1. Ballotpedia launches comprehensive coverage of North Carolina local elections
2. At this time next year, we will be between Democratic and Republican National Conventions
3. Reminder: Phoenix voters will decide citizen initiatives on light rail, city pensions tomorrow

Ballotpedia launches comprehensive coverage of North Carolina local elections

There are 503 cities, towns, and villages across North Carolina holding elections for 1,900 positions this year, and for the first time ever, Ballotpedia's sample ballot is expanding to encompass every election in a state. In addition to the municipal races, there are nine school districts holding elections for 23 school board seats and 17 special districts holding elections for 52 seats. This adds up to 529 localities holding elections for 1,975 positions in North Carolina this year.

Jurisdictions differ in how they structure their elections - there is no statewide mandated system. Local elections in North Carolina can follow four different methods during odd-numbered years:

• In partisan elections where runoffs are possible, the primary is September 10, the primary runoff is October 8, and the general election is November 5. Primary runoffs may be held if no candidate receives at least 30% of the primary vote; however, the primary runoff is only held if the second-place candidate requests it. In 2019, only Charlotte and Sanford are following this method.

• In nonpartisan elections where runoffs are possible, the general election is October 8 and the general runoff election is November 5. General runoffs may be held if no candidate receives at least 50% of the general election vote; however, the general runoff is only held if the second-place candidate requests it.

• In nonpartisan elections with primaries where runoffs aren't possible, the primary is October 8 and the general election is November 5. If only two or fewer candidates file to run per seat, the primary is not held and the candidates who filed advance automatically to the general election. 

• In nonpartisan elections without primaries where runoffs aren't possible, the general election is November 5. These are plurality elections in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins; the winner does not need to meet a certain threshold of the overall vote to avoid a runoff. Most North Carolina local elections in 2019 are following this method.

Across the state, there are 65 local positions where no candidates filed to run. This includes the mayor's office in 19 municipalities, the city or town council in 43 municipalities, and board positions in two special districts. These positions will be filled by write-in candidates who have been certified by their county board of elections.

Three of the state's largest cities—Charlotte, Durham, and Raleigh—are among those holding elections in 2019. The mayor's office is on the ballot in all three cities, and so are all 11 city council seats in Charlotte, three of seven city council seats in Durham, and all seven city council seats in Raleigh.

North Carolina's local filing deadline passed on July 19, 2019. However, municipalities were permitted by the state government to extend their filing deadline by one week. There are also some exceptions to the statewide filing deadline; in Catawba County, Hickory Public Schools and Newton-Conover City Schools both have their filing deadline on September 6.

At Ballotpedia, we are excited to debut this full, comprehensive, statewide coverage in 2019. We hope it will continue to extend to other states in future years. Stay tuned!

Learn more

       

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At this time next year, we will be between Democratic and Republican National Conventions

In just under a year, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) will hold its presidential nominating convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from July 13 to 16. A little over a month later, the Republican National Committee (RNC) will meet in Charlotte, North Carolina, from August 24 to 27. At both conventions, delegates will select their party’s presidential nominee and vote to adopt a platform outlining the party’s priorities and values.

Democratic and Republican primaries and caucuses will begin with the first caucus event taking place in Iowa on February 3, 2020. New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina will also hold primaries in February.

Super Tuesday—the day when the largest number of states and territories hold a presidential primary or caucus—will be March 3, 2020. Sixteen Democratic and 14 Republican nominating events are scheduled for that date. States with more than one-third of the U.S. population are expected to vote on Super Tuesday. The last primary elections of the cycle will be held at the beginning of June 2020. 

In 2016, the RNC held its presidential nominating convention in Cleveland from July 18-21, 2016, and the DNC held its convention in Philadelphia from July 25-28, 2016.

Phoenix voters will decide citizen initiatives on light rail, city pensions tomorrow

Phoenix voters will decide two citizen initiatives in a special ballot initiative election tomorrow that would amend the city’s charter. 

Proposition 105 would:

• end construction of light rail extensions;

• redirect funds from light rail projects to other transportation infrastructure improvements in Phoenix; and

• prohibit funding other light rail development, with an exception for PHX Sky Train—an automated electric train that serves the area around Phoenix International Airport.

Proposition 106 would:

• require annual assessments of the city's pension debt based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and the 10-year average return on investment;

• limit budget growth if pensions are not 90% funded;

• earmark revenue over the budget limit to paying down pension debt, with exceptions for police, fire, and first responder services; and

• require city officials to reimburse the city for pension benefit employer contributions.

Learn more about the measures on Ballotpedia and follow along on Ballotpedia News for results on Wednesday.

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