It’s finally here: Have you already voted?

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Hi there,

It’s finally here: Election Day!

If you haven’t had a chance to vote yet, polling places are open until 7:30 pm tonight. Any voter in line at their assigned polling place at 7:30 pm can still vote.

Regardless of what happens tonight, or in the next few days, it is important to remember a motto our nation has clung to over the centuries: E pluribus unum, “out of many, one.” We are Americans. This truth has steadied us even during the most turbulent of times; our war for independence, the Civil War, World War II, and more.

Our nation is durable, because our people, our institutions, and our documents are durable.

We are all bound together in this grand experiment in liberty and self-governance, and even during dark moments, we have found that civil society, composed of communities, private institutions, and families have served as the binding agent necessary to keep this great experiment going.

This United States’ success has come at great cost to those who came before us. Of those whose courage and resolve were on display from the very beginning of our fledgling nation, there are few as underrepresented and overlooked as the 51 brave women of Edenton, North Carolina.

In October of 1774, the ladies of Edenton banded together to hold what is believed to be the first documented American political protest led by women. Having very few political and legal rights of their own, these women asserted their belief in the innate rights of North Carolinians to decide their own destiny.

Facing not only public ridicule, but also physical harm, the ladies of Edenton set the stage for the later generation of suffragists who secured a woman’s right to vote.

These women were the whisper before the roar of independence.

And that’s the story we’ve sought to tell in A Letter To The King ([link removed]) .

The Edenton women who signed the letter, titled the Edenton Resolves, were compelled by a deep sense of duty:

“We cannot be indifferent on any occasion that appears nearly to affect the peace and happiness of our country, and…it is a duty to which we owe, not only to our near and dear connections,...but to ourselves.”

It’s been said that the opposite of love is not hate, but rather the opposite of love is indifference.

During a time when many lament the decline in community, with neighbors never bothering to meet one another, civic association at low-levels, and institutional distrust at an all time high, the siren song of indifference has plunged many into depths of disconnect and suspicion, unwilling to consider the beauty of living in this city on a hill, America.

The ladies of Edenton would have none of that.

Instead, they felt the same sense of duty that those who love liberty in our day do.

And I hope, on this Election Day, you’ll consider the courage of the women of Edenton and remember that in every generation, Americans have to vigilantly guard the liberties that were secured by the sacrifices of those who came before us.

And that in our history Americans have never failed to uphold those duties. In our almost 250 year history our nation has survived divisive political battles, world wars, depressions, recessions, pandemics, and so much more. But we always come together as Americans inspired by the spirit of those who defended our past liberty.

Like the ladies of Edenton.

You can watch A Letter To The King here ([link removed]) .

Also, keep checking for updates at johnlocke.org ([link removed]) for additional resources as we celebrate North Carolina’s pivotal role in the American Revolution by following our NC250: Freedom’s Vanguard work.

Esse quam videri,

Brooke Medina


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1) 🚗🚗🚗 Rerouting how our highways are funded ([link removed])
* In 2022, Governor Cooper issued an executive order to increase the number of registered zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), in the state to 1.25 million by 2030
+ ZEVs include both electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs)
+ While the order lacks legal enforcement, it signals central planning for ZEVs
+ But if Cooper’s goal is met, it will create an annual funding gap for roads and highways for tens of millions of dollars
* Currently, our Department of Transportation (NCDOT) uses the Highway Trust Funds (HTF) for road construction and maintenance
+ 72% of its revenue come from state taxpayers
o The largest source is the state motor fuels tax, contributing 36% of total revenue
+ And the remaining 28% comes from the federal government
o Most of which is funded through national taxes on gasoline and diesel
+ But the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the federal HTF will be insolvent by 2028 ([link removed]) , mainly due to the anticipated rise in ZEV usage
* Adjusted for inflation, the NC motor fuels tax rate on gasoline and diesel has remained relatively flat
+ Traditionally, due to a lack of substitutes, motor fuel consumption per driver has varied little, from year to year
+ Since 2003, inflation-adjusted annual state tax revenue from this tax has risen from $1.98 billion to $2.70 billion, a 36% increase
+ But as progressive policymakers push drivers to transition to ZEVs, this revenue source is expected to decline
* If Cooper’s 2030 target of 1.25 million ZEVs is accomplished, they would comprise 14% of registered vehicles in the state
+ But this goal remains unrealistic, because:
o Many Americans are not interested in using ZEVs, according to a Gallup survey ([link removed])
o ZEVs are expensive compared to regular cars
+ Nonetheless, every new ZEV generates less state tax revenue and hurts our roads
o If Cooper’s goal is met, the total loss to the state in tax revenue would $57.02 million annually (at current fees and rates)
* To ensure a reliable and sufficient revenue stream for our road and highways, NC legislators should consider replacing ZEV fees and the motor fuels tax with a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax, adjusted for inflation
+ This would enhance fairness in the tax code, address revenue shortfalls and reflect changing vehicle technology

You can read more here ([link removed]) .

2) ✍️✍️✍️ Election reflections from a visit to hurricane-ravaged western NC ([link removed])
* We’ve all seen the scenes of utter devastation after Hurricane Helene hit western NC
* Yet most county board of elections were up and running within a few days
+ And every county in the affected area was conducting early voting three weeks later
* To get an impression of how early voting was going, we visited two of the hardest-hit counties in western NC: Yancey, and Madison
+ We spoke with their board of elections directors and observed early voting in both counties
+ And delivered some relief supplies and witnessed the ongoing recovery efforts
* In summary:
+ “From precinct officials, early voting workers, and county election officials to the General Assembly and SBE, all are rising admirably to the challenge Hurricane Helene imposed on them”
* This is a testimony to both the resiliency of the people of western North Carolina, and the dedication of election officials and workers, to make sure they can exercise their right to vote

You can read the full reflections of our findings here ([link removed]) .

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3) 🗳️🗳️🗳️ 11/04 election data dump - Republicans maintain their edge ([link removed])
* As North Carolina gears up for Election Day, let's take a final look at the early voting ballot data
+ Most data will come from our Vote Tracker ([link removed])
* Republicans continue to lead in same-day voter registrations
+ Republicans have had a net gain of 19,156 registrations
+ Compared to 14,189 for Democrats
+ And 9,895 for Unaffiliated
+ The total number of same-day registrations by party is:
o 43,103 Republicans
o 39,142 Democrats
o 32,838 Unaffiliated
* Unaffiliated voters end early voting on top
+ County election boards have accepted 4,453,345 early and absentee ballots through November 3rd
+ Unaffiliated voters turned out to be the leading block of pre election-day voters, at 33.6%
o While 33.3% for Republicans
o And 32.4% for Democrats
+ In 2020, Democrats had led 37.4% compared to Republicans’ 31.7% and Unaffiliated’s 30.4%
+ This is the first time Unaffiliated voters have led early voting turnout, partially because they are now the largest block of voters ([link removed]) in NC
+ Below is the turnout differential by party registration, from 2020 to 2024
o Democrat = -266,200
o Republican = +31,448
o Unaffiliated = +110,109
* The early-voting electorate is older, whiter, and more female (and more male)!
+ The number of early voters over 65 years old increased from 1,270,656 in 2020 to 1,403,940 in 2024
+ The electorate is also whiter, from 66.2% in 2020 to 69.2% in 2024, while Black early turnout has decreased from 19.5% to 17.8%
+ One odd finding that early turnout is both more male and more female compared to 2020
o The proportion of female early voters increased from 51.2% to 51.7%
o While the male proportion has also increased from 40.8% to 41.2%
+ How is that possible?
o The number of voters undesignated by sex decreased from 8% in 2020 to 7.1% in 2024, because the State Board of Elections found missing demographic data on hundreds of thousands of voters in 2021
o It also partially explains the increase in white voters in 2021
For context, the RealClearPolitics averages show in North Carolina:
+ Republican Donald Trump leading Democrat Kamala Harris 48.8% - 47.3%
+ And Democrat Josh Stein leading Republican Mark Robinson 53.0% - 38.8%

You can get the full picture here ([link removed]) .
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