Pundits and prognosticators continue to dissect the outcome of this month’s elections and the likely impact on public policy in 2011. John Hood contributed to National Review‘s special Election 2010 issue with a report on Republicans’ state-level gains across the country. NC Rumors picked up a short Carolina Journal Online article summarizing Hood’s NR feature. Greensboro News & Record editorial writer Doug Clark cited Hood this week in debunking a new poll that suggests North Carolinians would support a sales-tax increase. As Clark noted, Hood documented that more than 60 percent of voters given a chance to support sales-tax increases on the November ballot said “no.” As the State Board of Elections certified almost every election result this week, one of the outstanding races involves a seat on the N.C. Court of Appeals. A process dubbed instant runoff voting will decide the winner of that election next week. A Mountain Xpress report on IRV cited CJ Associate Editor Sara Burrows‘ work on the issue. Meanwhile, the Lincoln Tribune picked up Associate Editor David Bassarticle on the new Republican-led General Assembly’s plans to start budget work in December, more than a month before the new legislature officially starts its business. M2M Politics highlighted Bass’ report on GOP leaders’ predictions of a tough budget year. In addition to the budget, the new General Assembly’s leadership has promised to emphasize different priorities in dealing with public education. Terry Stoops, JLF Director of Education Studies, discusses those priorities this evening on News 14 Carolina’s “Political Connections.” One of those new priorities involves raising or removing the cap on public charter schools. Stoops discussed that topic this week with the N.C. News Network. Stoops also discussed the education budget in a presentation to the Mount Airy Rotary Club.