An Impartial, Nonpartisan Look At North Carolina Candidates

Really just want to provide a resource to the state of North Carolina that allows voters to get information about the upcoming election intake know where there representatives stand on some of these really important issue is with family Pres. John Rustin thanks for joining us for family policy matters.

The 2019. General election is right around the corner in as many North Carolina voters have come to expect the North Carolina family policy Council will once again be providing an objective, nonpartisan voter God as a service to our state today. I'm joined by two NC family team members jury royal or Dir. of community impact and counsel, in Jake's site or communications associate. Our entire office is been hard at work for months preparing the 2018 general election voter God that you can access now@ncfamilyvoter.com again that's in C family photo.com and were excited to talk about this project today. Jerry and Jake walking the family policy matters. It's great to have you on the show great to be really great to be here which are, let's start with you talk a little bit about why NC family produces a voter God. Every election cycle and what is unique about our God versus other voter guides that may be available to the voters of our state and were years ago. I we realize it was very difficult to find any information about where the candidates for statewide office stood on the important issues we address in our work. I'm not aware of any other voter guide that covers as many issues or as many races and it does so in an impartial nonpartisan way. We do not endorse candidates, we just tried informed voters of where the candidates stand on many important issues. Many guys actually endorsed candidates which is fine, but because our God is impartial, it is illegal for churches to distribute them when it comes to issues elections. The main restriction for churches is that they cannot engage in with IRS calls political campaign activity for or against a candidate. Churches can have nonpartisan voter registration and can hand out impartial voter guides. I see this effort by the family policy Council is part of how we can love our neighbors caring about whose elected office and the laws that are passed because these decisions will affect many of our neighbors were there is no doubt about that and it's so important. Voters have good information, reliable information about where the candidates stand on issues that they care about I and we have found years ago that there was a real void for that type of resource to the voters of our state and that's why about beginning in 2000 to 2000 general election that north Carolina family policy Council first started producing a voter guide and it's really become a part of an important part of a voting in North Carolina was equality talk a little bit about the breath of the races in the candidates that are included in this year's voter God and the candidate response rate this year yes so we sent out questionnaires to every candidate that was running for U.S. Congress every candidate that was running for the North Carolina Supreme Court and the North Carolina Court of Appeals as well as all candidates running for the North Carolina Gen. assembly's of the North Carolina State House and state Senate. All total doubt is represents over 400 candidates. So in the in the general assembly this year. Every single contest was contested so there is there is candidates on both sides of the political spectrum for every single race there which is the first time in North Carolina history are one of the first times North Carolina history so there is a ton of candidates and we really do make an effort to include every body of both parties get the questionnaire and the response rate was was great this year so this was the represents the most amount of candidates that responded to our questionnaire since at least 2008 so we really were overwhelmed with the response that we got and and it really made the products one that is going to be helpful for voters across the state are also seeing more candidates from of greater variety of political parties. We got a course Republicans and Democrats.

We've got a libertarian candidates unaffiliated candidates and also candidates with the Constitution party and Green party running in North Carolina so we did send out questionnaires to all candidates, regardless of party affiliation and encourage them multiple times to participate in the voter God because we really want this resource to be a conduit of information from the candidates directly to the voters so talk a little bit about some of the topics that are covered in this year's God yes so we include questions about the sanctity of human life religious liberty educational choice campus free speech is is one of the topics I think is hot right now that we did a question for U.S. Congress candidates on and we all said that we asked some questions about gambling. Of course, the Supreme Court made it possible to make sports betting legal and state so we asked the state candidates about that.

I saw all of those. I think there are topics that are really on the minds of voters right now so that it will really be helpful to to see where your candidates stand on those issues. The other thing that I think is is maybe the most helpful question that we ask and probably one of the most helpful for voters across the state is is the judicial questions that we ask and it's always interesting to see the responses and so one of the questions that we ask judicial candidates is is where their judicial philosophy which Supreme Court justices judicial philosophy most closely aligned stood there judicial philosophy and so we get a lot of you know if if somebody feels like their judicial moderate, they might say Kennedy and if they feel like they're more on the original tensile they might say Clarence Thomas or Lito but it's always interesting. I think extremely valuable to see what the judicial candidates say for that question because usually first for the average voter North Carolina that they don't know that much about judicial candidates. Of course this is the first time for the Supreme Court that that the party affiliations going to be listed there. But our voter guide is when the only places that you can see pretty clearly spelled out. Where judicial candidates stand on their judicial philosophy as well as another question that asked him that it's that I think is really important is what is the role of faith that plays their daily life and as a nonpartisan question that's a question that you can go on our website and read hey with what does this judicial candidate believe or what role does faith play in their life and it's always it is a good way to get to know candidates that I think usually are just the name on the ballot and so if you really wanted your education and get to know some of these candidates that you might not see on TV are voter guys really great place to do it, Jake. I think that's a great point and one thing that I'll point out for listeners is that I think one of the things that makes our voter God somewhat unique, and also helps to helps us get a a very high response rate from the candidates is that we invite candidates to provide additional comments or explanations for their answers.

So if they fueled him then because they don't want to answer yes no or undecided to an issue we invite them to provide additional comments to hopefully explain where they stand on these issues and then we scan all of those questionnaires and post them up on the voter God website so that people can see in their home own handwriting where the candidates stand specifically on these issues and the candidates feel much better. I think because they feel like their positions are more fully and accurately represented, but I couldn't agree more Jake that especially with the judicial candidates that those kind of open-ended questions about their judicial philosophy and also the role that faith plays in their daily lives are very very instructive subject.

What is the process for including candidates in the voter God in ensuring also that everyone is treated equally and given an ample opportunity to participate.

So after the primary election is finished someone on our staff will go through and get a final general election and candidate list and so, like I mentioned earlier that lists this year was was over 400 candidates and will will do is is we will mail out our questionnaire via snail mail old school and then will enter a pretty exhaustive follow-up process so we will call, email, tax facts, whatever it takes, we will make sure that every candidate in the state of North Carolina is notified that the questionnaire has been sent and has an opportunity to respond and said that that's true no matter what the party whether it's Republican and Democrat green Constitution doesn't matter, we really want every candidate to have the opportunity to answer our questions and if a candidate for example, wants to to write you know wire questions are unfair or say you know why some of the positions and see family is taken is is wrong will gladly print that and put what they write online so we really truly just want to get the candidate's response to our questionnaire and we go through an extensive follow-up process to make sure every candidate has the opportunity to respond notary talk about how we distribute the voter God. How many print copies of the 2018 general election voter God are available and how do people get their hands on this year we have printed 300,000 guides and in addition to offering printed guides were encouraging more and more people to go to our website which you mentioned earlier in see family voter.com where people can see all the responses of the candidates along with any comments evaded to the responses of yes or no or undecided on the various questions we've asked. Also on the website you can get a personalized version of our vertigo, where you will see just the candidates that will be on your ballot based on your address in the district you live in. If you're currently on the NC family mailing list. You will receive a copy of the printed voter guide. You can also receive guides through many churches across the state of North Carolina.

In addition to that, you can order guides and multiples will hundred at no charge for distribution in your church or civic group or your neighborhood. In the website order those voter guides is either the family policy Council website which is NC family.org again NC family.org or you can go to the voter God website itself NC family voter.com and just click on the link to order voter guides in bulk and again you can order as many as would be helpful for you to provide one to every family in your church in your neighborhood and your civic group or a combination of all of those are desire and goal is to get voter guides in the hands of his many voters across the state. As we can and and John how does add another thing I think one of the probably best aspects of this. Is it rude truly is a voter educational tool and so if your church or a pastor or someone who may be is is hesitant to include something political at your church. You know, part of our voter guide also is just getting some very basic information about elections into the hands of voters.

So for example, it has the dates that early voting began.

It has the way that did the state board of election website so that the voters can see their ballot that they're actually going to be voting on it has the date of the general election that's coming up I believe it has some information about how to get registered to vote. If you are registered about this truly is a VA educational tool is not partisan. It's not an endorsement of any kind. We truly just want to provide a resource to the state of North Carolina that allows voters to get information about the upcoming election intake know where there representatives stand on some of these really important issues and let me reiterate again the personalized voter God that people can access on the voter God website it NC family voter.com you go on that site and you simply type in your name and your address and by virtue of you typing in your address. It matches you up specifically with your congressional district in your state legislative districts, and then it will generate a personalized voter God for you. That includes all the candidates that are running in your congressional race in your state Senate race in your statehouse race as well as the statewide judicial races that are so important for state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, and you can have all that information there just on your computer screen and so we really want to encourage voters across the state to avail themselves of this resource if you want to go a step further than go to the family policy Council website it NC family.org or the voter God website it NC family voter.com and be sure absolutely to get out there and vote early voting in North Carolina starts on October 17 the general election this year is on Tuesday, November 6 and we at the north Carolina family policy Council want to encourage all the voters of the state of North Carolina to get out into the true value and with that oral intake side: thank you so much for being with us on family policy matters a great work that you all do for the family policy Council state. Thanks so much listening to family policy matters and to listen to a radio show online resources and information about issues important to families in North Carolina website and see family.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook