RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolinians of all political persuasions can be heard lamenting a lack of choices on the ballot in this election. So, how can we ensure that future elections will include a bevy of qualified candidates? Look at the youngest generation, says one North Carolina author.

Mary Swann Parry recently released her first children's book, "Sadie McGrady Runs for President," a fictional story of a young girl's pursuit of the White House. Parry said she wrote the book after she found a lack of resources for her young daughter.

"They start learning about the government as early as third grade and how it works," Parry said. "And I think it that would be terrific to have more of these conversations when they're little and when they're having these goals."

The author said she hopes her female character will inspire girls specifically, since women make up more than half of the populace but only 19 percent of Congress, 25 percent of state legislators and 12 percent of governors, according to the Center for American Women and Politics.

Parry said that in her experience, teaching young children they can run for office someday is enough to plant the seed for later in life.

"You're teaching them what foods to eat and to get enough exercise, and you're listening to them - what they might want to be when they grow up,” Parry said. "But we're not really, in all households, talking about civic engagement and how you not just make sure you're a voter and a regular voter when you grow up, but here are the different ways you can get engaged in the process."

Experts say parents should talk to their children about what's happening in this campaign season, and focus on how to discuss issues with their classmates and disagree respectfully. Having these conversations might also ease any fears they may have about the election outcome.



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Despite concerns about the next election, one Arizona legal expert says courts have generally sided with voters and democracy.

Victoria Lopez is the director of program and strategy with the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, and said in 2022, Arizona had the most court cases on election denial and voting processes in the country.

Just last week, an Arizona grand jury returned an indictment charging two of the three Cochise County supervisors with felony offenses for their refusal to certify the 2022 general election results.

Lopez said the message is simple: elections matter. She added that a majority of the time, "when democracy was on the docket, voters won." But she said litigation is complicated and drawn-out, but can still instigate mistrust and skepticism.

"The final outcomes of some of these cases has not yet been determined," said Lopez, "but at least the majority of those cases that have been filed, the outcome has been pro-voter, pro-democracy outcomes."

Lopez said there is what she calls a "robust coalition of partners," that work alongside the ACLU of Arizona on democracy issues and cases challenging suppression of voter rights in the state.

Lopez highlighted a lawsuit filed on behalf of Mi Familia Vota and Voto Latino which challenges HB 2492, a law that enacted new proof of citizenship requirements for voters.

The case is currently in federal district court.

Lopez explained the Arizona Court of Appeals recently ruled that counties don't have the legal authority to execute hand counts of all their ballots in an election. That decision stems from a 2022 case in which Cochise County was challenged in its efforts to preform a hand count audit.

In northwestern Arizona, the Mohave County Board of Supervisors recently rejected a bid to allow a hand count in 2024.

Lopez recognized supporters of hand counts believe it'll ensure better accuracy.

"But part of the arguments that were being made there in support of the full hand count audit," said Lopez, "was that the county should move forward and litigate the question of whether a hand count audit is constitutional under Arizona law."

Lopez contended Arizona has an extensive history of what she calls attacking "basic voting measures," like drop boxes, that she argues make elections "efficient and effective."

In mid-October, a conservative legal group filed a lawsuit challenging the use of drop boxes, arguing it is an illegal voting method under Arizona law.

She encouraged Arizonans to register to vote or update their existing registration as well as get informed.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




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Most Hoosiers are okay with legalizing marijuana -- 85% approve, according to a poll from Indiana Public Radio and Ball State University.

However, Indiana law does not allow citizen-led initiatives on the ballot.

Political experts don't see an appetite among Republicans - who hold a supermajority at the Indiana Statehouse and in the governor's office -- for giving citizens a direct voice.

So, Indiana State Democratic Chairman Michael Schmuhl suggested neighboring states have left Indiana behind in a cloud of smoke.

"And some of these states are not dissimiliar from our state," said Schmuhl. "Yes, we have our challenges. There are some sort of structures around that and some disadvantages, but direct voice for people to vote on things -- especially, when it comes to their own body and their own choices -- you would think that that would be a no-brainer."

Opponents of citizen-led initiatives argue voters choose politicians who can be trusted to make the best decisions on behalf of Hoosiers.

However, Schmuhl countered, that idea has been eroded by a single party controlling the levers of power. Republicans have held tightly to power since 2010, when Mitch Daniels was re-elected governor -- which Schmuhl pointed out gives the GOP total control of drawing lines for Indiana's congressional voting districts.

"What gerrymandered districts do is it speaks to the extremes of both sides," said Schmuhl. "That's who's going to get through a primary, is the loudest voices. Here in Indiana, unfortunately, that is folks that are extreme and on the right. I would argue that those elections aren't reflective of the average Hoosier's belief."

Schmuhl contended that some parts of the nation's democracy -- both federal and state -- are broken.

Indiana is also one of only six states where voters are allow to vote a straight-party ticket. Opponents argue this allows voters to support a party's slate of candidates without much thought.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.




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This week, a bipartisan group in Arizona officially launched its campaign to do away with the state's current system of primary elections - which are only open to people in the two major political parties.

The goal is to get a measure on the 2024 ballot to make the state's future primary elections open to all candidates and all voters, regardless of their party affiliation. But first, it needs more than 389,000 signatures by July of next year.

Chuck Coughlin - treasurer for Make Elections Fair AZ - called this week's kickoff "an emotional launching point," for what he describes as their effort to "create fair elections in Arizona."

"Our election process has been hijacked by two extreme parties," said Coughlin. "The two parties have become much more extreme over time in their views of how elections are run, because it attracts money and influence. A majority of people have chosen to disassociate themselves from those two parties."

He said Independent and unaffiliated voters now comprise the largest registered voter bloc in Arizona, at 35% of the electorate.

Coughlin said changing the system would, in his words, "reinvigorate competition, so ideas and change can fuel American democracy again."

Former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson is now on the Make Elections Fair AZ executive committee.

He said the current, partisan primary system can be "easily manipulated," and lead to a disproportionate advantage for groups with extreme viewpoints.

Johnson also said he sees the current system as discriminatory toward Independent and unaffiliated candidates.

"It actually discriminates directly against voters," said Johnson. "It requires them to file a special card to be able to vote in one of the two primaries, which Democratic and Republican voters don't have to do. And then, in presidential primaries, they are outright excluded - even though their taxpayers' dollars are utilized to be able to subsidize it."

Johnson is referring to the card people can fill out stating "no party preference" that allows them to vote in an Arizona primary.

Supporters of closed primaries say they're an important part of keeping political parties healthy and relevant.