November will be here before we know it, and that means now is the time to make a plan to vote.
We encourage you to study what will be on your ballot this November. In North Carolina, we have an important U.S. Senate race, as well as elections for U.S. House, state legislature and the state courts. Who we elect will play an important role in funding for public education and support for our universities, including UNC-Chapel Hill.
While electing candidates who share our values is important, so are the constitutional amendments that will appear on our ballots.
The League of Women Voters provides information about three NC constitutional amendments on their website, along with one-pagers about each amendment. The language of the amendments is as follows:
Voter ID: “Constitutional amendment to require all voters, not just those presenting to vote in person, to present photo identification before voting.”
State Income Tax: “Constitutional amendment to keep the State income tax rate from being raised higher than three and one-half percent (3.5%).”
Property Tax: “Constitutional amendment requiring limits on property tax increases by local governments.”
Please research these amendments carefully and decide where you stand. Sometimes the potential implications of an amendment are not easy to judge by the wording on the ballot. Lower taxes appeal to just about everybody, but less money to fund our government also means fewer of the resources and services it provides, including a quality public education system.
Public Ed Works recently expressed opposition to the two tax amendments that would impact public education funding. You can read their full piece, “A vote to cap taxes is a vote to further cripple public schools,” by clicking here.
For objective reporting that includes arguments on both sides of the issue, we recommend this article published by WUNC.
Election Day across the country is Tuesday, Nov. 3. If you live in North Carolina, you may vote early in person from Oct. 15 through Oct. 31.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections website includes all the information you need to prepare to vote, including a site to determine if you’re registered to vote and where your polling place is.
If you care about the future of our state and public education, please make a plan to vote on or before Nov. 3!