RALEIGH – Supporters of public campaign financing have long claimed that it would never have a partisan slant. But the latest Civitas Institute investigation has found how one liberal activist has taken control of the process in North Carolina.

In “Guiding the NC Elections Board – to the Left,” the latest in a series of articles, we turn our attention to the involvement of liberal activist and lobbyist Bob Hall in public campaign financing.

Civitas elections analyst Susan Myrick illustrates the extent to which the SBOE staff has, for years, surrendered their official duties to Hall, head of the liberal advocacy group Democracy NC. In combing through more than 5,000 emails to and from the SBOE and Hall, it is evident that Hall controlled and directed the North Carolina Public Campaign Fund Program (NCPCF), the vehicle for public campaign financing in the Tar Heel State.

To read the article, “Guiding the NC Elections Board – to the Left,” click here.

More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at james.tynen@nccivitas.org or (919) 834-2099.

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RALEIGH – The latest Civitas Poll shows that North Carolina voters strongly favor developing the state’s natural gas resources, including offshore reserves.

The poll of 500 NC registered voters had a margin of error of plus-minus 4.36 percent.

“Voters want to see North Carolina develop the natural resources lying right under our feet, or just off our seacoast,” said Civitas President Francis X. De Luca. “Legislators should heed these beliefs, and pay less attention to the scare tactics often used to block energy development.”

Actual text of question from the Civitas Statewide Energy Survey:

Should North Carolina be more aggressive in exploiting its natural gas reserves, both onshore and offshore, to help North Carolina become energy independent?

69%     Yes
21%     No
6%       It Depends/ Only some
4%       Don’t Know

For crosstabs from these questions, click here.

About the Poll:

This poll of 500 registered voters in North Carolina was conducted May 2, 4 and 5, 2013 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered general election voters in North Carolina. Fifteen percent of the respondents were cell phone-only users. For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in at least one of the past two general elections (2010, 2012) or be newly registered to vote since November 3, 2012.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 500 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4.36% of the “True Values.”

For more information on Civitas polling, see http://www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.

More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at james.tynen@nccivitas.org or (919) 834-2099.

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Bob.Luebke@NCCivitas.org

RALEIGH – The Civitas Institute has unveiled a new statewide web site, StopCommonCoreNC.com, dedicated to educating North Carolinians about the problems associated with Common Core Standards and the threat they pose to state and parental rights.

The web site is a collaborative effort comprised of contributors from Civitas, other policy and education reform organizations, and local activists. Common Core is a national effort, powered by private interests and the federal government, to impose untested academic content standards for English language arts and mathematics on all K-12 public schools across the nation.

“Let’s be clear — we fully support higher academic standards,” said Dr. Robert Luebke, a Senior Policy Analyst at Civitas. “However Common Core fails to provide better standards. Common Core Standards are not supported by research, provide no evidence that they will improve student achievement, and run roughshod over the principle of local control.”

StopCommonCoreNC.org is dedicated to educating citizens and reporting how the standards impact schools, students and taxpayers. The site includes a blog as well as articles and other resources about Common Core. Visit the site at StopCommonCoreNC.org or the Facebook page.

More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at james.tynen@nccivitas.org or (919) 834-2099.

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RALEIGH – A new poll by the Civitas Institute reveals strong support for tax reform like the new Senate plan for revamping North Carolina’s tax code.

“There is strong support for tax reform that lowers and flattens the personal income tax while expanding the sales tax base,” said Civitas Policy Director Brian Balfour. “In fact, that support grows noticeably stronger if taxpayers are assured the reform plan would mean a major tax cut for our economy.”

The Civitas Institute has advocated for bold state tax reform measures, including complete income tax elimination. The April poll results also suggest most North Carolinians would pose little opposition if lawmakers decide to eliminate state income taxes in the future.

“Indeed, when asked about complete personal income tax elimination to be offset by an expansion of the sales tax to services, three-fourths of respondents believe they will be either better off or about the same, with only one in five thinking they will be worse off,” Balfour said.

The poll of 600 registered voters was taken April 20-22, and had a margin of error of plus-minus 4 percent.

Text of questions*:

If you knew this tax reform plan would be the biggest tax cut in state history for North Carolina families would you support or oppose the proposal?

38.1%   Strongly Support
28.8%   Somewhat Support
5.6%    Somewhat Oppose
15.9%   Strongly Oppose
10.9%   Undecided/don’t know
0.7%    Don’t Know/Refused

*Because of rounding, subtotals may not equal overall totals.

Click here for crosstabs.

About the Poll:

This poll of 600 registered voters, of which 25% (150) were cell phone respondents, in North Carolina was conducted April 20-22, 2013 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered general election voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in at least one of the past two general elections (2010, 2012) or be newly registered to vote since November 3, 2012.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.”

For more information on Civitas polling, see http://www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.

More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at james.tynen@nccivitas.org or (919) 834-2099.

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RALEIGH — North Carolinians oppose the state law requiring utility companies to purchase a percentage of their energy from so-called renewable energy sources by more than 3-to-1, according to a new Civitas Institute poll. Additionally, ratepayers strongly oppose the use of such energy sources as wind or solar if it means paying higher utility bills.

“North Carolinians may feel that using renewable energy sounds appealing — but they don’t want to be forced to pay higher prices for it,” said Civitas President Francis X. De Luca.

“Two-thirds of respondents oppose North Carolina’s current mandate requiring the purchase of more expensive renewable energy, while more than 60 percent don’t want to pay higher electricity bills to support the use of solar or wind power,” De Luca said.

“Asked if they would voluntarily pay more for electricity from renewable sources, 53 percent said ‘No!’” he added. “It is revealing that a majority would not even give lip service to paying more for so-called Green Energy.”

Legislation to freeze the state’s renewable energy mandate stalled in a House Committee, but a similar bill is currently moving through the Senate. The latest Civitas poll results suggest freezing or repealing the mandate would be a popular measure among North Carolina voters.

Results* from the Civitas Statewide Energy Survey are included below.

For crosstabs from these questions, click here.

Do you support or oppose the increased usage of renewable sources to generate electricity?

70%    Total Support
15%    Total Oppose

42%     Strongly Support
28%     Somewhat Support
6%       Somewhat Oppose
9%       Strongly Oppose
15%     Undecided/Don’t Know
1%       Refused

Do you support or oppose the existing state law that requires you to purchase a certain amount of renewable energy each month, even if it costs you more?

21%    Total Support
67%    Total Oppose

10%     Strongly Support
11%     Somewhat Support
18%     Somewhat Oppose
49%     Strongly Oppose
12%     Undecided/Don’t Know

How much more are you willing to spend on your monthly electricity bill in order to pay for more electricity derived from renewable sources?

21%     Up to $10
15%     Between $10-$24
5%       Between $25-$99
1%       $100 or more
53%     Not willing to pay more
4%       Don’t Know
1%       Refused

In your opinion, who should be responsible for paying for the higher costs associated with renewable energy?

4%       Taxpayers
12%     Power Company Customers
58%     Power Company Shareholders
11%     All of the above
2%       Other
7%       Nobody
6%       Don’t Know
1%       Refused

Would you be more or less likely to support candidates for the General Assembly who voted to repeal this existing state law, or would it make no difference?

21%    Total More Likely
16%    Total Less Likely

12%     Much More Likely
9%       Somewhat More Likely
6%       Somewhat Less Likely
10%     Much Less Likely
52%     No Difference
11%     Undecided/Refused

(SAMPLE A ONLY)
Should North Carolina Power customers pay higher electricity rates to support companies that produce electricity using solar power?

29%     Yes
64%     No
6%       Don’t Know
1%       Refused

(SAMPLE B ONLY)
Should North Carolina Power customers pay higher electricity rates to support companies that produce electricity using wind power?

33%     Yes
62%     No
5%       Don’t Know

(ASK ALL)
Would you voluntarily pay more to buy electricity for your home or business that was generated by sources such as solar and wind?

40%     Yes
53%     No
5%       Don’t Know
1%       Refused

We have been asking questions regarding renewable energy. Can you name the renewable energy source you consider the most efficient and cost effective to generate electricity for consumer use? (OPEN ENDED) (Prompt: And why would you say that?)

36%     Solar
24%     Wind/ Air
15%     Cost Effective/ Cheaper
13%     Abundance/ Availability/ Unlimited
8%       Efficient/ Works well
8%       Water/ Hydro Electric/ Hydro Power/ Tidal
6%       Reliable/ Dependable/ Consistent
6%       Environmentally Friendly/ Clean Source
5%       Natural Gas/ Fuel Energy/ Gas
3%       Easy/ Easy to create (Non-specific)
3%       Nuclear
2%       Best Source/ Better than other options (General)
2%       Renewable/ Reusable
1%       Geothermal
1%       Safe (Non-specific)
1%       Other
17%     None/ No opinion/ None are efficient or cost effective/ Don’t know enough to answer
10%     Don’t know
1%       Refused

*Because of rounding, subtotals may not equal 100 percent.

About the Poll:

This poll of 500 registered voters in North Carolina was conducted May 2, 4 and 5, 2013 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered general election voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in at least one of the past two general elections (2010, 2012) or be newly registered to vote since November 3, 2012.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4.36% of the “True Values.”

For more information on Civitas polling, see http://www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.

More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at james.tynen@nccivitas.org or (919) 834-2099.

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Raleigh — Results from the Civitas Institute’s latest poll show overwhelming opposition to North Carolina’s program of taxpayer-funded political campaigns.

“These latest poll results continue a trend of consistently high opposition to taxpayer funds being used to finance political campaigns,” said Civitas Policy Director Brian Balfour. “We’ve polled this several times over the last few years and taxpayer-funding of political campaigns consistently measures as one of the most unpopular state policies on the books.”

Legislation (SB 541) introduced last month would eliminate the state’s current programs providing taxpayer funds for state judicial and Council of State campaigns. These polling results show North Carolinians would strongly support such legislation.

Text of question:

Click here for crosstabs.

About the Poll:

This poll of 600 registered voters, of which 25% (150) were cell phone respondents, in North Carolina was conducted April 20-22, 2013 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered general election voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in at least one of the past two general elections (2010, 2012) or be newly registered to vote since November 3, 2012.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.”

For more information on Civitas polling, see http://www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.

More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at james.tynen@nccivitas.org or (919) 834-2099.

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RALEIGH – A new poll by the Civitas Institute examined North Carolina registered voters’ attitudes about key political leaders.

The poll of 600 registered voters was taken April 20-22, and had a margin of error of plus-minus 4 percent.

“Gov. Pat McCrory continues to have a favorability rating above 50 percent,” Civitas Communications Director Jim Tynen said. “And his unfavorable rating is only 30 percent. He seems to be maintaining a solid base of support as his administration comes into focus.”

Text of questions*:

*Because of rounding, subtotals may not equal final overall totals.

Click here for crosstabs.

About the Poll:

This poll of 600 registered voters, of which 25% (150) were cell phone respondents, in North Carolina was conducted April 20-22, 2013 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered general election voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in at least one of the past two general elections (2010, 2012) or be newly registered to vote since November 3, 2012.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.”

For more information on Civitas polling, see www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.

More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at james.tynen@nccivitas.org or (919) 834-2099.

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RALEIGH – A 2011 Civitas Poll showed North Carolina voters will likely support proposed legislation that would require welfare applicants and recipients to pass drug tests to receive benefits.

The poll of 600 registered voters had a margin of error of plus/minus 4 percent.

Senate Bill 594, Require Drug Testing/Work First Benefits, was approved this week by the Senate Judiciary II Committee and was sent to the Senate Health Care Committee.

The measure sparked debate on the panel, but a Civitas Poll from October 2011 indicated that the NC public strongly backed such a proposal. The poll of registered voters found that better than seven out of 10 (71 percent) supported drug testing for welfare recipients. This sentiment was widespread with more than half (55 percent) of the respondents strongly backing the idea. Less than one-fourth (23 percent) opposed the idea.

“Our October 2011 poll showed voters in North Carolina overwhelmingly supported requiring people seeking public benefits get tested for drugs,” Civitas President Francis X. De Luca said.  “It’s hard to imagine opinion could have shifted much since then.”

Text of question:

The speaker of the North Carolina House has proposed drug testing for recipients of public assistance. Do you agree or disagree with drug testing all those who receive public assistance in the state?

71%    Total Agree
23%    Total Disagree

55%     Strongly Agree
16%     Somewhat Agree
8%       Somewhat Disagree
15%     Strongly Disagree
4%       Don’t Know/ No Opinion
2%       Refused

Click here for October 2011 crosstabs.

About the Poll:

The poll of 600 registered North Carolina voters in North Carolina was conducted October 17-18, 2011 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ. The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.”

For more information on Civitas polling, see http://www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.

More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at (919) 834-2099 or James.Tynen@nccivitas.org.

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RALEIGH – A new internet commercial from the Civitas Institute regarding tax reform has garnered thousands of views in less than two weeks.  The video touts the benefits to hard-working North Carolinians from the elimination of the state income tax.

The 30-second spot prompts citizens to imagine how they could improve their lives by keeping more of what they earn. The median North Carolina household pays nearly $2,200 a year in state income taxes, a significant amount of money that could help start a business, pay off debt or save for retirement.

As tax reform takes center stage at the state legislature, the Civitas Institute will continue to be a leading voice for pro-growth measures that will create job opportunities for those most in need and help North Carolina families achieve greater financial security.

More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at (919) 834-2099.

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RALEIGH – A new poll by the Civitas Institute examined North Carolina voters’ views of state and national leaders.

Among the key points, Gov. Pat McCrory holds a strong favorability rating, with 56 percent of voters holding a favorable view, and 25 percent holding an unfavorable view. Sen. Kay Hagan has a 41-31 favorable/unfavorable rating. That is a plurality of the voters polled, but her favorable rating is below 50 percent, which political observers say is a key marker of political strength. Also, 23 percent of those polled had not heard of her or had no opinion.

Also, 40 percent of those polled said U.S. House Republicans bear most of the blame for the sequester spending cuts; 34 percent said the president bears most of the blame.

The poll of 600 registered voters was taken March 19-21, and had a margin of error of plus-minus 4 percent.

Text of questions*:

*Because of rounding, percentages may not equal totals.

Click here for crosstabs.

About the Poll:

This poll of 600 registered voters, of which 25% (150) were cell phone respondents, in North Carolina was conducted March 19-21, 2013 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered  general election voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in at least one of the past two general elections (2010, 2012) or be newly registered to vote since November 3, 2012.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.”

For more information on Civitas polling, see http://www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.

More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at (919) 834-2099.

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