On the ballot today are races for offices that everyone is familiar with — president, governor, Congressional offices. However, there are also several races for judgeships and for state administrative offices that are equally as important but often receive much less attention.
Voters should not skip over these lesser known offices, but they should educate themselves on these races and make informed voting decisions.
Judges have as much, if not more, influence on the direction of policy through their court decisions. Personal philosophies dictate their decisions, and it’s important that voters understand the consequences those ideologies have on policy implementation.
From an associate justice for the North Carolina State Supreme Court to superior court judges, there’s no shortage of nonpartisan judgeships up for election.
The individuals elected to these offices will have a considerable amount of influence on issues such as voter I.D. laws, campaign finance, abortion and health care.
Elections for state administrative offices, on the other hand, include partisan races for offices like State Auditor, Commissioner of Labor and, perhaps most importantly for students and education, Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Being a responsible voter not only entails voting in an informed manner for some offices, but also voting in an informed manner for all offices.
Be an informed and responsible voter and vote for every office on the ballot — it’s your civic duty.
