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North Carolina is holding a primary election today that will decide party nominations for North Carolina’s 13 seats in the United States House of Representatives as well as the two candidates that will be on the November ballot for State Supreme Court. Many experts predict that the voter turnout for this election will be extremely low, so the relative impact of each vote will carry even more weight than normal. NC Family encourages all citizens to exercise their right and responsibility to vote!

This unique June election is the result of two separate lawsuits that were both ruled on in February:

1. A federal court ruled that North Carolina’s congressional districts were unconstitutional because lawmakers had relied too much on race when drawing the district lines in 2011. In response, the General Assembly redrew the congressional district maps, and due to timing, decided to postpone the congressional primaries from March 15 to June 7. State lawmakers also decided in February not to allow run-off elections in these primary races, which means whoever receives the most votes in the primary wins, regardless of the overall percentage of votes obtained.
2. A three-judge panel of State Superior Court judges ruled that a new law allowing Supreme Court Justices to face retention elections instead of standard elections was unconstitutional. (The NC Supreme Court’s 3-3 vote on this case meant that the lower court ruling prevailed.) A retention election would have meant that Justices would not face an opponent, but that voters would have chosen between keeping or removing a justice on the court.  The primary today will narrow the 4-candidate field, including current Justice Bob Edmunds, to just two candidates who will face off in November.

RACES TO WATCH. While all of the elections taking place today are important, the following select races are of particular interest:

North Carolina Supreme Court– This non-partisan, statewide race, will narrow a field of four candidates to two, who will then face off in the November General Election. Supreme Court Justice Bob Edmunds is running for his third term on the High Court and is facing challenges from Sabra Faires, Mike Morgan and Daniel Robertson. Although the race is non-partisan, Edmunds is considered to be a strong conservative on a majority conservative court. The outcome of this race could significantly shift the political make up of the North Carolina’s highest court.

2nd Congressional District, Republican Primary– This race features two sitting members of Congress challenging each other in a Leaning Republican district. Rep. Renee Ellmers, who currently represents the former 2nd Congressional District, is facing the current representative for 13th Congressional District, Rep. George Holding. Also in the field is Dr. Greg Brannon, who has twice run for the U.S. Senate.

9th Congressional District, Republican Primary- Incumbent GOP Congressman Robert Pittenger is facing a strong challenge in this redrawn Leaning Republican district from former U.S. Senate candidate and Charlotte pastor Dr. Mark Harris. The district, which used to stretch from Union County north into Mecklenburg and Iredell counties, now stretches from Mecklenburg County east along the southern border of the state into Cumberland and Bladen counties. Todd Johnson is also a candidate in this GOP primary.

12th Congressional District, Democratic Primary– Prior to redistricting, this “spaghetti-shaped” district stretched from Charlotte to Greensboro along the I-85 corridor. The new Strong Democratic district has been entirely consolidated within Mecklenburg County. Incumbent Democrat Rep. Alma Adams is from Greensboro and has seen this district move out from under her. She has since moved to Charlotte, but is facing multiple challengers including current State Reps. Tricia Cotham (D-Mecklenburg) and Carla Cunningham (D-Mecklenburg), as well as former State Sen. Malcolm Graham (D-Mecklenburg).

13th Congressional District, Republican Primary– This Strong Republican district, which encompasses parts of Guildford, Davidson, Davie, Iredell and Rowan Counties, features a rather crowded field of 17 candidates, but it is an open seat with no incumbent running for re-election. Candidates include current members of the N.C. General Assembly: Sen. Andrew Brock (R-Davie) and Reps. John Blust (R-Guilford), Julia Howard (R-Davie), and Harry Warren (R-Rowan).

If you have any question about your ballot, registration, or polling locations and times, visit the State Board of Elections website. These elections have not gotten much attention from the media, but they will have huge repercussions for North Carolina, so it is important that you vote!