Category

Election 2024

Oct 24
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New voter education resources in the State Superintendent race

By Election 2024, News

We have some new voter education resources to pass along in the race for State Superintendent. Last week, the two candidates–Michele Morrow (R) and Mo Green (D)–participated in their final debate, which took place in Southern Pines. WFAE reporter James Farrell wrote about the debate in this article and in his newsletter.  You can watch the debate by clicking here or on the video below.

Morrow and Green share their views on public charter schools

During the debate, the candidates provided perspectives on public charter schools. Here is Farrell’s summary of what they said:

Morrow said charter schools are “essential,” providing families with alternative options when their local public school is failing them. She said she believes in the free market and argued the competition provided by charters has “raised the bar” for public schools.

Green said he supports charters — but said he believes lifting the cap on charter schools has made it harder to effectively hold them accountable. Charters have the flexibility to explore innovative educational strategies that public schools can learn from. He said the state should focus on ensuring charter schools are providing equitable access to all students — like by providing food and transportation for students.

Additional voter education resources

Oct 22
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First Vote NC Opens to Public Charter School Students

By Election 2024, News

Public charter school students in North Carolina have a new opportunity to learn about the election process. First Vote NC, an award-winning election simulation sponsored by EdNC, opened this year to all K-12 students in North Carolina. The initiative provides students with a chance to participate in a mock election and obtain results.

“First Vote NC aims to demystify the voting process and prepare students to graduate civic ready,” according to EdNC. First Vote NC is the recipient of an American Civic Collaboration Award.

Online voting through First Vote NC began on October 17, in line with early voting, and continues through November 5.

Here’s the description of what to expect from First Vote NC:

In previous years, educators have used First Vote NC to guide high school students through a voting simulation. In 2024, the First Vote NC experience is available to all students K-12 regardless of school setting.

First Vote NC has developed a web-based ballot for the 2024 general election that includes the presidential race and all statewide races in North Carolina. The ballot looks similar to the one the future voter would receive if they were going to the polls.

The voting experience will be enhanced by an optional exit poll and receipt of an “I VOTED” virtual sticker. Results will be available after the election, so First Vote NC voters can see how their vote compares to the general election results.

web vote 2@2x

 

Questions? Contact Nancy Rose at firstvotenc@ednc.org.

Photo/graphic: Shutterstock (top); First Vote (bottom).

Oct 16
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Coalition Releases New Candidate Recommendations (General Assembly)

By Election 2024, News

Today, the Coalition released a new slate of candidate recommendations for the 2024 General Election. Recommended candidates are running for North Carolina General Assembly seats. Coalition recommendations are non-partisan and issue-driven, based on whether a candidate agrees with our advocacy goals of fair funding and autonomy for charter schools. 

View our Guidelines for Candidate Recommendations. Candidates’ names are linked to their 2024 questionnaires, assessing views on public charter schools, if they completed one.

See our Candidate Recommendations page.

Coalition Candidate Recommendations–North Carolina House

Edward Goodwin (Rep.), NC House 1 (Incumbent)

Steve Tyson (Rep.), NC House 3 (Incumbent)

Jimmy Dixon (Rep.), NC House 4 (Incumbent)

Bill Ward (Rep.), NC House 5 (Incumbent)

Joseph Pike (Rep.), NC House 6 (Incumbent)

Matthew Winslow (Rep.), NC House 7 (Incumbent)

Timothy Reeder (Rep.), NC House 9 (Incumbent)

John Bell (Rep.), NC House 10 (Incumbent)

Chris Humphrey (Rep.), NC House 12 (Incumbent)

Celeste Cairns (Rep.), NC House 13 (Incumbent)

Phil Shepard (Rep.), NC House 15 (Incumbent)

Carson Smith (Rep.), NC House 16 (Incumbent)

Frank Iler (Rep.), NC House 17 (Incumbent)

Charlie Miller (Rep.), NC House 19 (Incumbent)

Ted Davis (Rep.), NC House 20 (Incumbent)

William Brisson (Rep.), NC House 22 (Incumbent)

Shelley Willingham (Dem.), NC House 23 (Incumbent)

Kenneth Fontenot (Rep.), NC House 24 (Incumbent)

Allen Chesser (Rep.), NC House 25 (Incumbent)

Donna White (Rep.), NC House 26 (Incumbent)

Larry Strickland (Rep.), NC House 28 (Incumbent)

Frank Sossamon (Rep.), NC House 32 (Incumbent)

Mike Schietzelt (Rep.), NC House 35

Erin Paré (Rep.), NC House 37 (Incumbent)

James Roberson (Dem.), NC House 39 (Incumbent)

Diane Wheatley (Rep.), NC House 43 (Incumbent)

Brendan Jones (Rep.), NC House 46 (Incumbent)

Jarrod Lowery (Rep.), NC House 47 (Incumbent)

Garland Pierce (Dem.), NC House 48 (Incumbent)

John Sauls (Rep.), NC House 51 (Incumbent)

Ben Moss (Rep.), NC House 52 (Incumbent)

Howard Penny (Rep.), NC House 53 (Incumbent)

Mark Brody (Rep.), NC House 55 (Incumbent)

Jerry “Alan” Branson (Rep.), NC House 59 (Incumbent)

Cecil Brockman (Dem.), NC House 60 (Incumbent)

John Blust (Rep.), NC House 62

Steve Ross (Rep.), NC House 63 (Incumbent)

Dennis Riddell (Rep.), NC House 64 (Incumbent)

Reece Pyrtle (Rep.), NC House 65 (Incumbent)

Cody Huneycutt (Rep.), NC House 67

David Willis (Rep.), NC House 68 (Incumbent)

Dean Arp (Rep.), NC House 69 (Incumbent)

Brian Biggs (Rep.), NC House 70 (Incumbent)

Jonathan Almond (Rep.), NC House 73

Jeff Zenger (Rep.), NC House 74 (Incumbent)

Donny Lambeth (Rep.), NC House 75 (Incumbent)

Harry Warren (Rep.), NC House 76 (Incumbent)

Julia Howard (Rep.), NC House 77 (Incumbent)

Neal Jackson (Rep.), NC House 78 (Incumbent)

Keith Kidwell (Rep.), NC House 79 (Incumbent)

Sam Watford (Rep.), NC House 80 (Incumbent)

Larry Potts (Rep.), NC House 81 (Incumbent)

Brian Echevarria (Rep.), NC House 82

Grant Campbell (Rep.), NC House 83

Jeffrey McNeely (Rep.), NC House 84 (Incumbent)

Dudley Greene (Rep.), NC House 85 (Incumbent)

Hugh Blackwell (Rep.), NC House 86 (Incumbent)

Destin Hall (Rep.), NC House 87 (Incumbent)

Mitchell Setzer (Rep.), NC House 89 (Incumbent)

Sarah Stevens (Rep.), NC House 90 (Incumbent)

Kyle Hall (Rep.), NC House 91 (Incumbent)

Ray Pickett (Rep.), NC House 93 (Incumbent)

Blair Eddins (Rep.), NC House 94

Todd Carver (Rep.), NC House 95

Jay Adams (Rep.), NC House 96 (Incumbent)

Heather Rhyne (Rep.), NC House 97 (Incumbent)

Melinda Bales (Rep.), NC House 98

Tricia Cotham (Rep.), NC House 105 (Incumbent)

Carla Cunningham (Dem.), NC House 106 (Incumbent)

John Torbett (Rep.), NC House 108 (Incumbent)

Donnie Loftis (Rep.), NC House 109 (Incumbent)

Kelly Hastings (Rep.), NC House 110 (Incumbent)

Jake Johnson (Rep.), NC House 113 (Incumbent)

Jennifer Capps Balkcom (Rep.), NC House 117 (Incumbent)

Mike Pless (Rep.), NC House 118 (Incumbent)

Mike Clampitt (Rep.), NC House 119 (Incumbent)

Karl Gillespie (Rep.), NC House 120 (Incumbent)

Coalition Candidate Recommendations–NC Senate

Bobby Hanig (Rep.), NC Senate 1 (Incumbent)

Norm Sanderson (Rep.), NC Senate 2 (Incumbent)

Buck Newton (Rep.), NC Senate 4 (Incumbent)

Michael Lazzara (Rep.) NC Senate 6 (Incumbent)

Michael Lee (Rep.), NC Senate 7 (Incumbent)

Bill Rabon (Rep.), NC Senate 8 (Incumbent)

Brent Jackson (Rep.), NC Senate 9 (Incumbent)

Benton Sawrey (Rep.), NC Senate 10 (Incumbent)

Lisa Barnes (Rep.), NC Senate 11 (Incumbent)

Jim Burgin (Rep.), NC Senate 12 (Incumbent)

Ashlee Adams (Rep.), NC Senate 18

Tom McInnis (Rep.), NC Senate 21 (Incumbent)

Danny Britt (Rep.), NC Senate 24 (Incumbent)

Amy Galey (Rep.), NC Senate 25 (Incumbent)

Phil Berger (Rep.), NC Senate 26 (Incumbent)

Dave Craven (Rep.), NC Senate 29 (Incumbent)

Steve Jarvis (Rep.), NC Senate 30 (Incumbent)

Dana Caudill Jones (Rep.), NC Senate 31

Carl Ford (Rep.), NC Senate 33 (Incumbent)

Paul Newton (Rep.), NC Senate 34 (Incumbent)

Todd Johnson (Rep.), NC Senate 35 (Incumbent)

Eddie Settle (Rep.), NC Senate 36 (Incumbent)

Vickie Sawyer (Rep.), NC Senate 37 (Incumbent)

Brad Overcash (Rep.), NC Senate 43 (Incumbent)

Ted Alexander (Rep.), NC Senate 44 (Incumbent)

Mark Hollo (Rep.), NC Senate 45

Warren Daniel (Rep.), NC Senate 46 (Incumbent)

Ralph Hise (Rep.), NC Senate 47 (Incumbent)

Tim Moffitt (Rep.), NC Senate 48 (Incumbent)

Kevin Corbin (Rep.), NC Senate 50 (Incumbent)

View the Coalition’s 2024 Election page.

 

 

Sep 17
Love0

Voter Education Resources on Charters & K-12 Education

By Election 2024, News

In this post, we share a range of voter education resources, addressing charter schools and K-12 education more broadly. Resources include links to candidate town halls hosted by the Coalition (addressing charter schools specifically) as well as links to candidate debates or forums hosted by other organizations. Don’t forget to check out our 2024 Election page as well!

Coalition candidate town hall recordings

  • View our September 11 town hall with Mo Green, candidate for State Superintendent, by clicking here (Passcode: AXJ2RA%n).
  • Watch our September 12 town hall with Brad Briner, candidate for State Treasurer, by clicking here (Passcode: &UQ2TUc%).
  • See our September 18 town hall with Hal Weatherman, candidate for Lieutenant Governor, by clicking here (Passcode: dd53S?DX).
  • View our September 25 town hall with Michele Morrow, candidate for State Superintendent, by clicking here.

BEST NC’s “Conversation with the Candidates” for State Superintendent

Watch the two candidates for State Superintendent below in a debate hosted by BEST NC.

Other debates and interviews

View a State Superintendent candidate forum hosted by NC PTA and Public Schools First NC (posted on WRAL).

See the WCNC interview with Mo Green below:

Watch the WCNC interview with Michele Morrow below:

Additional debates

In partnership with Spectrum News, the NC Institute of Political Leadership is hosting “2024 Hometown Debates” for the offices of State Superintendent, State Treasurer, and more. Find out more about the series here.

Sep 05
Love0

Next week: Coalition launches candidate town halls

By Election 2024, News

We’re excited to launch our series of candidate town halls for the 2024 Election. Please plan to join us to meet the candidates and hear their views on public charter schools.

Each of our town halls will be conducted over Zoom, with Donna King serving as the moderator. A veteran journalist, she is currently the editor-in-chief of Carolina Journal.

We are continuing to try and schedule time with candidates for Governor (who appoints all members of the State Board of Education), Lieutenant Governor (who sits on the State Board of Education), State Treasurer (who sits on the State Board of Education) and State Superintendent of Public Instruction (who oversees the state’s public schools at the Department of Public Instruction and sits on the State Board of Education as a non-voting member and its chief administrative officer).

These offices are critical to the success and sustainability of public charter schools in our state! Please join us to learn more about the candidates seeking these offices.

As a reminder, the Coalition is a non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting and promoting public charter schools. We will never endorse a political party, and it is our goal–pending candidates’ availability and willingness to participate–to offer a forum for voter education that focuses on the issues (K-12 education and charter schools) instead of ideology.

Below are the candidates who have confirmed their town hall participation. Please register in advance for each of these events.

Candidate Town Hall with Mo Green, running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction

When: September 11, 2024, 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register here in advance for this meeting. View Mo Green’s completed Candidate Questionnaire. He also submitted a Questionnaire Addendum.

Candidate Town Hall with Brad Briner, running for State Treasurer

When: September 12, 2024, 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register here in advance for this meeting. View Brad Briner’s completed Candidate Questionnaire.

Candidate Town Hall with Hal Weatherman, running for Lt. Governor

When: September 18, 2024, 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register here in advance for this meeting. View Hal Weatherman’s completed Candidate Questionnaire.

Candidate Town Hall with Michele Morrow, running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction

When: September 25, 2024, 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register here in advance for this meeting. View Michele Morrow’s completed Candidate Questionnaire.

We hope to see you at our candidate town halls!

Jul 17
Love0

New swing state poll: Black & Hispanic voters strongly support school choice

By Election 2024, News

A new poll of Black and Hispanic voters in seven battleground states finds high levels of support for public school choice. The poll, released July 10 by the Freedom Coalition for Charter Schools, assessed the views of 906 likely voters in states that are expected to play a pivotal role in the 2024 election. Those states are: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

In a press release highlighting findings, FCCS noted:

The poll shows that an overwhelming majority of Black and Hispanic swing state voters want families to have more options in the public school system, specifically the ability to send children to schools other than those they’re assigned to and that will best meet the needs of the children. There is also strong support among respondents for greater investments in public schools, including charter schools, which are free and accessible to all and positively impact students of color.

Key findings for Black and Hispanic voters:

  • 91% agree parents deserve the right to choose the public school that best meets their child’s individual needs.
  • 90% support increasing funding for all public schools, including public charter schools.
  • 81% want to give parents more schooling options in education.
  • 68% agree that children living in their neighborhood would access a better education if they could attend a school outside their zip code.
  • 66% believe public schools are failing Black/Latino children (75% of Black voters and 58% of Hispanic voters).
  • 61% describe the quality of American public schools as either “fair” or “poor.”
  • Just 50% agree that most Black/Latino children who attend their assigned public school receive a quality education (38% of Black voters and 61% of Hispanic voters).

Source: “Offering a Choice for Quality Education,” Polling presentation by Cornell Belcher, July 2024.

Learn more

Brilliant Corners Research & Strategies conducted the poll in conjunction with FCCS between June 4-10, 2024. Brilliant Corners is a polling firm run by Democratic strategist Cornell Belcher.

Feb 29
Love0

Vote for pro-charter candidates in the primary election!

By Election 2024
Early voting for the upcoming primary election ends at 3 p.m. this Saturday, March 2. Please vote for a pro-charter candidate–whether you vote early or on Election Day, March 5!  To educate voters about how the primary candidates stack up on support for public charter schools, the Coalition Board of Directors has endorsed a slate of pro-charter candidates.

Candidates endorsed by the Coalition

North Carolina House of Representatives
North Carolina Senate
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
*Candidates with an asterisk are not incumbents.

In a press release announcing the candidate endorsements, Lindalyn Kakadelis, executive director of the Coalition, said:

Our organization endorses candidates exclusively on the basis of their support for public charter schools. Parents deserve a choice in their public schooling, and we use what resources we have to see to it that parents know who supports their choice and who doesn’t. These candidates have a track record of supporting public charter schools. They embrace the idea that parents deserve options in deciding which public school environment will best help their children achieve their full potential.

More information about voting in the primary election

Election Day voting on Tuesday, March 5, runs from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. Access more information about your in-person voting place on Election Day. When you vote, remember to bring your photo I.D.
Elections have consequences. The success of North Carolina’s charter movement pivots around the outcome of elections. Working to elect pro-charter candidates means the Coalition is able to advance our legislative goals at the General Assembly of protecting charter autonomy and pushing for fair funding. Please vote!
Coalition endorsements are non-partisan and issue-driven. View our Guidelines for Candidate Endorsement.