File photo by Colby Rabon/Carolina Public Press
Leslie Shaw checks in at Isaac Dickson Elementary in Asheville to vote in the May 2014 primary election. File photo by Colby Rabon/Carolina Public Press
Welcome to The Kicker from Carolina Public Press, a North Carolina news show bringing you conversations with journalists, sources and newsmakers from across the state. In this episode, host Peter Kent is joined by Kirk Ross, Carolina Public Press capital bureau chief; Andy Specht, a North Carolina politics reporter for the (Raleigh) News & Observer and PolitiFact North Carolina; and Frank Taylor, Carolina Public Press managing editor. They discuss the six state constitutional amendments now before North Carolina voters.

In this episode, we discuss:

Along with congressional, state and local races, North Carolina voters will decide the fate of six state constitutional amendments. 
 
The Nov. 6 ballot measures cover a wide range of topics, including protecting victim’s rights and safeguarding hunting and fishing, requiring a photo ID to vote and capping the state income tax rate. Other measures would alter the balance of power between the governor and legislators in appointing boards to oversee elections and fill judicial vacancies.
 
Amendment advocates and opponents have been pushing voters to take an all-or-none approach to these measures, which were placed on the ballot by the General Assembly.
But politics are rarely that simple and, in this episode of The Kicker, two veteran statehouse reporters to discuss via telephone each amendment and what it will and won’t do, as well as the politics driving the issues. They also talk about some false information that’s being spread in political ads and social media campaigns.
 
Kirk Ross is capital bureau chief for Carolina Public Press. He recently wrote a guide to the amendments for Carolina Public Press.
 
Andy Specht is a North Carolina politics reporter for the (Raleigh) News & Observer and PolitiFact North Carolina. He wrote a story evaluating advertising claims stating that “all North Carolina governors oppose the amendments.” That story was produced through the North Carolina Fact-Checking Project, a partnership of McClatchy Carolinas, the Duke University Reporters’ Lab and PolitiFact.

Resources on the amendments:

Coming up on The Kicker

Tune in and chat with us live. Our next show is Nov. 8, live from 3:30-4 p.m. We broadcast live on Facebook and on the radio from WPVM FM 103.7, in Asheville, and online at WPVMfm.org. Shows are recorded, so you can listen any time on CarolinaPublicPress.org.

Be in touch. Write or send us a voice memo at thekicker@carolinapublicpress.org. Your input, suggestions and questions may be aired and may help shape a future show. Subscribe to Carolina Public Press to keep up with our news, events, shows and more.

Made possible by: This episode of The Kicker is made possible through the financial support of donors like you, foundations that support Carolina Public Press’s mission, and WPVMfm.org, an independent community radio station based in Asheville, N.C. Show your support here.

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