Congressman Butterfield’s roots in Wilson, N.C. taught him the values of hard work and responsibility. His father, Dr. G. K. Butterfield Sr., was a respected dentist and elected official. Dr. Butterfield graduated from Meharry Dental College and practiced dentistry for 50 years in the poor, segregated community of East Wilson. Many of his patients had never received dental services because they were unable to afford care. However, Dr. Butterfield did not turn anyone away because they were unable to pay. To him, access to care was a right for everyone, not a privilege for the few.
Congressman Butterfield’s mother, Addie, was passionate about education. She taught elementary school for 48 years in some of the poorest communities in North Carolina. Mrs. Butterfield was keenly focused on making sure her students learned to read--a right that was denied to many Blacks in the South.
As former civil rights attorney and advocate of voting rights, Congressman Butterfield believes the right to vote embodies the spirit of American democracy. He works tirelessly to eliminate barriers that prevent North Carolinians from exercising their right to vote in free and fair elections.
Congressman Butterfield is dedicated to protect the right to vote for all Americans. On June 25, 2013, the Supreme Court struck down Section 4 (b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). The historic VRA prohibits racial discrimination in elections. Section 4 of the VRA is the formula that designates certain areas of the country that must have proposed changes to their voting laws cleared by the federal government or in federal court before implementing those changes. Without an enforceable Section 4, the VRA has been exploited by extreme and conservative state legislatures in an effort to suppress minority voters. Congressman Butterfield will not let this setback to the VRA hinder America’s progress for equality and representative democracy.
Congressman Butterfield is fighting to stop the aggressive efforts to disenfranchise voters in North Carolina. The right to vote for all eligible adults embodies the spirit of American democracy and should be protected.