Tom Campbell
By Tom Campbell / Guest Columnist
North Carolina once again demonstrated the folly of holding primary elections too early. How long will it take to acknowledge nobody wants to vote on March 3?
In 2016, there was some genuine hope that our state might play a significant role in choosing presidential nominees if we moved our primary to March. It hasn’t happened. Neither are we giving voters much incentive to go to the polls.
In that 2016 primary, Trump’s first presidential campaign, 36 percent of all voters cast ballots. The 2018 primary, the “Blue Moon Election,” in which there were no statewide primary elections, turnout soared to 53 percent as Democrats voted to reduce Republican numbers in congress and the legislature. 2020 was the “Super Tuesday” primary, featuring Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Only 31% voted in that primary. In 2022, turnout dropped to 19.% and only rose to 24% in 2024, which was again a presidential year.
Fewer than one-third of our voters select the candidates who run in the November general elections. We have a minority selecting a minority to serve us. We need to know when to say when to things that aren’t working. Let’s examine new approaches.
Political parties are no longer influential in selecting and assisting candidates. They are basically money-laundering machines. Let’s make all primaries non-partisan. Anyone wishing to run for an office can do so.
Yes, ballots might get longer, but it should attract more interest and larger turnouts. The top two (or maybe three) vote-getters would then square off in the general elections. We will have reduced costly runoff elections where few vote. The winner of the general election is the candidate who gets the most votes.
Additionally, seven months is far too long a period between the primary and general elections. Voters lose any interest they may have held. A more reasonable interval would be 90-120 days, at least reducing the time window when we must endure those horrid television ads.
We complain about partisan politics. This proposal will eliminate many of those complaints. We should also establish term limits for elected officials. If it’s good enough for our governor and lieutenant governor it’s good enough for all elected officials, especially legislative leadership.
Some 24 years ago, when Phil Berger first became a state senator, he had a strong conviction to serve the people in his district. As Senate minority leader, he helped pass good bipartisan legislation. When he ascended into the role as president pro tem of the Senate, he played a major role in instituting more conservative financial management.
However, the reason our state is the only one in the nation that doesn’t have an approved budget is Berger. He has insisted on his own agenda and refused to compromise.
There is a new wind blowing in state politics, and House Speaker Destin Hall is at the forefront of it. Hall not only has the backing of his Republican caucus, but he has courted and received some support from both legislative Democrats and the Democratic governor. Hopefully, this will be a new trend toward a more bipartisan Legislature.
Tom Campbell is a Hall of Fame North Carolina broadcaster and columnist. Email him at tomcamp@carolinabroadcasting.com.