Read This Week's Locke Notes Newsletter!

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Dear Friend,

Last week, Locke released results ([link removed]) from their recent Civitas Poll, which surveyed likely North Carolina general election voters on topics including the importance of open records laws.

To see the full results from the latest Civitas Poll, click
here ([link removed]) .

Let’s break down a couple of key findings:

First and foremost, these results show that North Carolinians want and value transparency.

Over ninety-three percent of likely voters in North Carolina believe that open record laws are essential to maintaining accountability, with an astounding 56.5% believing it's extremely important.

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Surveyed voters were asked a few different questions regarding open records laws, one of them being:

Do you agree or disagree that increased transparency through open records laws would enhance public trust in state legislators?

The response to this question?

82.5% of poll respondents agreed, with 58.4% strongly agreeing.

In a statement ([link removed]) following the release of the poll, Locke CEO Donald Bryson highlighted the findings, saying:

“The overwhelming support for open records laws among North Carolinians, as evidenced by the Civitas Poll, clearly demonstrates a public demand for transparency and accountability in governance...voters, generally, do not believe legislators deserve special privileges compared to other public servants. My advice to the General Assembly is to reverse the open records changes in this year’s state budget before it becomes a political liability.”

Back in October, a coalition of news and public organizations, including The John Locke Foundation and The Carolina Journal, sent ([link removed]) a public letter to members of the North Carolina General Assembly expressing concerns about the changes to public records laws made in September and urged lawmakers to make changes to provide more transparency, not less.

In October, after the revisions to open-record laws, I raised this question in an article ([link removed]) . It’s a question that I still have two months later:

What happened to public records being “property of the people?”

Friend, if the results from the latest Civitas Poll show us anything, it’s that North Carolinians value transparency and that it’s crucial in enhancing public trust in lawmakers.

I echo Donald’s call for North Carolina lawmakers to reverse the changes to public record laws in this year’s state budget.

In this age of escalating skepticism towards government, it is imperative that we assertively champion the cause of governmental transparency with our legislators.

Transparency fosters trust, assuring citizens that their government operates in their favor, not against them, giving voters a sense of peace and security.

Have a great week,

-Bethany


** Get your tickets for Carolina Liberty Conference 2024!
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Tickets for CLC 2024 are being snatched up quickly! Join in the celebration of freedom and liberty!

Grab your tickets today before they sell out! ([link removed])


** More from Locke & Carolina Journal
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** Candidate filings off to busy start in NC
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A bustling crowd of candidate hopefuls stood in line at the Gov. James G. Martin Building at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh Monday as candidate filing got underway for the 2024 election cycle in North Carolina.

Keep Reading ([link removed])

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** Discussing the Costs of North Carolina’s Different Electricity-Generating Sources
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Electricity from existing power plants is cheapest, and state law lets the cost of building new power plants fall on electricity consumers through increases in their power bills.

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** Shrinking Violets: Where Are the Redistricting Lawsuits?
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Redistricting lawsuits are common in North Carolina. The General Assembly’s redistricting page is littered with maps that courts have tossed out. However, unlike in the recent past, there has been no rush of lawsuits against the new maps.

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** Defining Digit
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** Latest Videos
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Taylor Dawson of the Beacon Center of Tennessee took a break from a national conference in Chicago to join us for our second round of deep dish policy in the Windy City. We compare the similarities between Tennessee and North Carolina, and Taylor describes some of Beacon Center's major victories, especially in getting a "Right to Work" enshrined in the Tennessee state constitution.

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