Bipartisan issues are few are far between these days. Polarizing elections have people on edge and it doesn’t get any better after the election when it’s time to govern. Well-meaning and important issues, despite their merit, fall to the sideline due to partisanship. It can be a frustrating cycle that doesn’t always have citizens’ best interest at the forefront.

But Marsy’s Law, a campaign seeking to amend state constitutions to create equal rights for victims is a bright spot in a legislative world that increasingly doesn’t see much bipartisanship. In the states where Marsy’s Law is currently being debated or has already been adopted, Marsy’s Law has struck a strong, bipartisan tone with elected officials supporting stronger rights for victims.     

In North Carolina, the legislation’s goal is to establish “co-equal” rights for victims that the accused and convicted already have in the state constitution. Marsy’s Law will ensure that crime victims are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve including constitutional protections, just as those who are accused and convicted of crimes.

Members of the state House agree that the state needs stronger victims’ rights guarantees in the constitution and already cast their broad and bipartisan support in April when it overwhelmingly passed and was sent to the state Senate. Both Republicans and Democrats recognize that this amendment is critical for North Carolina – to ensure dignity for the victims through the court process and limit the ongoing suffering they are already experiencing as victims of crime.

A recent survey in North Carolina echoes the bipartisan nature of this issue – with more than 80 percent of North Carolinians saying they support amending the constitution to give victims stronger rights. In a state that is regularly a toss-up politically, this issue shows a unique ability to cut through partisanship.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about politics, it’s about treating North Carolina’s victims and their families with the fairness they deserve.