Secretary of State Elaine Marshall

CONTACT INFORMATION: The Transylvania County Democratic Party Author: Jeb Buffinton

RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2023

Transylvania County Democratic Women hosted NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall On Monday, May 22, NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall visited Transylvania County and attended a packed luncheon hosted by the TC Democratic Women. Her speech focused on the issues facing our state and our nation and she received a standing ovation from the enthusiastic crowd. I had a chance to sit down with Ms. Marshall after the meal to discuss her views…

In 1996, Elaine Marshall ran for the post of North Carolina Secretary of State against Republican challenger and former stock car racer Richard Petty. She won the election by a margin of 53% to 45%, becoming the first woman elected to a statewide executive office in North Carolina history. “I’m a tough country gal, and I figured if I could stand up to the men in overalls down at the general store, I could stand up to the men in suits in Raleigh. And I was right.”

TCDP Much of your work as Secretary of State centers on improving the efficiency of our state government as it relates to businesses. How is that going for you?

Marshall We’ve become a model for other states in simplifying business creation and maximizing transparency by using our internet tools. Every citizen has direct, free access to information regarding businesses across our state and their impact. Our “Rural RISE” program (https://sosnc.gov/rural_rise/index) coordinates and promotes local support for new businesses. We have a rich choice of resources for innovators and start-up entrepreneurs. The “Score” program (https://www.score.org/) makes mentors available to small businesses, helping them create business plans and attract financing. These programs are paying off for many new businesses, and are significantly weighted toward women and minorities.

TCDP The North Carolina Republican supermajority in the Legislature has just overridden Governor Cooper’s veto of the 12 week abortion ban. What are your thoughts?

Marshall I’m deeply disturbed.This ban pretends to be a compromise, but by setting up impossible hurdles to health care access it is really a terrible barrier to womens’ freedoms. The bill is unclear, and doctors themselves don’t understand the regulations. They’ll be fearful of considering all kinds of care even if the life of the mother may be at risk. How close to death must a woman be to warrant intervention? Will women carrying fetuses with unsurvivable physical handicaps be forced to carry to term, forced to cradle their dying baby for only an hour in their arms? It’s unthinkable. The bill was written in secret, in the dark of night behind closed doors. There were no committee hearings, no public or professional consultation, no amendments were even allowed once the bill made it to the floor. It was cowardly, anti-democratic and underhanded, driven by cynical, political motives and cheap pandering to an extreme religious fringe. And this decision will definitely hurt the business environment… Companies want to hire the best people, educated and talented folks. This bill will discourage educated people, especially women, from relocating to North Carolina.

TCDP Our public schools are also under fire from religious extremists. Are you concerned about their influence?

Marshall The Republican majority has shown such disrespect to our professionals in education. They’re playing curriculum jiu-jitsu, manipulating resources to undermine the lessons from history, and limiting the understanding of human biology and science. Underfunded schools staffed by intimidated teachers can only result in failure, which then justifies the Republicans' goal to transfer state funds to private schools who don't answer to the taxpayers and aren’t required to support the entire scholastic population like public schools. They will undermine one of the key elements we’ve had in successfully making North Carolina the country’s number one destination for businesses.

TCDP Addressing climate change is one of the toughest issues facing the entire world. What can North Carolina do?

Marshall I can tell you what won’t work… Some months ago the North Carolina Republicans demanded the sea not to rise by order of the Legislature. They actually voted for that, then they went back to ignoring science. Look, protecting our environment is not only critical to our health and our future, but to our business development as well. Thanks to the Biden Administration’s CHIPS Act, the United States and North Carolina have attracted major investment, and we will continue to compete for clean manufacturing. The more we bring in, the more will come as business clusters mean shorter, more reliable supply chains in new technology. We can’t do that by loosening pollution regulations on old, out of date industries.

TCDP Unlike other states, North Carolina is unique in that the Secretary of State is not responsible for elections. How do you feel about that?

Marshall Every day I thank my stars that the authors of the State Constitution didn’t put elections under my jurisdiction. Many other Secretaries of State wish that this was true for them, and not just to avoid angry phone calls from corrupt losers pleading with them to “find votes”. The fact is, setting up a separate State Board of Elections run by professionals who are legally limited in their participation in partisan activities is a better system than placing election administration in the hands of an elected official of either party. Putting this power in the hands of an elected official is a ready-made bias claim.

TCDP The NC Supreme court’s recent decisions regarding voter IDs and gerrymandering make many of us concerned for the future of our democracy.

Marshall The result of these decisions is a consolidation of powers to the Legislative branch, setting up the Legislature as a heavy-handed autocratic authority. We must demand that the details of the reimposed voter ID laws are made clear, and adequate funding is provided to communicate these changes to voters. As soon as the budget discussions are finished, the Republicans will turn to redistricting, gerrymandering maps to try to make sure their minority rule holds up against the Democrats and Unaffiliated voters.

TCDP This is scary stuff. What can county-level Democrats do to protect democracy in North Carolina?

Marshall We need to plan. The first thing to do is to support our new, young state party Leadership. (Democratic Party State Chair) Anderson Clayton represents the key to our future success… Young people like her are motivated to fight to protect reproductive rights and are tuned into the absolute necessity of slowing the speed of climate change. We must simplify and prioritize our messaging, and make sure we’re not alienating potential allies. Right wing cable news has people living in fear of everything - minorities, immigrants, foreigners - and people in fear drive gun purchases, and the availability of guns drives violence, and that creates more fear. It’s a vicious circle. Thankfully, the Republicans aren’t moving forward with their plan to legalize no-permit concealed carry, at least for now. Given the endless stream of high-profile mass shootings in our country, they say “the timing isn’t right”. Here’s what we really need to fear: The republicans are a minority party - remember most North Carolina voters elected a Democrat to lead this state. They have become an unrepresentative minority that’s no longer accountable to the majority of the people.

TCDP You’ve worked under both Republican and Democratic governors, and you’ve enjoyed an excellent relationship with Governor Cooper. Looking at the prospects for the 2024 gubernatorial election, how are you feeling?

Marshall Well, I’m very disturbed by what I hear from the leading Republican candidate. That’s why I’m really looking forward to working with Governor Josh Stein.