Articles
Latest Articles
SAVE Act would change North Carolina voter registration
The John Locke Foundation published a review of President Donald Trump’s election executive order on March 26. We noted in the review that “the president is nowhere mentioned” in the…
Two alternatives to tariffs: Real manufacturing policy for a competitive America
If a major goal of Pres. Donald Trump’s “America First” policy agenda is to revive American manufacturing, the strategy must be clear: reduce input costs. Unfortunately, federal policymakers, including the…
What’s next in the State Supreme Court Election?
The legal challenges for the North Carolina Supreme Court election have been difficult to follow and generated much confusion. Not only has the case been active in both state and…
Elections board opens public comment on petition rules
I noted last year that the North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBE) needed to reform its new party petition process after problems with several party petitions over the past…
Should driver’s licenses be revoked over unpaid fines or failure to appear?
Every year, hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians are charged with motor vehicle offenses. Most of those charges are resolved in a straightforward way. The offender appears at the courthouse,…
Revolutionary reads: Celebrate and revere America’s founding
As the Carolina Journal reported on March 17, the North Carolina General Assembly’s Semiquincentennial Committee at its last meeting discussed ongoing efforts to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Among other things,…
Why the Carbon Plan flunked affordability and reliability
In 2021, the General Assembly passed House Bill (HB) 951 to require electricity generation in North Carolina to reach “carbon neutrality” by 2050. This Carbon Plan law also set an…
A brief overview of available property tax relief in North Carolina
Since the pandemic, North Carolina home values have skyrocketed by 67.1 percent, creating concern among homeowners about the affordability of their property tax bills. Individuals on fixed incomes, such as…
NC county committees plan events celebrating America’s 250th
The first official Independence Day celebration in the United States is believed to have taken place in Old Salem, North Carolina, on July 4, 1783, in what is now Winston-Salem. Winston-Salem,…
The three voter registrations of Allison Jean Riggs
One way election officials are supposed to make our elections more secure is by ensuring that every voter registration is unique. There must be one registration for each voter and…
Close the “nonmajority loophole” in open meetings law
As the John Locke Foundation’s report on legislative reform pointed out, government transparency is a public good. There are some exceptions, such as certain personnel records, but in general, citizens…
Stein’s budget proposal: billions in tax increases and elimination of school choice program
Earlier this month, Gov. Josh Stein released his biennial budget proposal for 2025–27, recommending $33.6 billion in net General Fund appropriations for fiscal year (FY) 2026. This allotment would represent…