But when you go to the polls this fall, you will also get to make big decisions about who will represent you at the House of Representatives in D.C., at the North Carolina General Assembly, the Wake County Commission and from the bench at Wake County District Court.
Raleigh Public Record’s mission is to report the stories that don’t get told. We focus on those races towards the bottom of the ballot because local elected leaders have a very real impact on your day-to-day life.
About this Guide
We spoke with almost every candidate running for a seat in Raleigh. We asked each candidate the same set of questions based on important issues in her or his particular race, and we followed up if we felt like we didn’t get a straight answer. The bulk of this guide consists of those answers, transcribed by our reporters and edited to fit in the space we have available. But what you read here are the candidates’ own words, unscripted.
We did not provide the questions ahead of time. In some cases the candidate refused to speak with us, most notably Congresswoman Renee Ellmers, because we would not negotiate on providing the questions in advance. We felt it would not be fair to other candidates and we did not want scripted answers — that would not be fair to you.
We don’t care who you vote for; we just want you to vote. And we want that to be an informed vote as you make your way down the ballot to the County Commissioners and District Court judges.
Thank you for taking the time to read this guide and for getting out and voting.
Charles C. Duncan Pardo
Editor
