| 2018 Elections Wrap-Up |
| The 2018 elections capped off one of the busiest and most expensive midterm cycles in history. While we did not have any top of the ticket races this year, that didn’t diminish turnout or the amount of money.
Based on current data, more than 3.7 million North Carolinians cast a ballot in this year’s election. At 52% participation by the electorate, 2018 has eclipsed previous high-water marks for midterm turnout and put it close to Presidential election marks. This turnout number is expected to increase further as absentee and provisional ballots are tabulated. With respect to the amount of money spent in this election cycle, our state was home to two of the most expensive Congressional races in the country (Districts 2 and 9). We also saw significant expenditures in state legislative races, but it will be a few months before we know the full extent. You can see the results from every election across the state on the NC State Board of Elections results tracker. This year’s elections also saw six constitutional amendments and multiple local bonds added to the ballot. The six constitutional amendments ranged in topic from protection of hunting and fishing to requiring identification to vote and restructuring the process for judicial appointment. We discussed each of these proposed amendments in a recent REALTOR® Advocate article. Each of these amendments faced their own respective champions and opposition. When the final results were tabulated, four of the six amendments passed, with the amendments focusing on judicial appointments and the restructuring of the state Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement failing. In the local bond arena, NC REALTORS® and local associations offered support of many of the funding proposals. Most notably, the NC REALTORS® Issues Mobilization Committee provided funding to support the Wake County School Bond (Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS®) and the City of Charlotte bonds (Charlotte Regional REALTOR® Association). |
