Politics and Process

Over the months ahead I’m going to use this space for two main purposes which actually align with my mission. I call them the two “P”s. Politics and Process. If I’m going to ask for your signature (and then for your vote) it would only make sense for you to know what I think about government and its role in our lives. Political parties call them platforms but since I’m my own party I will just refer to them as my beliefs. I also want to shine a light on the process of running for office. What does it take? What hoops do you have to jump through? Is an elected position out of reach for the common person? It will all be here so let’s get started.

So, what are you?

When people ask that question they are traditionally referring to party, which is problematic now that one-third of North Carolina voters aren’t registered Republicans or Democrats. I used to refer to myself as an independent but recently I’ve had to learn how to spell unaffiliated. I’ve gotten pretty good at it because of lots of practice but I will save that for the process section. As an independent I feel free to embrace policies from both major parties along with the Greens and Libertarians without feeling like I’m cheating on someone. You see I’m what used to be referred to as a moderate. 

The problem is that moderate is a tough sell these days because we don’t tend to take extreme positions on anything. There are no cable news channels that spout centrist dogma or push moderate policies because that doesn’t sell commercials. The shame is that most Americans fall in the middle but our voices tend to be drowned out by the screamers on both ends. Talking heads from both major parties only seem to agree that the other side doesn’t love America, understand the Constitution, or grasp what the Founding Fathers intended. According to Pew Research, American political beliefs have barely changed but how we feel about those we disagree with has taken a dramatic nosedive towards the negatives. I blame politicians. 

So how do we change that?

The solution to our political divide is understanding that our government has been shoehorned into a two-party system which leaves little choice besides A or B. Because of this, our candidate options can’t be too moderate for fear that they may be accused of agreeing with some of their opponent’s policies. The lightbulb moment for me came when I realized that Republican and Democratic politicians may disagree on policies but can’t exist without each other. So I decided to run as an alternative option.

House District 53 is the highest office that I can run for and still work through our Harnett County Board of Elections. In order to keep any fools willing to pay the filing fee from appearing on the ballot in November, state law requires a potential unaffiliated candidate to procure signatures from registered voters equaling 4% of the total number of voters for that office. Even though this sounds like an SAT question what it means is that I will need just short of 2,200 signatures from registered voters in District 53. Signatures must be on the form provided by the Board of Elections, not electronically, and be turned in before March 3rd, 2020. At that point the staff will hand verify every signature against the current voting rolls and if they are approved, voila, I’m a candidate for State House District 53

In a later post, I’ll let you in on the labyrinth of paperwork that I’ve already completed and other barriers to participation for Independents but first I need to get on the ballot. The signature threshold is daunting but not impossible if I’m diligent and have your help. If you would be willing to host a signature party please send me a private message and we can work on a schedule. If you are a member of a civic organization or church that would be willing to give me a few minutes to share my thoughts that would also be great. Together I believe that we can strike a blow for decency, common ground, and healing for our divided state and country.

What Are You Thinking?

December 17, 2019

Today I filed my notice of candidacy for the North Carolina House District 53 to run in the November general election as an unaffiliated candidate. This is something that I have thought and prayed about for quite a while and with the full blessing of my wife have decided that now is the time. If I’m being completely honest the idea was germinating when I first started this blog as I thought it would be a great format to share my thoughts on politics and the journey through a political candidacy. As I look back over what I have written here previously, I have come to the realization that I have given glimpses of my beliefs on government.  It isn’t to the extent I feel a representative of the people should make himself known so I will begin to remedy that in the near future. For this entry, however, I will seek instead to answer the first question my wife asked me when I initially broached my intention. Why do this? 

Why do this?

There are a number of reasons why I have chosen this moment to enter the political fray but if I had to boil it down to just two reasons they would be my kids and my kids. 

My first set of kids are at school because I am an educator and my professional calling requires me to take ownership of their development and understanding of the world. As a teacher of social studies, I have spent nearly 15 years explaining the history of man, the development of democracy, and the functions of the American government. During that time I have seen politicians from both parties carry our government further and further away from the founding beliefs and ideals that our textbooks describe. I have come to believe that this isn’t some sort of pendulum swing that will eventually reverse course back towards the principles that I was taught as a student and it became clear that I had two choices. I could begin teaching that the bedrock of our beliefs have cracked and eroded to the point that, going forward, America would be a fundamentally different place or I could try and do something about it. I have obviously chosen the latter. 

The other kids that I referred to in my decision are my own daughters:  Elizabeth Jean and Palmer. My wife and I believe that parents should model the type of behavior they want to see in their children which impelled me to this decision. Complaining about a problem without offering a solution is nothing more than whining and I want my girls to believe that they can make their world a better place. I believe I have something to offer and if I do nothing I become complicit in the destruction of the very institutions that are the backbone of the state and country that I love. I would be turning my back on my children and their future. 

So I’m doing this. It will not be easy but few things of true value are accomplished without hard work and sacrifice.  The first hurdle to an unaffiliated candidacy is procuring signatures to petition in order to appear on the ballot in November and that will be the subject of my next entry. I thank you for your interest and if you are in District 53 I look forward to hearing from you about what you think works and doesn’t work with our state government. For now God bless you and God bless the great state of North Carolina.