Board of elections not publishing a voter guide for Nov. 3 election. Look for postcard with QR code
By Howard Pearre, Contributing Writer
Judicial political races rarely get as much media attention as the contests for U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, but the men and women who sit as judges have a profound say in our lives.
State law requires the board of elections to publish a non-partisan guide every election cycle to help voters learn about candidates running for N.C. Supreme Court justice and N.C. Court of Appeals judge positions. In the past, guide booklets included candidate information, which were printed and sent by mail to every voting household in North Carolina.
This year, there are no booklets being mailed. Instead, the board of elections has sent out postcards with a QR code that voters can access on smart phones to read the information.
The same information can be accessed from the board of elections website at https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/upcoming-election/judicial-voter-guide-2026-general-election.
However, many voters may not be sufficiently tech savvy to perform the multiple-step process to search the board of elections website or use a cell phone for this purpose. Many voters may not even have a smart phone that is capable of decoding a QR code or a computer to access the website.
This year’s guide features information on one Supreme Court race and three Court of Appeals races. In this article, The Winston-Salem Source provides the information about the two Supreme Court candidates (Anita Earls, the Democratic candidate, and Sarah Stevens, the Republican candidate) in their own words as it is reported in the board of elections’ guide.
In future issues, The Source will publish information about the candidates for the threemN.C. Appeals Court races.
Anita Earls, Democrat
Residence: Durham
Education: J.D., Yale Law School, 1988; B.A., Williams College, 1981
Occupation: Senior Associate Justice
Employer: North Carolina Supreme Court
Date Admitted to the Bar: April 15, 1988
Legal/Judicial Experience
Supreme Court of North Carolina, Senior Associate Justice, 2018-present
Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Founder and Executive Director, 2007-2017
UNC Center for Civil Rights, Director of Advocacy, 2003-2007
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Voting Rights Project Director, 2000-2003
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, 1998-2000
Ferguson, Stein Law Firm, 1988-1998
UNC, Duke and University of Maryland, Adjunct Professor
Candidate Statement: In my nearly 40-year legal career – first as an attorney and now a Justice on the N.C. Supreme Court – I worked to uphold the Constitution, ensure the justice system treats everyone fairly, and hold those who have broken our laws accountable. After my brother was brutally murdered and his killer never prosecuted, I re-dedicated my life to fighting for justice for victims of crime and ensuring everyone gets their day in Court. I am the only candidate in this race with judicial experience and the only one with experience arguing cases in front of the Supreme Court as an attorney. I believe an independent Court is critically necessary to the balance of powers and absolutely required to maintain a democracy. All North Carolinians should have a fair and independent court that protects their personal freedoms no matter their race, gender or how much money they have in their pockets. Learn more at: www.earls4justice.com.
Sarah Stevens, Republican
Residence: Mount Airy
Education: UNC Greensboro, 1981, B.S. Social Work; Campbell University School of Law, 1986
Occupation: Private practice attorney for 40 years; State legislator for 17.5 years
Employer: Stevens and Brintle; N.C. General Assembly
Date Admitted to the Bar: 1986
Legal/Judicial Experience: 14 years as a House Judiciary chair; 6 years as chair of the Court Commission; 40 years of law practice
Candidate Statement: I possess the knowledge and demeanor to be a Justice. I believe in following the law as written and a strict following of the constitution. I have been the Speaker Pro Tempore of the House and chaired Judiciary committees whose purpose is to review the clarity and the constitutionality of the proposed legislation before it becomes law. I believe in the neutral application of the law. I am running because my opponent has twice ruled against the constitution on issues of voter identification and redistricting. She has also rewritten the law and disturbed 90 years of common law. I have not been on the bench before but neither had my opponent until the last election.
Howard Pearre provides voter registration training and information and is a contributor to The Source. He is the author of a book of short stories, “Rocks Just Below the Surface,” and is a member of Winston-Salem Writers.