FAQ:

NC Educators on the Ballot

What is NC Educators on the Ballot?

NC Educators on the Ballot is a statewide, grassroots effort to give voters across the state a choice to support educators on the ballot in Republican-held districts, keeping the needs of students and public schools at the center of the conversation.

Why focus on Republican primaries?

The Republican Party currently holds a supermajority in the NC General Assembly. That means most education policy decisions are made within the Republican caucus. By encouraging educators to run in Republican primaries, we bring new voices into the process and give voters in those districts a real choice.

Is this partisan?

No. Our message is not tied to partisan talking points. It is about strong, successful public schools. The tactic of filing in Republican primaries reflects today’s political reality: important decisions about funding and policy are happening in those primaries, and educators deserve to be part of those decisions.

Who are the candidates?

Our candidates are teachers and retired teachers with firsthand experience seeing how laws and budgets affect classrooms. They want to ensure education issues cannot be ignored.

What happens if an educator loses?

Win or lose, the presence of educators on the ballot changes the conversation. It signals that public school professionals are paying attention, stepping up, and willing to hold policymakers accountable.

What does it mean if an educator wins?

If elected, educators bring their real-world knowledge of schools directly into the legislature. They will serve in a part-time job with significant influence over state policy. Members are expected to be in Raleigh three to four days a week during the legislative session, and they have the ability to hire a full-time legislative assistant to help with the workload. We expect this group of lawmakers will create a bipartisan education caucus to discuss the impact of their votes and work together for the good of their schools and communities.

Will educators work across party lines?

Yes. We believe educators are uniquely able to set aside even deep political differences in order to put students first. Across the country, bipartisan education caucuses already exist, where Democrats and Republicans meet to focus on what schools and children need. We want to model that same spirit here in North Carolina—allowing the collective wisdom of educators to rise above partisanship.

How can the public support this effort?

Share information about the movement.
Speak up in your community about the importance of strong, well-funded public schools.
Volunteer skills such as communication, outreach, or research.
If one of our candidates is running in your district, ensure you are registered "unaffiliated" 25 days before the primary, then ask for the Republican ballot when you go to vote.

How should opponents of this movement view it?

We understand that not everyone will agree with our approach. But our goal is not to attack individuals or parties. It is to elevate the voices of those who work in schools every day. We believe voters deserve the chance to hear directly from educators and to weigh education policy as a priority issue when they vote.

What about all the sticky issues?

We recognize that many contentious issues come before the General Assembly. Our movement has only one litmus test: whether a candidate supports strong public schools and fair, adequate pay for teachers and school employees.

We believe that if public schools are fully funded, strengthened, and supported, the best teachers and staff will choose to work there, and families, including many families with other options, will choose them for their children. Every county and every legislative district in North Carolina has public schools, and we want them to remain at the heart of our communities.

On other issues, legislators who enter the NCGA through this movement will listen to their constituents and vote their conscience. We trust them to do that. And we trust educators, more than most, to separate out the real issues that matter to families and communities from those that are manufactured to divide people or stir up controversy. They know what matters.