Politics

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NEWS 4/9/25 9:59am

Elon Town Council debates proposed tax increases

By Virginia Vance and Megan Walsh

Elon Town Manager Rich Roedner recommended increases to property taxes, water and sewage fees, and trash bin fees at the April 8 Elon Town Council meeting. Roedner said his proposed budget has less buffer room if the town brings in less tax revenue than projected. Mayor Emily Sharpe said she would be more comfortable with a property-tax-based revenue budget in place of a sales-tax-based budget. “We need to eventually get to where those are flipped,” Sharpe said. “There's way too much variability in that sales tax number where there isn't that variability in a real estate tax number.”

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NEWS 4/4/25 9:51pm

North Carolina court sides with Republican Jefferson Griffin in contested state supreme court race

By Avery Sloan

The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled April 4 that over 65,000 votes casted in the 2024 state supreme court race need to be verified. Democrat incumbent Allison Riggs only won the race by 734 votes — after two previous recounts — meaning that the result of the election could change.  The North Carolina Court of Appeals sided with Republican Jefferson Griffin 2-1, who challenged the ballots in November, claiming that over 65,000 ballots shouldn’t be included in the results because they failed to comply with the state law or the state constitution. This ruling means the North Carolina Board of Elections will ask the contested voters to provide proof of identity within 15 days of being notified in order for their vote to count.   

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NEWS 4/4/25 2:24pm

Gov. Josh Stein’s first 100 days: Cautious and relief-focused

By Miles Hayford

As Gov. Josh Stein’s first 100 days in office come to a close, his administration has focused on three key areas: Hurricane Helene recovery, a two-year budget proposal and cautiously navigating a Republican-dominated North Carolina General Assembly. Stein released a budget proposal March 19, which is a recommended budget that the General Assembly will take into consideration before passing the budget themselves. After two years of a Republican supermajority, the General Assembly is heavily controlled by the GOP. Republicans currently hold a 30-20 advantage in the Senate and a 71-49 advantage in the House.

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NEWS 3/25/25 11:08am

Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education passes 2025-26 budget

By Avery Sloan

After nine community members spoke during the budget hearing meeting, the Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education unanimously passed the 2025-26 budget asking for a $5.7 million expansion from this year’s budget — totaling to $59,047,151. The budget will now have to pass through the Alamance County Commissioners. Before the budget hearing began close to 15 community members, mainly a part of the Alamance-Burlington Association of Educators, gathered in the parking lot sharing their own experiences of what brought them to speak out at the meeting.

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NEWS 3/24/25 10:32pm

Elon Town Council approves conditional rezoning request for new development

By Ruby Burckle

The Elon Town Council held a meeting March 24 to decide whether to approve or deny a conditional rezoning request presented during a previous meeting, hear public complaints about excessive speeding, and discuss borrowing scenarios for recreational projects. During its meeting on March 11, the council discussed a proposal for a new mixed-use development called “Parc Village” located behind the Schar Center with plans to make a decision on the topic at this meeting. Before making a decision about the development, the council discussed concerns over changing the lengths of driveways to be 18 feet instead of 19 feet.

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NEWS 3/12/25 8:57am

Elon Town Council discusses proposal for new mixed-use development

By Ruby Burckle

The Elon Town Council held a meeting March 11 to discuss plans to construct a new mixed-use development at the southwest intersection of University Drive and North Williamson Avenue. If the town council votes to approve the development, Parc Village will be located behind the Schar Center, in close proximity to Elon University property. Though the development is so close to campus, developers will not be able to build pedestrian access between the two sites unless the university agrees to the idea, according to Lori Oakley, town planning director.

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NEWS 3/1/25 6:17pm

CHEAT SHEET: Economic professor details how tariffs raise the price of foreign goods

By Trista Panagakos

Throughout his 2024 presidential campaign to take back the White House, President Donald Trump outlined how tariffs would be used in his economic goals as well as his political ones. While on the campaign trail, Trump promised to put 60% tariffs on goods being imported from China, and 10% tariffs on goods from all other foreign countries. Elon professor Brandon Sheridan has provided an insight on how tariffs affect consumers and the price of their goods, how tariffs have been used in the past and how retaliatory tariffs may affect consumers.

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NEWS 2/25/25 11:04am

Alamance-Burlington School System board member Chuck Marsh announces retirement, residents speak out for classified employee raises

By Avery Sloan

Chuck Marsh, Alamance-Burlington School System board member, announced his resignation at the Feb. 24 Board of Education meeting in a letter read by Sandy Ellington-Graves, ABSS Board of Education board chair. Marsh has previously had health issues, causing him to miss meetings, and he is planning to spend more of his focus on the four businesses he runs, he said in his resignation letter.

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NEWS 2/24/25 10:50pm

Elon Town Council votes to start the amendment process on code of ordinances

By Nia Bedard

The Elon Town Council held a meeting Feb. 24 to amend the code of ordinances, name a new attorney for the town of Elon and hear updates from the planning committee about landscaping of the ramp on Haggard Avenue. Following the last town council meeting, where town manager Rich Roedner presented an amendment to the code of ordinances to the council, the council unanimously voted to begin the process to change the penalties for violating the town ordinances. The council also voted to appoint a new town attorney, Nick Tosco, who specializes in local government law and complex civil litigation.

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NEWS 12/10/24 9:35pm

Town council reviews financial audit from 2023-24 fiscal year

By Nia Bedard

The town of Elon held a town council meeting Dec. 10 to discuss an audit of the town’s finances, a budget amendment for the town of Elon fire department and the approval of a downtown facilities policy. The audit showcased that the town’s net worth has increased 30.9% from the last fiscal year due to grants, taxes receivables, land and construction.The audit also concluded that there were no issues found regarding the town’s internal processes recording its finances and that the town remained compliant throughout the auditing process.

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NEWS 11/25/24 4:41pm

North Carolina Student Legislature empowers students to shape state politics

By Gaby Maldonado

The North Carolina Student Legislature is a nonprofit organization that gives students firsthand experience of the legislative process at Elon University. Through debates, students enhance their public speaking skills and work on real-world policy ideas. Junior Eva Farmer, who serves as the vice president of Elon’s NCSL, explained that members bring resolutions to meetings — written proposals for new laws or changes to existing ones — sparking debates among the group.  Every Monday, NCSL holds meetings where members propose resolutions on various topics, ranging from education to abortion and other pressing issues. 

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NEWS 11/22/24 1:14pm

Split ticket voting increases across the country

By Erin Martin

Split-ticket voting occurs when an individual chooses candidates from different political parties for different races on the same ballot. In the 2024 election, North Carolina upheld its tradition of split-ticket voting, where North Carolina voted for a Republican president and a Democratic governor. Steven Greene, a professor of political science at North Carolina State University, sat down with Elon News Network to discuss the revival of split-ticket voting in the 2024 elections. From North Carolina's history of divided voting for president and governor to the potential influence of independent voters, Greene provides insights into how this electoral behavior shaped outcomes at both state and national levels.

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NEWS 11/19/24 4:29pm

Republican candidate for North Carolina Supreme Court asks for recount

By Nia Bedard

Democrat and incumbent candidate for North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs is currently leading over Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin by 625 votes. A representative from the North Carolina State Board of Elections told Elon News Network that Griffin filed a motion to request a recount earlier today, Nov. 19, and that the recount will begin Nov. 20 and will finish on Nov. 27. The NCSBE said a candidate can request a recount if the difference in votes is less than 1%. As of Nov. 19 at 9:55 a.m., Riggs is leading Griffin by 0.02% with 5.5 million ballots being counted.

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NEWS 11/13/24 3:56pm

Elon Votes expands efforts to close voter participation gap on campus

By Avery Sloan

Senior Bo Dalrymple said he has felt a different, more positive energy on campus this year regarding politics and civic engagement. The midterm elections voter rate across all institutions was 30.6% and Elon’s was 25% — 3.3% less than in 2018, according to data from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement. As co-coordinator for Elon Votes, Dalrymple said the organization has been working to increase the voter rate on campus and reach students politically who might be less likely to seek out civic engagement.

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NEWS 11/6/24 5:39am

Donald Trump elected 47th president of U.S.

By Alexa Citrin

The 2024 election has been noted as one of the closest races in U.S. history with candidates Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump fighting for the 47th spot in the Oval Office. After a neck-and-neck campaign season and election night, the winner was declared to be Republican Donald Trump — marking his second term in office. This election cycle was much closer, with early voting polls showing Harris leading by 1% nationally, and Trump winning by 1% in many southern states. As of 5:36 a.m. on Nov. 6, Trump won 277 electoral votes, while Harris won 224.

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NEWS 11/6/24 2:52am

Dennis Riddell elected North Carolina House of Representatives District 64

By Avery Sloan

Republican Dennis Riddell won the North Carolina House of Representatives District 64 seat by 54.95% of the votes. Democrat LeVon Barnes received 45.05% of the votes. This will be Riddell’s seventh term in office. When running for office, Riddell campaigned on lowering income tax rates and protecting the Second Amendment. He also previously told Elon News Network that he is comfortable with the current 12-week abortion ban and supports exceptions up to 20 weeks for rape and incest. He said he cares about the environment, but is skeptical of claims of rising sea levels. His main platform is focused on maintaining a strong economy.

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NEWS 11/6/24 2:48am

Stephen Ross elected North Carolina House of Representatives District 63

By Avery Sloan

Republican Stephen Ross won the North Carolina House of Representatives District 63 seat by 55.13% of the votes. Democrat Robin Wintringham received 44.87% of the votes. Ross previously served as the state house representative for District 63 from 2013 to 2021, he lost his election in 2020 to Ricky Hurtado, but won in 2022 rematch. Ross did not respond to any interview requests from Elon News Network, but according to his biography on the North Carolina General Assembly website, he is the chair of the commerce, house select committee on substance abuse and finance committees.

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NEWS 11/6/24 2:39am

Amy Galey wins North Carolina State Senate District 25

By Abigail Hobbs

North Carolina State Sen. Republican Amy Galey won her reelection campaign for District 25’s state senate seat. Galey won against Democrat Donna Vanhook with 60.34% and Vanhook received 39.66% of the votes. Galey previously told Elon News Network she works to serve all of her constituents — even those who did not vote for her. 

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NEWS 11/6/24 2:38am

Rachel Hunt elected lieutenant governor of North Carolina

By Ryan Kupperman

Democratic candidate Rachel Hunt won her bid for lieutenant governor of North Carolina with 49.44% of the votes statewide. Hunt beat Republican opponent Hal Weatherman, the Constitution Party’s Wayne Jones and Libertarian Shannon Bray. Hunt has served as a North Carolina state senator since 2023 and previously served as a state representative from 2019 to 2023. She has worked as a private practice attorney and owns her own educational consulting business. Hunt also served on the board of directors for the North Carolina Foundation for Public School Children.

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NEWS 11/6/24 2:29am

Mo Green elected North Carolina’s superintendent of public instruction

By Ryan Kupperman

Democratic candidate Mo Green won his bid for North Carolina’s superintendent of public instruction with 51.12% of the votes statewide. State superintendent of public instruction oversees day-to-day operations of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, serves as secretary and chief administrative officer of the State Board of Education and serves in the North Carolina Council of State. The superintendent’s race has gained national attention for one of North Carolina’s most polarizing races on the ballot. Republican candidate Michele Morrow turned heads by expressing support for abolishing the North Carolina Department of Education and cutting the state off from federal funds.

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