2008 Voter Guide Project Underway

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2008 Voter Guide Project Underway

Special Report - March 18, 2008
Election season is upon us, and once again the North Carolina Family Policy Council is working to help educate voters about candidates running for state and federal elected office. We are currently in the process of producing the 2008 Voter Guide—an impartial and nonpartisan look at candidates running for the following offices in North Carolina:

Federal: US Senate (1 seat), US House (13 seats).

State: Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Auditor, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner of Labor, Secretary of State, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Treasurer, NC Senate (50 seats), NC House (120 seats).

State Judicial: NC Supreme Court (1 seat), NC Court of Appeals (6 seats), NC Superior Court (11 seats)

North Carolina’s Primary Election will take place on May 6 and the General Election will take place on November 4. Registered voters in the state will not only have the opportunity to cast ballots on these days but may also vote early through absentee one-stop voting between April 17—May 3 for the Primary Election and between October 16—November 1 for the General Election. Absentee voting allows voters to submit their ballots by mail or in person at the county board of elections or at a designated one-stop voting site without having to give a reason for voting early. (See the NC Board of Election website for details about one-stop voting.)

In preparation for the May 6 Primary Election, the North Carolina Family Policy Council has sent questionnaires by certified mail to over 220 federal and state candidates running in districts with primary opposition. These questionnaires survey the candidates for their positions on important issues like abortion and embryonic stem cell research, State Marriage Amendment, school choice, gambling, sex education, religious expression, the state budget, property rights, and more. In mid-April, we will activate our 2008 Voter Guide Primary Election website, which will identify the districts with primary opposition and include the candidates’ responses to our questionnaires. If you know any candidates who are facing a primary election, please encourage them to complete and return the North Carolina Family Policy Council’s 2008 Voter Guide questionnaire prior to the March 31 deadline.

Following the Primary Election in May, we will begin preparing for the November 4 General Election. In early October, we plan to publish and distribute a print version of the 2008 Voter Guide as well as update the 2008 Voter Guide website to focus on 2008 General Election contests. We anticipate that over the course of this election year, over one million North Carolina voters will reference the 2008 Voter Guide!