December 12, 2020
RALEIGH – In November, North Carolinians delivered a blow to the litigious Left by electing conservative-leaning judges to all eight of North Carolina’s open statewide judicial seats. Today, the final race achieved closure as Chief Justice Cheri Beasley (D) delivered her concession to Justice Paul Newby (R).
Both John Locke Foundation and Civitas Institute engaged in extensive voter education campaigns in an effort to help clarify the state judiciary’s impact on North Carolinian’s lives, families, and communities.
Amy O. Cooke, CEO of John Locke Foundation issued the following statement:
“With the seating of Paul Newby as North Carolina’s 30th State Supreme Court Chief Justice, the Court will have more balance as it moves from a 6-1 to 4-3 Democratic majority, which is a better reflection of North Carolina’s electorate. Over 5.3 million votes were cast in this race. That is 73% voter participation. Considering that only a few months ago we found that a majority didn’t even know they had a voice in these races, this number is remarkable. I’m proud of the work that Locke and Civitas did to educate all North Carolinians on the significance of researching the candidates and issues in these critically important down ballot races.
Donald Bryson, President and CEO of Civitas Institute, said the following:
“The race for North Carolina Chief Justice highlights the high level of voter engagement this election cycle, with historically low ballot roll-off. The sheer level of civic engagement is a testament to the work of both Civitas and the John Locke Foundation in educating citizens on the importance of becoming involved at all levels of government in 2020.”
The ballot roll off for the Newby-Beasley race was 2.78%. For comparison, the ballot roll off in the non-partisan 2016 State Supreme Court associate justice race between Mike Morgan and Bob Edmunds was 16.9%.
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