North Carolina Voter Guide

Make voting harder or easier?

CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR

Josh Stein (D)
Easier. Joined other attorneys general to defend provisions of the Voting Rights Act that protect "against racial discrimination in elections." Supports an independent redistricting commission to end gerrymandering in North Carolina.

Mark Robinson (R)
Harder. Opposes early voting; there should be "one day to vote," except for invalids. Supports Voter ID. Any opposition to Voter ID is "a complete insult to any intelligent adult," and "particularly…black people."

CANDIDATES FOR U.S. PRESIDENT

Kamala Harris (D)

Easier. Pass bills to protect voting rights and make voting and registration easier. Biden administration directed federal agencies to help people register.

Donald Trump (R) 

Harder. Has long supported stronger voter ID requirements. Sued to bar ballot drop boxes. Encouraged Republicans to vote early but said early ballots "get lost" or are "phony."

CANDIDATES FOR U.S. VICE PRESIDENT

Tim Walz (D)

Easier. Approved automatic voter registration, pre- registration for 16- & 17-year-olds, and permanent absentee voting. Restored voting rights for ex-cons.

JD Vance (R) 

Harder. Supports voter ID and ending early and "mass mail-in voting." Proposed giving parents an extra vote per child, with parents deservng more voting power Easier. Approved automatic voter registration, pre- registration for 16- & 17-year-olds, and permanent absentee voting. Restored voting rights for ex-cons. than the childless.

How to ensure effectiveness and fairness in law enforcement?

CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR

Josh Stein (D)
Will "build genuine trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve." Will "recruit and retain more public- spirited officers." System should treat every North Carolinian "fairly, no matter their race or economic status."

Mark Robinson (R)
Would support "our law enforcement officers" and "have their back." "Elected officials are not backing up police officers." Is "committed to ensuring they are trained, equipped, and held to the highest professional standard."

CANDIDATES FOR SUPREME COURT

Jefferson Griffin (R)
On the impact of race in law enforcement, Griffin wrote that a defendant was wrong to say they were "treated differently because of the color of their skin." "The law is colorblind.… We are fortunate to live in the United States of America where the law is applied the same to all citizens."

CANDIDATES FOR U.S. PRESIDENT

Kamala Harris (D)

Police are dedicated public servants. As a prosecutor increased felony convictions by one third. But "public safety requires community trust." Has supported better training, banning choke holds, and prosecuting police misconduct.

Donald Trump (R) 

Police are "under siege." Cut back active federal oversight of excess force, though supported a database to track it. Admires Chinese approach of quick trials and a death penalty for drug dealers so there will be a "zero drug problem."

CANDIDATES FOR U.S. VICE PRESIDENT

Tim Walz (D)

Funded $43 million toward combating violent crime and limited the use of no-knock warrants. Allocated $300 million for public safety aid to local governments. Banned chokeholds.

JD Vance (R) 

"Let's declare war on the violent crime on our streets." "Hire 100,000 additional cops." Keep "qualified immunity," restricting lawsuits against enforcement? police officers. They're "afraid to do their jobs."

Raise North Carolina minimum from $7.25/hour?

CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR

Josh Stein (D)
Yes. "I'll keep working to deliver… economic security" by "raising the minimum wage."

Mark Robinson (R)
No position found.

CANDIDATES FOR U.S. PRESIDENT

Kamala Harris (D)

Yes. Supports Congress raising the national minimum wage to $15. Biden administration raised to $15 for federal contractors.

Donald Trump (R) 

No. A $15 minimum wage would "eliminate jobs." Threatened to veto. Questioned need for a federal minimum wage: let the states decide.

CANDIDATES FOR U.S. VICE PRESIDENT

Tim Walz (D)

Yes. "$15 is an important place to start, but… isn't enough for families." Eliminated a lower minimum wage for small business employees.

JD Vance (R) 

Mixed. Would gradually raise to $11 by 2028. In 2016 called a $15 minimum "a medicine worse than the disease."

Loosen or tighten gun regulation?

CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR

Josh Stein (D)
Tighten. Supports universal background checks, raising the age to buy an AR-15 rifle from 18 to 21, and red flag laws that allow courts to remove guns from people who pose a threat. North Carolina's self-defense law is "too loose. "

Mark Robinson (R)
Loosen. More stringent gun regulations will "leave the law-abiding, patriotic citizens of this nation unarmed, and defenseless." Saw Parkland, Florida shooting survivors who advocate for gun control as "spoiled,…know it all CHILDREN" and "communists. "

CANDIDATES FOR U.S. PRESIDENT

Kamala Harris (D)

Tighten. "Every person deserves the freedom to live safe from gun violence." Supported the bipartisan gun safety bill and required background checks for gun show & online sales.

Donald Trump (R) 

Loosen. To NRA, "no one will lay a finger on your firearms." Plans to roll back Biden gun restrictions. Reversed Obama-era background checks for those with mental illnesses.

CANDIDATES FOR U.S. VICE PRESIDENT

Tim Walz (D)

Tighten. "I'm a veteran, a hunter, and a gun owner… But it's about keeping our kids safe." Signed universal background checks for gun sales and a red flag law. Increased the penalty for straw gun purchases from a gross misdemeanor to a felony.

JD Vance (R) 

Loosen. "I will fight the gun grabbers." Would "ABOLISH the ATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.]" Expanded background checks won't solve mass shootings.

Loosen or tighten environmental regulations?

CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR

Josh Stein (D)
Tighten. "Environmental protections" are "important safeguards for North Carolina's natural resources." "Fought to preserve" them and will "continue to push for clean air and clean water."

Mark Robinson (R)
Loosen. Wants "responsible development of fossil fuels." "God is the one who has blessed us to have all this fuel under our feet. And not taking advantage of it . . . is an affront to him."

CANDIDATES FOR U.S. PRESIDENT

Kamala Harris (D)

Tighten. Supports "environmental justice." In CA prosecuted polluters. Biden admin issued more than 100 environmental regulations.

Donald Trump (R) 

Loosen. Weakened or ended more than 125 environmental protections, including wetlands and wildlife. Will reverse Biden policies

CANDIDATES FOR U.S. VICE PRESIDENT

Tim Walz (D)

Tighten. Signed a ban on toxic "forever chemicals," one of the world's strictest. Gave Pollution Control more power to hold severe polluters accountable. Increased protection for historically polluted neighborhoods.

JD Vance (R) 

Loosen. "Environmental justice" policies are making jobs be shipped to China. Opposed EPA restrictions on steel-making emissions. Voted to limit Fisheries Service establishing critical habitat for endangered species.

Ban or legal?

CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR

Josh Stein (D)
Legal. Would "defend women's rights" to "contraception, IVF or abortion." Would "never stop fighting" for "women's reproductive freedom." Called "many" parts of NC's new abortion law "unconstitutional."

Mark Robinson (R)
Ban. In 2020 advocated for a complete ban, no exceptions. In 2024 supports exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. "I want North Carolina to be the most pro-life state in the nation…. Abortion is murder."

CANDIDATES FOR SUPREME COURT

Jefferson Griffin (R)
Griffin indicated his likely opposition to it when he concurred in an opinion that said "life begins at conception."

Allison Riggs (D) - Incumbent
Riggs stated that North Carolinians should "elect people who will respect women's freedom."

CANDIDATES FOR U.S. PRESIDENT

Kamala Harris (D)

Legal. "Every woman should have the right to make decisions about her own body." "This fight is about freedom." With Biden, strengthened abortion pill access and abortion patient protections, overturned Trump Planned Parenthood federal funding ban. Would sign national abortion rights bill if Congress passed

Donald Trump (R) 

Ban. "After 50 years of failure, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade." Did so by appointing three antiabortion Supreme Court Justices. It was "a miracle." States should decide for themselves, potentially monitoring women's pregnancies and prosecuting women for getting abortions. Abortion is "really not that big of an issue."

CANDIDATES FOR U.S. VICE PRESIDENT

Tim Walz (D)

Legal. Enshrined the right to abortion and reproductive health care into state law. Signed a bill to protect MN abortion access for out-of-state patients. "Freedom is on the march in Minnesota."

JD Vance (R) 

Ban. In 2022 said should be "illegal nationally." No exceptions for rape or incest. "Two wrongs don't make a right." Now says leave to the states. Opposed Biden's reproductive care privacy rule.