News & Updates From Senator Edwards
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From My Senate Desk
The General Assembly called a special session that was held on July 24. The purpose of the session was to address two issues affecting the NC ballot on November 6. We learned that organized efforts were being made to confuse voters on the six Constitutional Amendments, and a number of candidates were gaming the election system by switching their party affiliation within days of the filing period, and in one case after filing to run for election.

As expected, and for what I believe can only be partisan reason, the Governor vetoed both of these bills. In a Saturday session, the General Assembly was successful in overriding each of those vetoes, thus eliminating the confusion that the Governor attempted to create.
HB3 - Ballot Designations/Referenda

House Bill 3 requires that each of the six proposed constitutional amendments on which voters will decide this year be titled "Constitutional Amendment," removing any chance of confusion or bias. This bill was passed in response to concerns that the commission tasked with writing the ballot captions - which is comprised of two Democrats and one Republican - might politicize a simple administrative process.
After Secretary of State Elaine Marshall sent a letter assuring the General Assembly that the commission would act in a nonpartisan fashion, the Democratic members of the commission validated Republican concerns. Among other outlandish politically charged rhetoric, one of the Democratic members publicly compared  a proposed constitutional amendment to eating cat food.

SB3 - Party Disclosure in 2018 Judicial Races 


Senate Bill 3 conforms the rules for all judicial races to those for every other public office in the state. The measure clarifies that judicial candidates who switched their party registration within 90 days of filing for office may not appear on the ballot as members of either their previous party or the party to which they switched their affiliation. 

This clarification became necessary after multiple judicial candidates across the state from both parties changed their party affiliation days or hours before filing to run for office. Under current law, this type of maneuvering is illegal for every office except judicial seats. 

This bill simply aligns the rules for judicial elections to those for every other public office in North Carolina.

Henderson County is One of Three NC Counties Named 'Bright Spots of Health in Appalachia'

One's personal health is undoubtedly the most predominant factor that influences their quality of life. For many reasons, the Appalachia region has traditionally fallen short in a number of matrices that measure regional health. In a recent report by the Appalachian Region Commission, there are a number of "bright spots." I am pleased, but not surprised that Henderson County is one. 

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