With Millie Hunter, Chair of Hillsborough West
A Historic Night for North Carolina and Our Country
What Democrats won:
We flipped the U.S. House. We flipped the U.S. Senate!
Roy Cooper will represent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate. A Democrat hasn’t won a Senate race in North Carolina since 2008.
Democrats took control of the N.C. House, with 71 of 120 seats, meaning they hold a House majority for the first time since the 2010 election.
We broke the N.C. Senate supermajority and came within one race of tying it. Democrats ended the Republicans’ veto-proof majority in the Senate, flipping seats held by powerful Republicans.
Here at home, Orange County delivered. Renée Price was re-elected to the NC House (District 50), Allen Buansi was re-elected to the NC House (District 56), and Jonah Garson won our NC Senate seat (District 23). We’re also welcoming two new members to the Orange County Board of Commissioners, Beth Bronson and Karen Stegman, and I look forward to working alongside them to shape Orange County's future.
The Power of Democrats
None of these wins happened by accident. It happened because thousands of volunteers knocked on doors, made calls, greeted voters, and watched the polls. I was proud to be one of those volunteers.
By 7:15 a.m. on Election Day, I was on the road to the first of four polling sites as an at-large poll observer. During early voting, I served two four-hour Saturday shifts as an inside poll observer at the Mayo Street early voting site. On Election Day, as one of 10 at-large poll observers for the Orange County Democratic Party, I covered Eno, St. Mary’s, Patterson, and Hillsborough East voting sites. Volunteers with the Orange County NC Families for Public Schools (formerly known as Public School Strong) heroically manned every minute of the Mayo Street site and three sites on election day.
With Sharon Brown and John Ferrguson, St Mary’s Precinct
I made sure to visit each site multiple times and watch my phone closely in case anyone needed me. I ended the night at my own precinct, Hillsborough North. The result at every site: no issues. Poll observers are “the eyes and ears” at polling locations. They report problems such as long lines, malfunctioning voting machines, access barriers for people with disabilities, and voter intimidation.
I’m proud to have been part of the nation-wide effort that Democrats made to ensure a fair and free election. Across the nation, Democrats exercised their legal right to bear witness to the voting process. Only recognized political parties have this right under the law - and Democrats made sure we used that right to stop any chances of a “rigged election.” Poll observing is one of the most important jobs volunteers can do once voting has started. Please start thinking now about whether you might like to serve as an observer in a future election. Training is made available through our local party each cycle.
Thank you to every Democratic Party poll greeter, poll observer, and every election official and precinct worker. You made this historic win possible.
A day with no issues means voters were heard.
With Hart Edmunds
The Amendments
Here in Orange County, volunteers with the Orange County NC Families for Public Schools (formerly known as Public School Strong) heroically manned every minute of the Mayo Street site and three sites on election day, leading Orange County voters to reject all three amendments by large margins. Unfortunately, the rest of the state passed all three constitutional amendments. The ramifications of these changes will affect our community for years:
Local property tax limits. This amendment requires the General Assembly to pass a law limiting how much local governments can raise property taxes each year. That money funds our schools, EMS, libraries, and parks. The legislature will set the exact limit and decide how to implement it. Lucky for us, if the legislature doesn’t act until 2027, Democrats will have a say in what these limitslook like.
Photo ID for mail-in ballots. The requirement for voters to include a photo ID with absentee-by-mail ballots is permanent. This adds a hurdle for older voters, students, and others who rely on voting by mail.
Income tax cap. The amendment sets a 3.5% cap, cutting in half the current constitutional maximum of 7%. This cap limits the state’s options in hard times and all but eliminates any future graduated tax schedule that might shift the tax burden off students and minimum wage workers to millionaires and billionaires.
Here is more information about the amendments and what they might bring.
I am trying to stay focused on the good news: with a Democratic House and no Senate supermajority, we have more say in how these amendments are put into practice. In fact, the Democrats have more power than we’ve had in over a decade.
Now it is up to these officials, including myself, to deliver.
Tell me what matters most to you
Elections decide who serves. What happens between elections decides what gets done. Your elected officials, me included, make better decisions when we hear directly from you.
So here’s my ask: Hit reply and tell me the one issue that matters most to you and your family. Maybe it’s housing costs, diversifying our property taxes, school funding or something else entirely. I read every response, and what you share will shape the priorities I bring to the Board of Commissioners. I promise to keep working for you. Stay tuned for more ways to send me feedback and be an active participant in shaping the future of our county.
In the meantime, here are more ways to stay involved:
Come to a Board of Commissioners meeting. The public is always welcome, and you can speak during public comment at our Business Meetings. You can find our meeting schedule here.
Serve on a county advisory board. Orange County has boards on everything from affordable housing to the environment, and they need residents like you. Learn more here.
Contact your state legislators about the property tax limit, and tell them what county services mean to your family.
By taking back control of our State and National governments this year, we showed what’s possible. Let’s keep going and make life better for us all. Together, we can build a better tomorrow.
With gratitude,
Phyllis Portie-Ascott
Orange County Commissioner, District 2
