Will N.C. Voters Make the Grade?

By Chris Heagarty
Published: Sep. 18, 2006

RALEIGH - The new school year is underway across North Carolina, and while many students already have faced a quiz or two by now, they’re still a comfortable distance away from those dreaded final exams.

But for Tar Heel voters, the final exam is just weeks away, with early voting in this year’s election kicking off on Oct. 19. Will voters pass the test?

In 2004, voter turnout was at a near-record 64 percent, according to the State Board of Elections. But, as most high school students could tell you, scoring a 64 on a test is nothing to brag about.

Even less praiseworthy is the 42 percent turnout the state saw in 1994 -- a flat-out failing grade. That year’s turnout is noteworthy 12 years later, as it’s the last time our state saw what’s called a “blue-moon election,” where there’s no much-buzzed-about race for the White House, governor’s mansion or U.S. Senate to pump up voters.

The blue-moon election is once more upon us, and if history is our guide, there again may be a case of voting blues come Election Day. And that would be a shame, because North Carolina voters will help determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives, state legislature and N.C. Court of Appeals this year.

What’s more, a majority of the justices on the N.C. Supreme Court -- including the chief justice -- face election this fall, with voters handing the winners an eight-year term, charting the course of our state’s highest court for nearly a decade to come.

So, what’s to be done to avoid flunking?

First off, just as a student must be enrolled before going to class, voters need to be sure they’re registered with their county board of elections before casting a ballot. The deadline to register for this year’s contest is Oct. 13.

Secondly, like pupils cramming for an exam, North Carolina voters ought to brush up on this year’s batch of candidates. In fact, research by the nonpartisan N.C. Center for Voter Education last year found that the No. 1 reason why qualified voters don’t go to the polls is because they lack the facts they need to cast a confident ballot.

Luckily for voters, this is an open-book test.

Many newspapers print voter guides as Election Day nears. And the State Board of Elections will soon mail out the official state judicial voter guide to homes across North Carolina. The guide features all of the candidates running this year for the N.C. Supreme Court and N.C. Court of Appeals.

Another resource is found online at www.ncvotered.com/govote. Produced by the N.C. Center for Voter Education, the site offers useful information on this year’s election.

Unlike the unprepared pupil tempted to scribble a cheat sheet on his palm, or the clueless student who might rely upon a game of “enie, menie, miney, moe” to aimlessly pick the answer, Tar Heel voters are free to take these guides with them straight into the voting booth.

And with voters empowered with the facts on this year’s candidates, they won’t have to feign a fever to avoid going to the polls.

President Franklin Roosevelt, no doubt a subject of study for some North Carolina students this year, put it well when he said, “Nobody will ever deprive the American people the right to vote except the American people themselves -- and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”

Make no mistake about it, this Election Day is a test. It’s a test of our gratitude to the courageous patriots who have won us this right. It’s a test of our resolve to ensure the best representation in our state’s government. And it’s a test of the democratic ideals taught in North Carolina’s schools today.

Let’s ace this test.