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This is the second of a two-part series on proposed election rules changes. Part one covered proposed rules for recounts and voter ID. The North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBE) has proposed a set of election rules changes. Two of the proposals address absentee voting and voting sites. This post will include summaries of...

This is the first a two-part series on proposed election rules changes. Part two will cover proposed rules for absentee voting and voting sites. The North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBE) has proposed a set of election rules changes. Two of the proposals cover rules for recounts and photo ID. This post will include...

On May 5, I wrote how the North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct (CJC), as enforced by the Judicial Standards Commission, overly restricts the speech of judges and judicial candidates. That not only limits their free speech rights, but also denies voters the right to hear information they need to evaluate judicial candidates. I proposed...

Judicial elections are important, and voters need information to make correct decisions North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls has faced attempts to silence her speech on public issues  There can be a balance between judicial free speech and protecting the right to due process State Rep. Sarah Stevens (R-Surry, Wilkes) is challenging Justice Anita...

The North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBE) approved rules for removing non-citizens from voter rolls on a 3-2 party-line vote in April. Part of that process involves matching voter rolls with the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database. While the SBE has long used the SAVE database, the new...

Election administration problems in Anson and New Hanover counties could cost two county election officials their jobs Those problems demonstrate the need for election performance audits While the state auditor already has the authority to conduct performance audits, the rules and procedures for those audits should be established by law Recent reports of election administration...

The literacy test in the North Carolina State Constitution was a tool to disenfranchise black voters Despite that moral stain on the state constitution, previous attempts to remove it have failed The General Assembly should put repealing the literacy test to a vote of the people I recently spoke with a group in western North...

North Carolina county boards of elections completed their official counts in the March 3 primary at their canvass meetings on March 13. In the 26th Senate District Republican primary, Rockingham Sheriff Sam Page finished with a 23-vote lead over North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger (see the graphic of the official final count from the...

Introduction Government agencies need to be open and accountable to citizens. North Carolina government has several entities that support accountability, including the Rules Review Commission, the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, and the Office of the State Auditor. State agencies create rules to guide how they enforce North Carolina law and conduct their work....

Introduction The General Assembly is the most powerful branch of the North Carolina government and the closest to the people, so it should also be accountable and responsive to North Carolina citizens. There are two basic models for what makes a legislature effective. The first is a citizen legislature, where legislators meet part-time and spend...

Introduction American patriot Patrick Henry noted, “The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.” Government touches almost every aspect of our lives, from the food we eat to our children’s education, and the information government officials possess influences their decisions...

The following public comment was made in a public hearing on March 9 on proposed new rules at the North Carolina State Board of Elections, “related to voter roll list maintenance on the basis of non-citizenship.” I am Andy Jackson with the John Locke Foundation. I am speaking largely in support of the proposed rules...

Cover photo: Official photo of 4th District Congresswoman Valerie Foushee. Foushee is in a competitive primary. North Carolina completed early voting on Saturday, February 28. Here are a few early data points from Vote Tracker and Voter Registration Changes. The end of this post will have Vote Tracker presets for some closely watched races. Voter...

Early voting for the March 3 primary continues at a relatively brisk pace. Here are a few early data points from Vote Tracker and Voter Registration Changes. North Carolina drops over 5,000 voter registrations, but that is no reason to panic Every party registration dropped in the week from February 16 to 23, but some...

Early voting for the March 3 primary is underway. Here are a few early data points from Vote Tracker. Note, the numbers in the 2024 link will change as some counties report submitted ballots later. Voting is ahead of the 2022 pace So far, turnout is higher than at a similar point in 2022. That...

The North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBE) has announced a set of proposed rules for removing non-citizens from voter rolls: The State Board of Elections invites the public to comment on several proposed permanent rules related to voter roll list maintenance on the basis of non-citizenship. The public comment period is open and runs...

Too often, prosecutors take no action against alleged election law violations Current law allows “any registered” voter in a district to petition the superior court in that district to appoint a special prosecutor for alleged campaign finance violations That law should be expanded to cover other alleged election law violations Prosecutors are often reluctant to...

Votes have started coming in for the March 3 primary. The John Locke Foundation provides several election data products that will help you better understand what is happening in the primary and North Carolina politics more broadly. Voter Tracker keeps you informed of absentee and early voting trends Vote Tracker provides timely data on early...

The board of the North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBE) met on January 13 to make final decisions on early voting plans for counties whose boards of elections could not come to a unanimous agreement. The nonunanimous counties and their competing plans are listed in the “Early Voting Information March 2026 Primary Nonunanimous Plans”...

I was recently quoted in an article in the Carolina Journal that asked, “Are progressives strategically running in NC GOP primaries?” I noted that such occasional infiltrations are an inevitable part of our system: “Having ‘unwelcome guests’ as candidates is a natural consequence of having a primary system (as opposed to nominating conventions),” Jackson told...

The first sign that something was amiss in the 2010 Yancey County sheriff’s race was an anomaly in absentee-by-mail ballots Eye-witness accounts detailed allegations of absentee ballot fraud, voter registration fraud, and illegal voting by felons Despite credible evidence of fraud, a new election was not ordered, and nobody was prosecuted Although election fraud can...

Democrats dominated North Carolina politics for generations after the 1898 election The Democratic share of the electorate has declined for decades, while the number of Republicans in the state has increased While North Carolina flipping red is an important milestone, other factors (such as the rise of unaffiliated registrations) mean that its impact on future...

Election security has lately been associated with conservatives. Nevertheless, there are progressives who share concerns about election integrity. One of those is Free Speech for People, a left-wing organization that has expressed concerns about the integrity of our voting systems. Hand-marked paper ballots make audits more reliable The organization issued a report on post-election audits...

For the first time in several years, North Carolina will use all the same state legislative districts for two elections in a row. That, coupled with the release of the 2026 Civitas Partisan Index (CPI) on November 6, allows us to assess the political shifts in North Carolina General Assembly districts by comparing the 2026...