Education
Why I have a skip in my step
Last week was a pretty good week for those who work to expand educational freedom. The North Carolina Senate voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of HB 87. That…
North Carolina Senate
upper house of the bicameral North Carolina General Assembly
Education
NC House override of Gov. Stein’s veto jumpstarts hope for thousands of families
Finally. It took a while — nine months to be exact — but yesterday the North Carolina House of Representatives overrode Gov. Josh Stein’s August 2025 veto of legislation (HB…
Elections & Public Integrity
Getting to the end game in the Berger-Page race
North Carolina county boards of elections completed their official counts in the March 3 primary at their canvass meetings on March 13. In the 26th Senate District Republican primary, Rockingham…
Elections & Public Integrity
Follow the latest primary election data at Locke
Votes have started coming in for the March 3 primary. The John Locke Foundation provides several election data products that will help you better understand what is happening in the…
Elections & Public Integrity
How North Carolina legislative districts have shifted since 2024
For the first time in several years, North Carolina will use all the same state legislative districts for two elections in a row. That, coupled with the release of the…
Elections & Public Integrity
Introducing the 2026 Civitas Partisan Index
With candidate filing for the 2026 election starting on Dec. 1, it’s a good time to take stock of the electoral landscape in North Carolina. With that in mind, here…
Research Brief
Budget, Taxation & Economy
House budget proposal: How does it stack up to the Senate’s?
On Monday, the North Carolina House unveiled its 2025–2027 biennial budget proposal, calling for $32.6 billion in net General Fund appropriations for fiscal year (FY) 2026. This would represent a…
Statement from Donald Bryson, CEO of the John Locke Foundation, on Senate and House Budget Proposals
RALEIGH — Donald Bryson, President and CEO of the John Locke Foundation, issued the following statement in response to the North Carolina Senate and House Budget proposals: The competing versions…
Budget, Taxation & Economy
How to minimize the fiscal impact of federal cuts to Medicaid expansion
As the federal government considers reducing the FMAP for Medicaid expansion, policymakers in North Carolina must prepare for substantial fiscal challenges.
Research Brief
Regulation
A REINS Act without legislative rule ratification won’t work
On April 16, the North Carolina state House passed House Bill (HB) 402, the NC REINS Act (the acronym stands for “Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny”). As…
Research Brief
Elections & Public Integrity
What did it take to win a North Carolina legislative seat in 2024?
Editor’s Note: The original data for House Republicans included report data on “outstanding loans” in total finances. Outstanding loans are not reflective of continued fundraising and were not included in…
Elections & Public Integrity
Redistricting
Introduction Few policy areas in North Carolina have been as contentious, let alone litigious, as redistricting. No set of North Carolina redistricting plans passed by the General Assembly since 1971…