies with Down Syndrome and things like that … States are doubling down and pushing and pushing,” says Liebel. In preparation for the Dobbs ruling, Liebel and the SBA List have been working closely with state lawmakers to look at their existing abortion laws, and decide whether they need to pass more pro-life legislation right away. “We just have a few short months for states to get ready,” says Liebel, since most legislatures are in session now but will adjourn before June. “So, we’re talking with them about their laws already on the books, and whether they need to be updated and what new legislation they should consider immediately now.” In North Carolina, state law prohibits abortion after viability, which courts generally consider to be 24 weeks. “You’re going to have to be realistic and careful about what you can do,” continues Liebel, “given the fact that your governor is not pro-life, and any hesitation within your legislature. […] So elections matter!” Tune in to Family Policy Matters this week to hear Sue Liebel discuss how the Susan B. Anthony List is helping states and pro-life groups gear up for a post-Roe America. There are several ways you can listen to this week's radio show, or read the transcript! Click below to listen online; Subscribe to our podcast, so you can hear our interviews every week; Search on iTunes or your podcast app for: NC Family’s Family Policy Matters podcast; Tune in to one of the radio stations that carry Family Policy Matters (see the list below); Click here to read a transcript of the show. Listen to Family Policy Matters each week on one of our partner stations! Belmont/Charlotte-WCGC 1270 AM, Sun-11:45am Bennett/Asheboro-WYTR 88.1 FM, Sat- 2:00pm Charlotte/Gastonia-WCRU 960 AM/105.7 FM, Sat-6:00am Charlotte/Harrisburg-WOGR 1540 AM/88.3 FM, Sat-3:45pm Durham-WDRU 105.5 FM, Sat-6:00am Fayetteville- WCLN 105.7/107.3 FM, Sat-7:00am Gboro/Winston-Salem- WTRU 830 AM/97.7 FM, Sat-6:00am Raleigh-WDRU 1030 AM/105.7 FM, Sat-6:30am Raleigh-WETC 540AM, Sat-11:00am Rocky Mount-WLQC 103.1 FM, Sun-11:00pm Salisbury-WOGR 93.3 FM, Sat-3:45pm Sanford-WLHC 103.1 FM, Sun-11:00pm Taylorsville-WACB 860 AM; Wed-5:00pm Troy-WJRM 1390 AM; Sun-8:15am Wake Forest-EPIC 103.5FM; Sat-1:00pm Wilmington-WZDG 88.5 FM, Sun-5:30am & 6pm Winston-Salem/Piedmont Triad Area-WPIP 880 AM, Sun-4:15pm

February 19, 2022 Heritage Action hopes you’re enjoying the start to a hopefully great Presidents’ Day weekend. This past week was packed with both big and small victories, so let’s not waste time and get straight to what’s been happening in Washington and across the states. Senate Passes CR to Avoid Shutdown Congress is still at a crossroads when it comes to funding the government through the rest of fiscal year 2022 (which ends September 30, 2022), so Congress passed the continuing resolution on Thursday to keep our government's wheels turning until March 11. The CR moved through the Senate by a 65-27 vote (multiple senators were absent). Judging by past actions, an omnibus spending bill would be packed full of Leftist “policy” priorities, and that’s why a long-term CR is the better option to fund the federal government for the rest of 2022. On a good note, some of our conservative Senators locked horns and got a vote on an amendment to defund Biden’s vaccine mandates impacting our servicemembers and healthcare workers. Unfortunately, the amendment failed along party lines by a vote of 47-46, with a few members absent. Thank you to the Senators who led the charge on the amendment: Mike Lee (R-Utah) Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) Mike Braun (R-Ind.) Rand Paul (R-Ky.) Ted Cruz (R-Texas) Jessica Anderson Weighs in on VAWA Congress is considering a new version of the "Violence Against Women Act" or (VAWA). VAWA is intended to help women dealing with domestic violence, but the Left has worked in dangerous provisions that are instead focused on gender identity and equity, abortion, and more... not to mention the hefty price tag that's attached. READ MORE >>> Executive Director Jessica Anderson’s joint op-ed with Heritage Legal Fellow Sarah Perry LISTEN >>> The latest episode of “On Air” covers VAWA Gaining Ground in the States The fight for the White House is in 2024, but conservative grassroots activists are making giant strides everyday in 2022 by rallying to help move bills through state legislatures that protect the sanctity of life, demand free and fair elections for the people, and purge racial guilt-shaming out of classrooms. The American people are at a tipping point. We can feel the momentum and the energy and the Left has seen the polling—that’s why many blue states have begun to roll back oppressive mandates. When we take small steps everyday, it makes a mile's worth of difference. Every call, every email, every letter to an editor, every event attended—it all helps preserve America for future generations. Here are three critical victories JUST THIS PAST WEEK: Arizona HCR 2001 was passed by the Arizona House. This education bill would kick critical race theory out of the classroom and make sure no child is racially discriminated against. Florida HB 5 was passed by the Florida House. This pro-life bill would protect the unborn after 15 weeks gestation. Virginia H.B. 46 was passed by the Virginia House. This election integrity bill would require a photo ID to vote in elections in the Commonwealth and require absentee ballots to be returned on election day. You can read all of the statements on these different bills from Executive Director Jessica Anderson by clicking this link that will take you to Heritage Action’s newspage. We’ve added more action centers for state bills on Election Integrity and Education. Check out SaveOurElections.com and SaveOurSchools.com to see our state action centers. Grassroots State of the Union Biden is set to give his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, March 1 and we can expect it to be full of spin. Before he takes center-stage at the Capitol, we are going to set the record straight. Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson will be joining John Solomon of Just the News for a Special Report, “The Real State of the Union”. Watch this Tuesday, February 22 @ 6 PM ET How you can watch “The True State of the Union”– Tune in at 6 PM ET on Tuesday to Real America’s Voice on cable, or watch on any of Heritage Action’s social media channels where we will be streaming the special: Facebook, Twitter, or Gettr. Congress has Two "China" Bills The Senate previously passed the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S. 1260) and the House recently passed the America Competes Act (H.R. 4521), but a better name is the "America Concedes Act" – because that's what it does. Via conference committee, the two chambers will try to work out a compromise between their two bills, after which, both the House and Senate would hold another vote. Here is a comparison that highlights differences between the bills, and how they compare to The Heritage Foundation policy. To download the graphic: click here Keep up the hard work and enjoy your Presidents’ Day weekend! Jessica Anderson and the Heritage Action team Join the fight to advance the conservative agenda. Become Sentinel: About Sentinel | Heritage Action For America Heritage Action for America | 214 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Suite 400 | Washington, D.C. 20002

Updated legislative electoral maps pass General Assembly - Carolina Journal - Carolina Journal February 17, 2022 The N.C. House and Senate gave final approval to redrawn or remedial legislative electoral maps Thursday, after last-minute adjustments delayed the Senate session several times. The House gave largely bipartisan approval to its own map, 115-5, Wednesday night, with five Democrats voting against it. The Senate approved the House’s maps, as well, with a 41-3 vote and no comment or change. Tension was higher over the Senate map, with Democrats opposing the plan and offering multiple amendments that were tabled in party-line votes. Ultimately, the Senate approved its own map with no Democrats voting in favor of it, 26-19. Democrats in the House followed suit, voting against the Senate map, with it passing the House with Republican votes, 67-52. In total, the number of competitive seats has grown from nine to 15 in the remedial House map and from six to seven in the Senate’s new map. “I think neither side will be happy with the maps,” said Andy Jackson of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation. “They diminish Republican power and lessen the odds of them getting a super-majority capable of overturning Gov. [Roy] Cooper’s vetoes in the next election. Democrats have an improved chance of winning a majority under the new maps, but those new maps do not help them fully overcome the geographic disadvantage of their supporters being relatively concentrated in a handful of urban areas.” House boosts competitive and ‘safe’ Democrat seats Using calculations from a relatively new program called davesredistricting.org, data and analysis of the new maps have been widely available faster. Jackson and Jim Stirling, also of the John Locke Foundation, estimate that the new House map has 16 competitive seats, twice as many as the previously enacted map, plus 54 “safe” Republican seats and 41 “safe” Democrat seats. Four seats in the new map lean Republican, while five lean Democrat, defined as being within a 5%-10% swing. This distribution gives Democrats more of an edge than the previous maps that featured 38 “safe” seats for Democrats, and 12 that leaned Republican. Proposed new N.C. House electoral maps were considered by the N.C. House on February 15, 2022. Source: ncleg.gov On Wednesday in the House Redistricting Committee, Democrats on the committee criticized the timeline to pass a new House map, objecting to the quick turnaround between releasing the maps and holding votes. That tight timeline was driven by the N.C. Supreme Court order and by Cooper’s veto rejecting legislative leaders’ efforts to push the 2022 primaries to June. That bill had been designed to give more time for the process. While most House Democrats ended up supporting the House plan, five voted no, they say, based on process. “I appreciate these improvements to the previously enacted map that was found to be partisan gerrymandering,” said Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, during the committee meeting. “I think there is still a better way to do this.” “I, too, am frustrated with this process,” said Rep. Destin Hall, R- Caldwell, chair of the House Redistricting Committee. Ultimately, negotiations across the aisle led to the bipartisan support for the final map, which included six amendments proposed by Democrats. Senate ‘clusters’ spark dissent Meantime, in the N.C. Senate, Sen. Warren Daniel, R-Burke, and Sen. Paul Newton, R-Cabarrus, described in detail the criteria used to draw the legislative maps for “partisan fairness” and how they used mean-median and “efficiency gap” data to meet requirements set out by the high court. The “efficiency gap” refers to the number of votes that each party wastes in an election if either party has a set advantage in the district. A lower number indicates a district in which one party is not advantaged. Remedial N.C. Senate Map passed February 17., 2022. from ncleg.gov For the Senate map, Jackson and Stirling find that the old map was likely to produce a 32-18 Republican advantage. The new, or remedial, Senate map favors Republicans, 29-21, putting it in line with Supreme Court recommendations. Seven key regional clusters, which blend urban areas with their more suburban surroundings, including Wake, Mecklenburg, Cumberland, and New Hanover counties, drew fire from Democrats who objected that the areas did not all lean blue. In the previous map, only Guilford, Forsyth, and part of Mecklenburg’s clusters leaned Democrat. In the new remedial map, the clusters around Wake and Granville counties now tilt blue, as does the northeastern cluster of the state. Mecklenburg/Iredell, Cumberland/Moore, and New Hanover/Brunswick/Columbus tilt slightly Republican in the new map, but within the mean-median and efficiency gap criteria. The controversy was largely stirred by the Supreme Court opinion itself, which left the order vague and the door open to tense debate. Associate Justice Robin Hudson wrote in the majority opinion, “We do not believe it prudent or necessary to, at this time, identify an exhaustive set of metrics or precise mathematical thresholds which conclusively demonstrate or disprove the existence of an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.” Still, Daniel, Newton, and legislative staff wanted clear metrics with historic election data to set the three criteria. The used election results from 12 races in 2020 and 2016 to determine the leaning of each area of the state. Those races included the presidential, gubernatorial, lieutenant governor, Senate, and attorney general races, saying that the election results of those races closely match the results of the N.C. Senate races. “Mean-median and efficiency gap analysis are the broadly used political science techniques that produce a quantifiable metric to analyze,” Daniel told fellow lawmakers. Senate leaders say the final remedial congressional map has a mean-median score of about -0.61%. The mean-median score is well within the court’s proposed standard of plus or minus 1.0%. The efficiency gap is about -5.3%, which lawmakers say is well within the court’s requirement of plus or minus 7.0% Democrats in the Senate led by Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, the Senate minority leader, repeatedly objected to the process and the criteria for drawing the maps. Democrats proposed multiple amendments to the Senate map attempting changes to the districts that were reviewed and voted on in committee Wednesday. Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake, tried to amend the Senate map three times; twice to change or eliminate what he referred to as the “Wilmington Notch” and once to change the lines in Wake County that created a Senate district near the capital that leaned Republican. Blue proposed several amendments as well, arguing that clusters in the map did not meet the N.C. Supreme Court’s court’s intent. “Senator Newton said that every district was changed in favor of Democrats,” said Blue. “You studied the Wake districts, and if they changed by one-half a point I don’t think they meet the court’s order.” All amendments were tabled by votes along party lines. “During the remedial map-drawing process we set out to draw maps that scored well based on the requirements of the Supreme Court’s order and included as many competitive districts as possible,” Newton said. “We accomplished that. Our proposed remedial Senate map fully complies with the court’s order.” What’s next? The maps must be presented to a three-judge Wake County Superior Court panel by Friday. That same panel of two Republican judges and one Democrat approved the previous maps passed by the legislature in November. That panel must approve a set of maps by Wednesday, Feb. 23. Its decision can be appealed back to the state Supreme Court. “While Democrat-run states like New York and Illinois are further entrenching their political power, this remedial map reflects North Carolina’s voters and political landscape, not a predetermined partisan outcome,” Daniel said in a statement released Thursday. “In doing so, our state will have what we believe to be four of the most competitive districts in the nation. That’s a far cry from redistricting efforts we’ve seen in recent months in those blue states. The remedial congressional map fully complies with the court’s order and scores well on mandated tests.” The maps were redrawn at the direction of the 4-3 majority-Democrat state Supreme Court, which gave the legislature until Friday to pass new maps to replace the enacted ones, which the high court ruled were examples of unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering. The process is running a tight timeline. Candidate filing is scheduled to reopen Feb. 24, with primary elections scheduled May 17. categories: CJ Exclusives, North Carolina, Politics & Elections tags: redistricting maps, Sen. Paul Newton, Sen. Warren Daniel