The NCSLA Advocacy Committee has declared the 2026-27 school year our Year of Advocacy!  Each week will share small actions you can take to support and advocate for science education. 

Follow NCSLA on Facebook and Instagram to get these alerts in your social media feed.

October 26

Only one more week until election day!  Check in with 3 people to make sure they have a plan to vote.  The last day for early voting is Saturday.  Have they made time to vote early or are they planning to vote on November 3?  Do they need a ride?  Do they need help finding their sample ballot?  Every vote counts!!

October 19

Is there a candidate, bond, or amendment on the ballot that you feel strongly about?  This week talk to at least 3 people about why you are voting for or against them in the election.  Explain why it’s important to you and your community.  These people can be in your family, in your book club, or even in line behind you at the grocery store!

October 12

It’s time to make a voting plan!  Early voting runs October 15 to 31 and the deadline to request mail in ballots is October 20.  When will you vote?  Do you have a photo ID to bring with you?  Find the early voting locations in your county.  Or if you’re voting on November 3, make sure you know where to go and have the time to get there.  Bring a friend or family member with you!

October 5

This week make sure you are registered to vote by Friday, October 9.  Check your registration at https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-lookup  and while you're there, download your sample ballot.

Check out all of your local city and county candidates.  Research candidates for mayor, sheriff, city council, county commissioners, and any other positions on your ballot.   How do those candidates feel about supporting public education?  

In NC, county commissioners control the purse strings for your school district so consider these carefully.  Are any school board members up for election?  They make decisions about district policy and budget as well.

September 28 

There are 3 statewide amendments up for a vote this year and they all could have a huge impact on education.

• The Property Tax Levy Limit Amendment could put a cap on how much property taxes can increase.  This has the potential to substantially limit the amount of money counties have available to spend on education and teacher pay.

• The Reduce Income Tax Rate Cap from 7% to 3.5% Amendment could drastically reduce the state's income which means less money for public schools.

• The Require Voter Identification Amendment adds a requirement that all voters, not just those voting in person, would need to provide a photo ID to vote, making it more difficult for qualified voters to submit a ballot.

Learn more about the amendments before you head to the polls

September 21

A lot of folks underestimate the importance of judicial elections.  Most large issues in education (Brown v BOE and Leandro to name a couple) are decided in the courts, not just by lawmakers.  This year there is a NC Supreme Court Seat up for election as well as 3 seats on the appellate court.

Learn more about the candidates!
Supreme Court
Appellate Court

 September 14 

This year NC will elect a new Senator and full slate of Representatives at the federal level AND all of our state Senators and Representatives are also up for reelection. 

Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley are facing off for state senator.  Find out who is running in your federal and state House districts.  Where do they stand on education?  Find a list of all the candidates at https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina

Can’t remember your districts?  https://www.ncleg.gov/FindYourLegislators

September 7, 2026

Is your voter registration up to date?  Go to https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-lookup to look up your current registration.  Some folks might need to repair their voter registration - learn more at https://www.ncsbe.gov/registrationrepair

Need to register? Find out how at https://www.ncsbe.gov/registering/how-register  The last day to register before election day is October 9, 2026

August 31, 2026

This week we invite you to look up your state representative and senator.  Then follow them on social media and/or sign up for their newsletter on their web site.

Enter your address at https://www.ncleg.gov/FindYourLegislators to find your state legislators!