Who I’m voting for in the 2020 Elections

Politics

October 5th, 2020

I wanted to take the time to document who I was voting for and why I’m voting for them in the 2020 Elections. This will be my first time voting in any election and I figured I’d list who I’m voting for so I can remember and see who actually gets elected and then monitor how each person does in preparation for the next election. I’m sure some of my reasoning is flawed and I might be making nothing more than arbitrary decisions, but I figure it was better to actually decide candidate by candidate instead of party by party. Out of 32 partisan races I voted for 22 Democrats (4 of which were unopposed) and 10 Republicans. I used the New’s and Observer Voter Guide (Located online) and the Wake County 2020 Voter Guide (which was mailed to me). In a lot of instances, it came down to the education and experience listed on the News and Observer website for each of the candidates (e.g. farmer vs. non-farmer for agriculture commissioner or Ph.D. vs Non-Ph.D. for superintendent of public instruction). Some of the North Carolina Republicans didn’t have a lot listed for them, otherwise, I would have probably voted for them. I learned about the North Carolina Channel on YouTube a bit late and would have probably used that a bit more. I will certainly use it more next time.

  • (R) – Republican
  • (D) – Democratic
  • (C) – Constitution
  • (G) – Green
  • (L) – Libertarian
  • (N) – Nonpartisan
  • PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Joseph Biden Jr. (D), Donald J. Trump (R), Don Blankenship (C), Howie Hawkins (G), or Jo Jorgensen (L)
    • I think this one is pretty obvious. I have zero confidence in Donald Trump as the leader of this nation.
  • U.S. SENATE – NORTH CAROLINA: Shannon W. Bray (L), Cal Cunningham (D), Kevin E. Hayes (C), or Thom R. Tillis (R)
    • Looking at Thom’s Wikipedia page on his political positions I find that there are not a whole lot of things I disagree with outright or at least there are more things I agree with than disagree. I don’t like that he favors Trump, but he was elected before Trump, I can’t fault him for siding with trump more often than not, but his vocal opposition to Trump has been noted. I just hope that when Trump is out of office, Thom can help bring the Republican party back from the brink. My issue with Cal was what he was saying in the Debate. There are some specific things I don’t like about the democratic party and Cal just didn’t seem to appeal to me. The issues that were brought up just weren’t that important to me I guess.
  • U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES – NORTH CAROLINA 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Jeff Matemu (L), Deborah K. Ross (D), or Alan D. Swain (R)
    • I didn’t see much information on this race, but to me, Deborah Ross seemed to be the more qualified candidate, serving in the NC House of Representatives as well as having a law degree. Alan has a political science Bachelors and Masters. It would seem I tend to look down on political science degrees for some reason at least when it comes to folks running for public office.
  • NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR: Roy Cooper (D), Steven J. DiFiore (L), Dan Forest (R), or Al Pisano (C)
    • I think this boils down to experience and education. Roy Cooper has been the governor and has a law degree. Dan Forest has an architecture degree plus he has been holding campaign events without masks which I think is irresponsible. He was also not listed in the Wake County 2020 Voter Guide with the caption that there was “no response from candidate” (this was the case with some other republicans as well) which to me indicates a lack of organization and seriousness.
  • NORTH CAROLINA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: Yvonne Lewis Holley (D) or Mark Robinson (R)
    • On the News and Observer Voter Guide the responses that Yvonne gave seemed more put together. Mark seemed to be repeating conservative talking points when answering the following question: “The office of lieutenant governor has very few real duties or responsibilities. So what issue or cause would you want to champion if elected?” Mark – “As Lt. Governor my priorities will be: * Protecting the life of the born and unborn. * Defending our 2nd Amendment. * Promoting school choice and Opportunity Scholarships. * Standing up for our law enforcement. * Making North Carolina the gold standard for veterans care. * Fighting for common sense legislation like Voter ID.” I’m not in favor of just repeating talking points (this was a similar case with Cal Cunningham). Yvonne’s response was the following: “The Lt. Gov has many important responsibilities, but the most important is presiding over the NC Senate. While the current administration has mostly ceded that responsibility to Sen. Berger, I will not. There needs to be someone in this office who is able to negotiate and work with both parties, especially given the current projections of there being a tie in the State Senate. I want to champion my Affordable Living Initiative program and use my legislative experience to make sure it is implemented so we can start rebuilding families post COVID-19.” this seemed to me to be a much more balanced and not obviously partisan approach. Mark also failed to respond to the Wake County 2020 Voter Guide folks.
  • NORTH CAROLINA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Jim O’Neill (R) or Josh Stein (D)
    • Both have law degrees, but Josh Stein has a History bachelors and a Public Policy Masters. I don’t know what Jim’s bachelor’s degree was in. Also, Jim O’Neill wasn’t in the Wake County 2020 Voter Guide.
  • NORTH CAROLINA AUDITOR: Anthony Wayne Street (R) or Beth A. Wood (D)
    • Beth Wood is listed as having an accounting degree and 30 years as a CPA. Anthony Street is just listed as being a small business owner.
  • NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES COMMISSIONER: Steve Troxler (R) or Jenna Wadsworth (D)
    • Steve has a farming background and Jenna Does not. I think this important for this particular role.
  • NORTH CAROLINA INSURANCE COMMISSIONER AND FIRE MARSHAL: Mike Causey (R) or Wayne Goodwin (D)
    • Wayne seems to me to be more experienced. He also has an endorsement from the Professional Firefighters and Paramedics of North Carolina (as well as a couple of other endorsements) whereas Mike does not have any. Wayne also has a law degree whereas Mike has a civil engineering degree. I’m willing to overlook his political science degree, only because he seems to have more relevant experience.
  • NORTH CAROLINA LABOR COMMISSIONER: Josh Dobson (R) or Jessica Holmes (D)
    • I couldn’t find much information on Josh from the News and Observer Website or the Wake County 2020 Voter Guide. In the Wake County 2020 voter guide for Jessica, it says that she’s focused her legal career on labor and employment law and worker’s rights. I find that makes her qualified in my opinion.
  • NORTH CAROLINA SECRETARY OF STATE: Elaine Marchall (D) or E.C. Sykes (R)
    • This one for me boiled down to the fact that this office regulates certification of lobbyists, charities, businesses, notaries, etc. Elaine has a law degree which I think seems relevant for this position. She’s also been the secretary of State since 1996, so I think experience counts here as well.
  • NORTH CAROLINA SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION: Jen Mangrum (D) or Catherine Truitt (R)
    • While both have an educational background, only Jen has a doctorate which I think puts her ahead of Catherine for this office.
  • NORTH CAROLINA TREASURER: Ronnie Chatterji (D) or Dale R Folwell (R)
    • I was initially thinking I was going to go with Dale because Ronnie just seemed too qualified for something that involved pensions, but now I’m thinking that the more experience and education with economics, the better (Which Ronnie certainly has).
  • NORTH CAROLINA STATE SENATE – DISTRICT 14: Dan Blue (D), Alan David Michael (R), or Justin Walczak (L)
    • Alan has been a manager of Pizza Hut and Golden Corral, a realtor and car salesman whereas Dan was the co-founder of a company, a state representative, and a state senator. Justin only has an associates in automotive systems technology and both Justin and Alan did not respond for the Wake County 2020 Voter Guide. This one for me was pretty unambiguous.
  • NORTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES – DISTRICT 11: Allison Dahle (D), Clark Pope (R), or Adrian Lee Travers (L)
    • I felt that Allison was a bit too liberal and although I don’t know much about Clark Pope because he didn’t have anything in the voter guide or news and observer website with regards to education and experience, I liked what he had to say on the news and observer website: “Criminal justice reform, defund criminal networks primarily by treating illegal drugs as a public health problem, indemnify businesses that hire ex-convicts, replace cash bail with electronic tracking, reassess the effect of fees/fines on the financial health of low level offenders, a summit between law enforcement and community leaders, and more body cams. All with the goal of increasing trust between law enforcement and citizens and prevent the criminal spirals that end up soaking taxpayers to pay for overpopulated prisons and mothers/children with no support from absentee fathers.” I would say that I definitely like a progressive republican.
  • WAKE COUNTY COMMISSION – DISTRICT 1: Sig Hutchison (D) or Greg Jones (R)
    • Sig has a master’s in education and Greg only has an associate’s in who knows what.
  • WAKE COUNTY COMMISSION – DISTRICT 2: Matt Calabria (D)
    • Matt is the only candidate for the district.
  • WAKE COUNTY COMMISSION – DISTRICT 3: Maria Cervania (D) or Steve Hale (R)
    • Steve seems to have more experience and is fairly progressive: “Racial justice is everyone’s problem. Affordable housing and criminal justice reform, such as the decriminalization of cannabis, are paramount to racial equality. Blacks and whites use cannabis at the same rates but blacks are arrested for possessing user amounts of cannabis at far higher rates than whites. These criminal charges have a devastating effect on employment and education opportunities.”
  • WAKE COUNTY COMMISSION – DISTRICT 4: Susan P. Evans (D)
    • Susan is the only candidate for the district.
  • WAKE COUNTY COMMISSION – DISTRICT 5: James West (D)
    • James is the only candidate for the district.
  • WAKE COUNTY COMMISSION – DISTRICT 6: Shinica Thomas (D) or Karen J. Weathers (R)
    • While Shinica has a political science and public administration degree, Karen is a small business owner and has worked in the healthcare industry for most of her career which I think may offer a more unique insight.
  • WAKE COUNTY COMMISSION – DISTRICT 7: Vickie Adamson (D) or Faruk Okcetin (R)
    • Both have a business management/business administration background, but I think Faruk is the more qualified candidate here.
  • WAKE COUNTY REGISTER OF DEEDS: Tammy L. Brunner (D) or Charles Gilliam (R)
    • Tammy was the executive director for the Wake County Democratic Party as well the North Carolina Democratic Party, which is a pretty big red flag for me, plus she has a political science degree. Charles has a Business administration degree, an MBA, and a law degree which is better in my opinion.
  • WAKE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD – DISTRICT 5: Jim Martin (N)
    • Jim was the only candidate for the District.
  • WAKE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT BOARD: M.C. Brock (N), Jean Luc Duvall (N), Marshall Harvey (N), or Scott Lassiter (N)
    • I’m going with Marshall only because he’s held the position for a while, otherwise I would definitely go with Scott Lassiter even though he has a political science degree. He also has a school administration master’s and an education background which I think would be useful for the position.
  • NORTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE – SEAT 1: Cheri Beasley (D) or Paul Newby (R)
    • The NC Supreme Court Justices were tough to pick as both candidates for each one are experienced (everyone has a law degree for obvious reasons) and I was rather arbitrary with it for most if not all of them. Plus, most of these picks don’t seem to impact my life in any significant way.
  • NORTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE – SEAT 2: Phil Berger Jr. (R) or Lucy Inman (D)
    • The NC Supreme Court Justices were tough to pick as both candidates for each one are experienced (everyone has a law degree for obvious reasons) and I was rather arbitrary with it for most if not all of them. Plus, most of these picks don’t seem to impact my life in any significant way.
  • NORTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE – SEAT 4: Tamara Barringer (R) or Mark Davis (D)
    • The NC Supreme Court Justices were tough to pick as both candidates for each one are experienced (everyone has a law degree for obvious reasons) and I was rather arbitrary with it for most if not all of them. Plus, most of these picks don’t seem to impact my life in any significant way.
  • NORTH CAROLINA APPEALS COURT JUDGE – SEAT 13: Chris Brook (D) or Jefferson G. Griffin (R)
    • The NC Supreme Court Justices were tough to pick as both candidates for each one are experienced (everyone has a law degree for obvious reasons) and I was rather arbitrary with it for most if not all of them. Plus, most of these picks don’t seem to impact my life in any significant way.
  • NORTH CAROLINA APPEALS COURT JUDGE – SEAT 4: Tricia Shields (D) or April C. Wood (R)
    • The NC Supreme Court Justices were tough to pick as both candidates for each one are experienced (everyone has a law degree for obvious reasons) and I was rather arbitrary with it for most if not all of them. Plus, most of these picks don’t seem to impact my life in any significant way.
  • NORTH CAROLINA APPEALS COURT JUDGE – SEAT 5: Lora Christine Cubbage (D) or Fred Gore (R)
    • The NC Supreme Court Justices were tough to pick as both candidates for each one are experienced (everyone has a law degree for obvious reasons) and I was rather arbitrary with it for most if not all of them. Plus, most of these picks don’t seem to impact my life in any significant way.
  • NORTH CAROLINA APPEALS COURT JUDGE – SEAT 6: Chris Dillon (R) or Grae Styers (D)
    • The NC Supreme Court Justices were tough to pick as both candidates for each one are experienced (everyone has a law degree for obvious reasons) and I was rather arbitrary with it for most if not all of them. Plus, most of these picks don’t seem to impact my life in any significant way.
  • NORTH CAROLINA APPEALS COURT JUDGE – SEAT 7: Jeff Carpenter (R) or Reuben F. Young (D)
    • The NC Supreme Court Justices were tough to pick as both candidates for each one are experienced (everyone has a law degree for obvious reasons) and I was rather arbitrary with it for most if not all of them. Plus, most of these picks don’t seem to impact my life in any significant way.
  • NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT COURT JUDGE – DISTRICT 10E, SEAT 3: Eric Craig Chasse (D)
    • Eric was the only candidate for the district.
  • CITY OF RALEIGH HOUSING BONDS: Yes or No
    • I believe affordable housing is a way to reduce racial inequality and a way to maybe help me with buying a house by increasing the supply of housing available.

All-in-all, this was quite a process going through each individual race and each individual candidate and while it would have been easier to just vote by party, I feel that I am coming away from this with a much greater awareness of the inner-workings of NC and Wake County. I look forward to seeing who actually will be elected and how things will play out.