Councilwoman Val Applewhite is running for Mayor of Fayetteville. Applewhite charged ahead and won the primary to on October 9th. That boils it down to her and Nat Robertson to battle it out for the Mayor’s seat on November 5th. Applewhite kicked off her campaign with a theme of transparency and accountability:
“For far too long the voices of our citizens have gone unheard,” she said in her statement. “We must now embrace the spirit of transparency and turn the keys to City Hall over to the citizens of this community.”
“I feel that I have an obligation to provide new ways to make our government accountable to its citizens,” she said. – Source: FayObserver
Well, this morning there was some transparency and accountability in my inbox in the form of some interesting photos from the Fayetteville Mayoral Candidate’s Facebook page. A slick, white limo is center stage in an October 5th post:
Similar limo ride posts on Applewhite’s page:
Hey, it’s THUMBS UP for free limo rides to vote:
Applewhite remarks in the first image a group called “Let’s Make It Happen” was involved. A quick search turned up little on said organization other than it appears to be run by someone named Swan Davis, is located in Fayetteville, employs 0-10 people and has estimated revenue around 200k. It’s also run out of someone’s apartment: 727 Duck Ct Apt 45 Fayetteville, North Carolina 28314-2421. Swan Davis has a Facebook page which has a post on it from October 4th that includes that white limo. He and his family are clearly Applewhite supporters:
It is unclear if this is a paid or free service Swan is providing to Applewhite.
There was also a set photos of what appears to be campaigners related to candidate Val Applewhite who are set up at a gas station with a grill, cooler:
Included were two shots of what looks like the same white limo Applewhite promoted on her Facebook page as giving rides to the polls. There is as sign that as best as can be made out reads: “Get Out The Vote – Free Food”:
Thank you to Carolina Plott Hound for linking!
UPDATE: Applewhite is bemoaning on her Facebook page that people would ‘demean’ poor people who need food and rides to the polls even though those very thing are what is being provided by her supporters and of which she promoted on her own Facebook page. Got it?
We’re disappointed in the complaint filed by Republican Party Chair Linda Devore which claims that the Val Applewhite for Mayor Campaign has influenced residents by giving them rides and food as a form of payment for their vote. To claim that citizens would sell their vote for a meal and a ride to a voting booth is insensitive and demeaning. It’s unfair to think that those who do not have reliable transportation shouldn’t have an opportunity to vote and make their voices heard, or that an organization that provides that opportunity is in the wrong. The Republican Party Chair’s comment that Fayetteville State Students were drunk is also demeaning and requires an apology to the Fayetteville State University community. Voters should be celebrated, and we applaud organizations that help those who want to make their vote count but need the help to do so.
Now, it’s no longer just not having ID that’s a problem, people also need rides to the polls. Motor Voter has been around a long time, yet we now need stretch limos to take them — also, food. Need a snack on that drive ya know.
So, in a nutshell the narrative being formed here now is:
- People are too poor to get ID despite having 2 years to do it and a free one at the DMV for those who qualify.
- People have no way to get around, hence they need rides to the polls and need to be fed too.
Geez, not to be to harsh here, but can get these folks get out of bed themselves or do they need a hand with that too? How are these folks even functioning?
LL1885 
It is not illegal to give someone rides to the polls whether they be in limos or on buses. What is at issue is whether or not rides or food was being promised to voters in exchange for a vote for Val Applewhite, which based off of the information presented does not support that assertion. As the article points out the signs states “Get Out The Vote – Free Food”. It does not say vote for any particular candidate for free food. The riders are free to vote for whomever they want to. So technically the voters can vote conservative or liberal if they choose. The reason why people are so upset about this is because there is the assumption that just because these people are black that they would vote for one particular candidate, which is sterotypical.
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Were you quoting this article?
http://fayobserver.com/articles/2013/10/19/1290438
“It is not illegal to give someone rides to the polls whether they be in limos or on buses.”
I don’t recall writing it was. You cannot deny this looks bad.
I think the assumptions regarding race and stereotypes are all yours. The reaction’s that seem to be coming in about this case is the appearance of vote buying. Race has not been mentioned until your comment.
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No, I was not quoting the article in The Fayetteville Observer. That fact is well known by anyone who is politically engaged. Race is an underlying issue in this matter, regardless on how you attempt to spin it. You can deny it all you want. Would people be making a big deal about this– if say, hypothetically– someone was picking up people in limos and in areas where there were a large population of disabled voters–who may not have access to transportation– and taking them to the polls.
And no it does not look bad at all. This has been somethinhg that has been practiced for quite some time as it has been recognized that disadvantaged people traditionally may not have a way to get to the polls due to otherwise not having a way to get to the polls. So do you say that we as a society, when we should be encouraging more participation in our election process turn a blind eye to a certain segment of people because they may not have a car or a couple of dollars for a bus ride to the polls? Or do we as a community organize transportation for those who are disadvantaged who wish to vote? There is no “vote buying” here. It is simply an effort to get those who may not have the means to get to the polls an opportunity to excersice their Constitutional right to vote; regardless of which candidate they choose to vote for.
Your stance appears to be it is alright to allow a certain segment of our population’s voices not to be heard simply because they have no way to the polls; this is for all people of every race not just black. But as we all know most of the people’s whom’s voices seem to taken for granted are racial minorities, the elderly and the disabled.
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Thank you for re-affirming your position that anyone questioning these events must be a racist.
“Would people be making a big deal about this– if say, hypothetically– someone was picking up people in limos and in areas where there were a large population of disabled voters–who may not have access to transportation– and taking them to the polls. ”
If they were actively being promoted on the candidates own FB page? Yes.
“Your stance appears to be it is alright to allow a certain segment of our population’s voices not to be heard simply because they have no way to the polls; this is for all people of every race not just black. But as we all know most of the people’s whom’s voices seem to taken for granted are racial minorities, the elderly and the disabled.”
No, not even close. You’re projecting your own opinion onto this article.
Let me be clear:
RACE HAS NOTHING DO TO WITH THIS.
You are the only one injecting it here.
Crying racism or victimhood of any kind is not going to wash here.
People have a Constitutional right to vote. To my knowledge, there is no such provision to have someone cart them to the polls to vote. How these rides are reported by the campaign or by those giving them can be a violation of campaign law.
Here’s an oldy but a goody: http://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/21/nyregion/koch-s-campaign-violated-election-law-official-says.html
Like it or not, the fact is that this activity this looks sketchy coming from a candidate who claimed to be running on accountability and transparency.
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You mention a NY Times article from 27 years ago to speak about campaign finance laws? How obtuse. Clearly, the reason why people are upset–and I stand by my assetion–is because the area that these rides were being promoted was Murchison Rd, which has a large population of poor citizens and the assumption is that those citizens will vote for a particular candidate. It is not a violation of campaign law to poston Facebook that a certain person voted for you who obatined a ride from a group not affliated with said campaign. The fact that you would use an article from 27 years ago shows how far out of the loop you are, as campaign finance laws have changed much since then–i.e, the Supreme Court ruling on Citizen’s United– and the fact that Facebook was not even a gleam in the eye of its creators in 1986.
And for the record I never called anyone racist. I merely stated that the view that because a particular voter is a person of color and making the assumption that because that person of color was given a limo ride to a poll means that he would vote for a particular candidate who is herself a person of color is disingenous and stereotypical. A few of those taken to the polls were Spring Lake residents who could not have voted for Applewhite, which in fact disproves any “vote buying” on the behalf of her campaign.
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Did you even read my article?
Clearly not.
The article was an example of a larger case and yes, it’s relevant. I’m not being obtuse, but you clearly are.
You didn’t outright call me a racist. You did insinuate it by projecting what YOU think is the issue here – RACE. See how that little game works both ways?
Your claim ‘people too poor to get to the polls and need a ride’ is laughable and akin to saying they are too poor to go get the free DMV ID to vote two years from now in 2016 under VIVA. Are these people just so bad off they can’t even get out of bed without the help of others too? Too stupid? Too poor? Too black? Too hispanic? Never too white though right?
Spare me the racist rationalizations. This looks bad and no way you spin it fixes that.
Race, economic status — none of these are found in my article but you’re trying to make this issue ABOUT those things. It is not. Again, a candidate who promotes a picture of someone giving free rides to the polls who just happens to have a guy holding a sign promoting her IS sketchy at best.
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Also what Koch was found guilty of was nothing like what Mrs. Applewhite is being accused of here. The article states, “Koch’s re-election campaign violated state election laws last year by failing to record and file statements on more than $45,000 of donated services from taxi and car-service companies”. This article has more to do with an elected official promising “official actions” for campaign contributions.
The use of this article to support what you are trying to say here is flawed. If you can find any instance of campaign violations for giving voters rides to the polls, I certainly would love to see the evidence.
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The Koch example is of a bigger scale example of a greasing palms scenario in elections. You’re ignoring a guy sitting in a limo, getting a free ride to the polls holding an Applewhite Campaign sign. This stinks and you know it.
Want one more relevant to NC?
Perdue and her flights.
Keep commenting, but at no point am I going to concede that this all looks suspect from a candidate running on themes of ‘accountability and transparency’.
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The political process is lost. All the campaign finance laws just protect incumbents and the unlawful.
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That’s just what we need. More people who will vote for someone just because they get to ride in a limo. Everyone worries about the Koch brothers but no one worries about the billions being spent by the leftist tax free foundations, the petty political machines like this and the other “community organizations” being run by big money behind the scenes. To me this is a service provided to the campaign and should be reported as a campaign contribution. If it were for a conservative candidate the left would be crying foul!
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I seem to remember some plane rides in the not so distant past that were a problem….
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