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Oct. 16, 2006

Judge for Yourself at the Polls

By Chris Heagarty

RALEIGH – Let’s say you had the chance to hire someone for a job that would have a direct impact on you, your family and your neighbors; a job that could literally mean life or death.

Oh, and the person you hire gets to keep the job for nearly a decade.

Now, would you choose somebody just because “his mama’s good people?” Or because he went to your alma mater? Or simply because you like the sound of his name? Or, would you just shrug it off, and leave the hiring to somebody else?

Well if history is our guide, nearly 60 percent of Tar Heel voters will do the latter this year, shirking their responsibility to hire the best candidates for our state’s Supreme Court. What makes that dim prospect all the more troubling is that four of the court’s seven justices – a majority – will be decided on Nov. 7, with the winners handed an eight-year term.

What may be lost on those who surrender their right to vote for these judicial candidates is that the state’s Supreme Court is not some distant, dusty institution that has no bearing on the lives of everyday folks.

Quite the contrary. As the name implies, the N.C. Supreme Court has the final say on the most pressing legal matters in our state today, from issues dealing with the education of our children to our property rights, along with death penalty cases. This court is charged with interpreting our state’s constitution, the very bedrock of our laws and liberties as North Carolinians.

Hopefully, you feel the gravity of this year’s judicial vote. But how can you pick the best candidates for the job when you don’t know them from Adam or Eve?

Adding to the challenge of making a choice is the fact that the races for the N.C. Supreme Court and N.C. Court of Appeals are nonpartisan. That means the candidates don’t run under a partisan label, and are not included in a straight-party ticket. So what to do?

Thankfully, by now you should have received the candidates’ resumes right in your mailbox. It came in the form of the Nonpartisan Judicial Voter Guide, produced by the State Board of Elections. About 4 million copies of the guide have been sent out, mailed directly to registered voters across North Carolina.

The guide includes all 12 candidates running for the state’s Supreme Court and Court Appeals, and features the facts on their educational, legal and judicial experience, along with a statement straight from the candidates themselves, making their case as they court your vote.

Indeed, the guide gives you much more insight into the qualifications of the potential judges and justices than a simple “R” or “D” next to their name ever could. And its compact size makes the guide perfect for carrying with you straight into the voting booth.

Of course, as we head into the homestretch of this election season, most everybody’s mailboxes have been flooded with a constant tide of campaign literature. So you’re forgiven if your copy of the state’s judicial voter guide was mistaken for just another piece of election-related fluff and sent promptly to the round file.

Fortunately, the Nonpartisan Judicial Voter Guide is also available online at www.ncvoterguide.org.

If you want to go beyond the printed page, tune in for “Judge for Yourself: Election 2006,” presented by the N.C. Center for Voter Education and UNC-TV. The forum will feature all 12 appellate-level candidates. It airs statewide on UNC-TV on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m.

The state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals candidates who win on Nov. 7 will remain on the bench until 2015. During that time we will witness two presidential elections, two summer Olympics, and a host of decisions handed down by these courts that will most certainly impact your life, and lives of North Carolinians for generations to come.

Even if you don’t vote for these candidates, someone will. Do you really want someone else to decide for you? As you work up the will to venture to the polls on Nov. 7, keep in mind the succinct and sage words of legendary NASCAR driver Richard Petty: “If you don’t vote, don’t complain. Go Vote!”

Chris Heagarty is the executive director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education, a Raleigh-based nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving elections in North Carolina.