North Carolina Legislator Profile

Transcription

1 North Carolina Legislator Profile Debra Conrad: House District 74 Forsyth County You can t cut without cutting out of the school system. -Rep. Debra Conrad (Winston-Salem Journal, 5/3/09) Debra Conrad was on the Forsyth County Commission for 18 years and has been in office since While there, she caused tension between the County Commission and the school board. She repeatedly voted against funding more education, instead voting in favor of tax cuts for the wealthy, claiming to vote any other way would be to sell your soul. Conrad has failed to stand up for working families by blocking Medicaid expansion, which would lower health care costs for all. Now, North Carolina is the third most expensive state for health care. Conrad opposed funding a health center in Winston-Salem that would provide uninsured families in her district with health care, claiming Forsyth County does enough for the poor with Medicaid. Conrad repeatedly attacked North Carolinians voting rights to protect her own position, claiming that voting is a privilege. She voted for multiple Republican-drawn districts, including drawing her own district, that have been ruled unconstitutional. She sponsored a bill that established photo ID requirements in NC which was ruled to have targeted African Americans with almost surgical precision. Conrad supported multiple bills to lessen early voting periods lengthening lines for all voters. She also supported bills that eliminate judicial primaries and make judicial elections partisan. Conrad consistently votes against the needs of North Carolinians, prioritizing her wealthy friends and her selfinterest rather than her constituents. To learn more about Conrad, continue reading below. 1

2 Summary As a Forsyth County Commissioner, Conrad repeatedly prioritized tax cuts over funding public education, blaming education cuts on students and saying, you can t cut without cutting out of the schools system. In 2011, Conrad supported budget cuts for Forsyth County that cut education by $300,000, and after making cuts, Conrad still claimed her top priorities included improving public schools. During her 18 years as a county commissioner, Conrad continually feuded with the school board over funding education cuts and failed to adequately pay teachers, which she blamed on students. Conrad consistently prioritized lowering taxes over funding public education, claiming that s selling your soul. Conrad does not support Medicaid expansion, and voted against funding health centers that serve her uninsured constituents. Conrad has been vocal about not supporting Medicaid expansion, however she did support creating an independent authority to oversee Medicaid in North Carolina. Conrad opposed funding for Winston-Salem s Downtown Health Plaza, which serves uninsured families, claiming Forsyth County does enough for the poor with Medicaid. Conrad repeatedly voted to restrict voting rights, from voting for unconstitutional Republican-drawn districts to sponsoring bills that establish photo ID requirements to making judicial races more partisan. Conrad voted for the Republican-drawn Wake County Commission districts, Greensboro City Council districts, and NC Congressional districts, all of which were ruled unconstitutional. Conrad sponsored a bill that established ID requirements for voting in North Carolina and shortened the early vote period. Conrad was the only Forsyth County Commissioner to vote against using state money to fund opening more early voting sites. Conrad limited voting rights even more by supporting a bill that eliminated primaries for all judicial and DA elections. Conrad also helped bring politics into the courtroom by supporting and sponsoring bills that reinstate judicial elections at many different levels. 2

3 Conrad repeatedly voted against more education funding, claiming you can t cut without cutting out of the school system. Conrad looked to schools for budget cuts and in 2011 supported a Forsyth County budget that cut education by $300,000. In 2011 Conrad supported Forsyth s budget that cut education by $300,000. Forsyth County Commissioners on Thursday approved the budget with a 5-2 vote but postponed a decision on building or renovating the Central Library and libraries in Clemmons and Kernersville. Also, some commissioners defended their funding for the Winston- Salem/Forsyth County school system, deflecting criticism that their appropriation -- $300,000 less than in the current fiscal year -- could result in teacher layoffs. The split on the budget was unchanged from last week. Commissioners Debra Conrad, Walter Marshall, Dave Plyler, Everette Witherspoon and Richard Linville, the board chairman, voted to approve the budget. (Winston-Salem Journal, 6/3/11) Conrad looked to Forsyth County Schools for budget cuts, you can t cut without cutting out of the school system. Conrad believes that when the economy improves, the county will be better able to afford adding the new debt service to the tax rate. Conrad talks about trying to renegotiate with Dell Inc. to lower incentive payments, and looking at the schools for cuts. "You can't cut without cutting out of the school system," she said. (Winston-Salem Journal, 5/24/09) Despite supporting these cuts, Conrad said her top priorities included improving public schools. In 2016 Conrad said her top priority if re-elected would be to build on the success of our tax and regulatory reforms and continue to improve public schools. What would be your top priority if re-elected? I want to build on the success of our tax and regulatory reforms. North Carolina has moved from 44th to 11th in the nation for best tax climate and rated one of the best states in which to do business. Economic development and conservative fiscal management of budgets has always been my top issue. Another priority is to continue to improve public schools combined with educational freedom for parents. Republicans have raised the average teacher salary by 15 percent over the past three years and increased K-12 spending by $2 billion since 2010 which was the year Republicans took over the legislature. (Winston-Salem Journal, 10/28/16) Conrad spent her time on the Forsyth County Commission feuding with the school board over education funding cuts. Conrad rejected a $223.7 million school bond while on the Forsyth County Commission. Faced with a policy that limits county debt to no more than 15 percent of expenses, Forsyth County commissioners said "no" on Thursday to the idea of a $223.7 million school bond referendum this fall. Although the board took no formal action, board Chairman Richard Linville took a straw poll and found no commissioner on the seven-member board willing to raise his hand in support of a bond vote. Even commissioners who don't support the debt limit, and who would be willing to vote for school bonds if the limit was not in place, said that the schools' request is impossible to grant. (Winston-Salem Journal, 6/22/12) Conrad said the Forsyth County School Board was totally on another planet for asking for a school bond. Board Chairman Donny Lambeth and Commissioner Debra Conrad have 3

4 traded barbs over the initial school bond proposal. Lambeth said the commissioners were "out of touch with reality" when they rejected the school bond package. Conrad said the school board was "totally on another planet" for even asking the commissioners to put school bond package on the ballot amid a tough local economy. (Winston-Salem Journal, 6/27/12) Conrad on denying the school board more funds: I like the planet I am on. School board chairman Donny Lambeth said the commissioners were out of touch with reality, and that "I'm not sure what planet they are on." But Commissioner Debra Conrad said, "I like the planet I am on -- it is the planet of common sense and sanity." Commissioners should have talked more about this crucial issue with school board members. But whatever planet any of the participants may be on -- the planet of common sense or of hope for the future -- they'll have to work together within reasonable limitations. (Winston-Salem Journal, editorial, 6/28/12) Conrad failed to adequately pay teachers in Forsyth County during her 18 years as a Commissioner Conrad called for cuts in local education funding as a commissioner, supported Sen. Berger s plan to overhaul education, ending teacher tenure. As commissioner, Conrad has called for cuts in local education funding. Throwing more money into education won't solve the problems of young people graduating without the necessary skills to compete in the global economy, Conrad said. She said she supports Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger's plan to overhaul the education system. That plan would, among other things, limit teachers to a oneyear contract, ending tenure, and hold children back in the third grade if they can't read at grade level. (Winston-Salem Journal, 10/7/12) Conrad said that parents need to decide education is a priority, the government cannot throw money at the issue. Conrad: Said parents have to decide education is a priority for their children and that government cannot simply throw money at the issue. She said she might support merit pay for teachers, with student test scores as part of salary formula, but that would have to be one of many elements in the formula. (Winston-Salem Journal, 4/15/12) Conrad said the Forsyth school board should find money for teacher salary supplements in its own budget, shouldn t come back to the county. The commissioners will have to vote on the issue if general-fund money is found for teacher- salary supplements, and such a vote is likely to be divisive. Several commissioners said yesterday that they would support the move. But Commissioner Debra Conrad, the vice chairwoman of the board, said that it is up to the school board to find the money for salary supplements in its own budget. "I don't necessarily think it's appropriate that it comes back and is placed on the county," she said. "I feel we were very generous and gave them as much as possible." Superintendent Don Martin said after the meeting that it is up to the commissioners to decide how to pay for county needs, including the schools. (Winston-Salem Journal, 11/16/07) Conrad blamed inadequate funding for schools on students. Conrad: I think we ve lost all understanding of student personal responsibility, blamed inadequate funding for schools on students Commissioner Debra Conrad-Shrader said she wanted to counterbalance Marshall. I think we've lost all understanding of student personal responsibility, she said, drawing nods from school-board members Vic Johnson, Donny Lambeth and Jeannie Metcalf. Lost in the exchange was the district's budget request, which asks the county for about 4.7 percent more than this year's contribution of $86.9 million. County 4

5 officials had asked the district to limit its request to 3.5 percent more than last year, or an additional $3.1 million. Commissioners gave no sign yesterday that they would be willing to give more. The county faces a $15 million budget gap, Conrad-Shrader said. Martin said that the schools' needs are growing faster than the county's tax base, but Conrad-Shrader pointed out that other county departments have the same problem as well. We've seen the same thing in social services, she said. (Winston-Salem Journal, 5/14/04) Conrad said that parents need to decide education is a priority, the government cannot throw money at the issue. Conrad: Said parents have to decide education is a priority for their children and that government cannot simply throw money at the issue. She said she might support merit pay for teachers, with student test scores as part of salary formula, but that would have to be one of many elements in the formula. (Winston-Salem Journal, 4/15/12) Forsyth Commissioners were forced to reject a school bond due to Conrad s debt cap policy. Forsyth Commissioners were forced to reject a $223.7 million school bond due to a policy pushed by Conrad that created a 15 percent debt cap for the county. Faced with a policy that limits county debt to no more than 15 percent of expenses, Forsyth County commissioners said "no" on Thursday to the idea of a $223.7 million school bond referendum this fall. Although the board took no formal action, board Chairman Richard Linville took a straw poll and found no commissioner on the seven-member board willing to raise his hand in support of a bond vote. Even commissioners who don't support the debt limit, and who would be willing to vote for school bonds if the limit was not in place, said that the schools' request is impossible to grant. "I'm still in favor of a bond for the schools, but the policy says that we can't go above our 15 percent debt limit," said Commissioner Walter Marshall, who opposed the debt limit policy when it was enacted by the majority in September Commissioner Debra Conrad, who led the effort to put in the 15 percent debt cap, said school board members are clearly not thinking along the same lines as the county. (Winston-Salem Journal, 6/22/12) Ø Conrad voted in favor of a 15 percent debt cap. Meanwhile, the board also passed a debt-limit policy that had been tied to library project in previous discussions, but the margin was a narrow 4-3. Under the policy, county debt payments can go no higher than 15 percent of the budget. In effect, that puts a limit on how much money the county can borrow. In favor of the debt limit were Commissioners Debra Conrad, Gloria Whisenhunt, Bill Whiteheart and Richard Linville, the board chairman. (Winston-Salem Journal, 9/13/11) Conrad favored lower property taxes over increased spending on education, saying to me that s selling your soul. Conrad was the lone no vote against Forsyth s 2007 budget due to a 3-cent property tax increase dedicated to paying off school bonds approved by voters. Forsyth County commissioners approved their budget yesterday, and Vice Chairwoman Debra Conrad, who cast the only dissenting vote, paid for it. Conrad refused to sign onto the $387 million spending plan because it included a 3-cent increase in the property-tax rate. That money will be dedicated to paying off $275 million in school bonds that voters approved last year. (Winston- Salem Journal, 6/1/07) 5

6 Conrad: to me that s selling your soul. After she voted against the tax increase, which was approved 6-1, the commissioners stripped funding for some of Conrad's pet projects from the proposed budget, including a grant for the Greater Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce to promote nanotechnology and money for a lobbying firm. Commissioners also cut financing for the Piedmont Triad Film Commission from $50,000 to $25,000. The commissioners then approved the budget, also on a 6-1 vote. Conrad said she knew that some projects she supported would likely be removed if she did not vote for the tax plan, but she decided to vote against it anyway. To me that's selling your soul. I hate to sell my vote. I have to sleep at night, she said. (Winston-Salem Journal, 6/1/07) Conrad favored lower property taxes over increased spending on education. They said they would ask commissioners for a $161 million referendum in 2009 or Debra Conrad- Shrader, the vice chairwoman of the commissioners, said yesterday that she is not sure the county can afford another school bond. Voters approved a $150 million school bond referendum in They don't have to worry about how in the world it will be paid for, she said of the school board. Conrad-Shrader said she understands that the school system has needs, but said that the county has to figure out how to pay for them without raising property taxes too high. People are already complaining about higher property-tax values from the recently completed revaluation, she said. (Winston-Salem Journal, 1/11/05) 6

7 Conrad has a long history of voting against expanding Medicaid and providing more affordable and accessible health care to North Carolinians. Conrad did not support Medicaid expansion, but did support the creation of an independent authority to oversee Medicaid in the state. Conrad said NC should not expand Medicaid under the ACA. Q: Should North Carolina expand the Affordable Care Act health care coverage to include the national exchanges? Why or why not? Answer: No. Our Medicaid system is broken and fraud is far too common. Medicaid reform will be the top priority of the 2015 long session as it already costs the state $5 billion in state dollars and an additional $10 billion in federal dollars. The cost is out of control and the health outcomes for this population needs to be improved. The rising cost of Medicaid has had a negative impact on the budget. (Winston-Salem Journal, 10/20/14) H525 would establish an independent authority governed by a paid board of directors to oversee Medicaid. One version of Medicaid reform - disclosed in House Bill 525 and Senate Bill would take the drastic approach of establishing an independent authority within DHHS, known as the Health Benefits Authority. It would be governed by a paid, seven-member board of directors. The authority would feature experts in administration, insurance, actuarial science, economics, and law and policy. The bills do not disclose the cost of establishing the authority, although at least $800,000 could be spent on the combined salaries of the board members. (Winston-Salem Journal, 5/17/15) Conrad supported H525, a version of Medicaid reform that would establish an independent authority within DHHS. Rep. Debra Conrad, R-Forsyth, said she supports House Bill 525 in part because Medicaid may have become too big for DHHS to handle as efficiently as possible. This authority would allow Medicaid its own focus, Conrad said. My hope is for this bill to reinvigorate the conversation about Medicaid reform and get some movement going if we want to truly get past the Medicaid turfs this session. (Winston-Salem Journal, 5/17/15) Conrad called the legislature s 2005 decision to require counties to pay a share of Medicaid costs irresponsible. North Carolina is set to become the only state in the nation that requires its counties to pay a share of Medicaid costs. [ ] We are good to local governments, said Sen. David Hoyle, D-Gaston, a co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. We give them sales tax. We give them franchise tax. They need to thank us instead of condemn us. But condemn they did. This is just an irresponsible decision on the part of the legislature, Forsyth County Commissioner Debra Conrad-Shrader said. It seems they don't have a real grasp on the issue. (Winston-Salem Journal, 7/30/05) North Carolina has the third most expensive health care in the US, according to a 2017 study North Carolina ranked 47 th across metrics of cost, accessibility, and outcomes in a Wallethub study. (Wallethub, 8/6/18) Blue Cross Blue Shield referenced the study and blamed state government decisions as one reason for the high cost. In the last few years, North Carolina s lawmakers made two crucial decisions that caused healthcare costs to rise. First, the state decided not to expand Medicaid coverage. So there are a lot of people in North Carolina s individual insurance market 7

8 who might have been covered under Medicaid, but instead, have to purchase insurance through the ACA s federal marketplace. These folks tend to have more expensive chronic health problems, and the cost of their medical care has caused insurance premiums for ACA customers in our state to rise. (Blue Cross Blue Shield, 8/1/17) Conrad opposed funding for Winston-Salem s Downtown Health Plaza that serves uninsured families, saying Forsyth does enough for the poor with Medicaid. More than 40,000 Forsyth County residents have no health insurance and depend on the Plaza. More than 40,000 Forsyth County residents have no health insurance, and many of them depend on the health plaza, they said. Some used extreme language to describe what they see as an extreme situation. Eliminating money for the Downtown Health Plaza would be "genocide" for uninsured residents, said Phillip Carter. "It would be unjust as well as inhumane for the county" to stop supporting the health plaza, he said. Mariel Aponte, an educator for the ABCD Motherhood Connection, a program for pregnant women at the health plaza, said she worries about the women that she deals with daily. (Winston-Salem Journal, 5/24/05) Conrad opposed reinstating the subsidy for Winston-Salem s health plaza, another commissioner said, something s wrong when we subsidize golf but penalize health care. Republicans Whisenhunt, Debra Conrad and Bill Whiteheart said they are opposed to reinstating any subsidy for the health plaza, which is operated by N.C. Baptist Hospital. Democrats Ted Kaplan, Walter Marshall and Beaufort Bailey said they want to restore some county support. [ ] Marshall said that the county needs to reinstate the subsidy. I think it (eliminating the county subsidy) was a pure and simple political move than one based on need, he said. I think something's wrong when we subsidize golf but penalize health care. (Winston- Salem Journal, 2/18/07) Conrad wanted to cut county funds for the Downtown Health Plaza, claiming Baptist Hospital had enough money to pay for it, said Forsyth does enough for the poor with Medicaid. But Whisenhunt and Debra Conrad-Shrader, the vice chairwoman of the commissioners, were not convinced. They have strongly opposed continued money for the health plaza. They say that Baptist Hospital is a nonprofit organization that is largely tax-exempt and has enough income to pay for the health plaza without county tax dollars. They also say that the county is not mandated to spend money on the health plaza and already does plenty for the poor by putting tax dollars into Medicaid. Counties in North Carolina must pay a share of Medicaid costs. (Winston-Salem Journal, 5/24/05) Conrad voted against $1.5 million for the Downtown Health Plaza, a key provider of healthcare services to people with little or no insurance in Forsyth County. The Downtown Health Plaza will get $1.5 million from Forsyth County in , but several county commissioners said last night that it should not expect any more subsidies in the future. The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners voted 4-3 to approve an amended agreement between N.C. Baptist Hospital, which runs the plaza, and the county. The agreement makes formal the county's decision to provide money to the health plaza in this year's budget. Commissioners Debra Conrad-Shrader, Richard Linville and Gloria Whisenhunt voted against the motion to approve the agreement. (Winston-Salem Journal, 8/24/04) An unrepentant former member of the Ku Klux Klan asked Commissioners how can we turn our backs on sick children? One man stood out among the 19 good-hearted citizens who walked to a podium Tuesday night to ask Forsyth County commissioners to please, 8

9 pretty please, pay for their pet programs and projects in the new budget even if it meant dialing up the tax rate - and it wasn't because of his painful limp. Vernon Logan is about as right-wing as they get. He stoutly supports prayer in schools and gun rights. He also stands staunchly against abortion and rails against illegal immigration constantly. He is an unrepentant former member of the Ku Klux Klan, and a lot of us would even say he's a few bricks shy of a load. So it came as a surprise when Logan, who has announced that he plans to run for a seat on the board of county commissioners in 2008, slowly made his way to the microphone and passionately spoke in favor of spending county money on the Downtown Health Plaza. The plaza, you see, is a state-of-the-art health-care center on Martin Luther King Drive that mostly serves poor people and sees a large number of minority patients - some of whom are no doubt here illegally. I am the most conservative person you will ever meet, Logan said. But when I see a sick child, I see no color, race or illegal status. How can we turn our backs on sick children? (Winston-Salem Journal, 5/31/07) 9

10 Conrad said that voting is a privilege and supported unconstitutional laws that restrict the rights of NC voters. Conrad voted for Wake County Commission districts, Greensboro City Council districts, and Congressional districts drawn by the Republican legislative majority that were all ruled unconstitutional. S181 redrew Wake County Commission districts, was struck down by the 4 th Circuit Court of Appeals in A federal appeals court ruling Friday nullified Wake County school board and county commissioner election districts, plunging the county into uncertainty about whether voters will even go to the polls in November for those local races. Shortly after a 2-1 ruling by a U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals panel found the districts unconstitutional, legislators scrambled to redraw new maps before the session closed. But by early evening, Rep. David Lewis, a Republican from Harnett County, said legislators likely had too little time to craft new lines. I had hoped that we would be able to do it, but it s a lot harder than simply making a tweak, said Lewis, who leads the House elections committee. He spoke in the hallway outside the House chambers as it remained in session. What the districts look like comes amid a long fight over whether Democrats or Republicans control the two Wake County boards. In recent years, both boards shifted from Republican leadership to Democratic oversight. So the GOP-led state legislature redrew the Wake school board districts in 2013 and the commissioners districts in 2015, less than a year after Democrats acquired every seat. (News & Observer, 7/1/16; S181, ratified 4/2/15) H263 redrew Greensboro City Council districts, was struck down by a federal district court judge in When voters in Greensboro consider City Council candidates this fall, they will do so with the same district makeup they used in U.S. Middle District Judge Catherine Eagles ruled Monday that the N.C. General Assembly unconstitutionally redistricted the council in 2015 and that all future elections would be held with the same district map unless there s a public referendum to change it. Lawmakers in a bill introduced by state Sen. Trudy Wade (R-Greensboro) had changed the council from five districts and three at-large seats to eight newly drawn districts and limited the mayor to a vote only in the event of a tie. But Eagles ruled that lawmakers had redrawn those districts to dilute the Democratic vote and give Republican candidates an advantage. The appropriate remedy for a law that violates the oneperson, one-vote principle is an injunction against elections conducted under the Act s unconstitutional redistricting, Eagles wrote in her order. (Greensboro News & Record, 4/3/17; H263, ratified 7/2/15) S2 redrew NC s Congressional districts, was ruled an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander in A panel of federal judges struck down North Carolina s election districts for U.S. Congress on Tuesday as unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders and gave lawmakers until Jan. 29 to bring them new maps to correct the problem. The ruling comes in cases filed by the League of Women Voters and Common Cause in North Carolina stemming from maps adopted in 2016 during a special legislative session. It throws a new wrinkle and more uncertainty into the 2018 election cycle in North Carolina a month before candidates were scheduled to file for office. (News & Observer, 1/9/18; S2, ratified 2/19/16) Conrad sponsored H589, the 2013 law that established ID requirements for voting in NC. 10

11 Conrad signed on to sponsor NC s 2013 voter ID law that was later struck down as unconstitutional in a ruling upheld by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court on Monday refused to revive a restrictive North Carolina voting law that a federal appeals court had struck down as an unconstitutional effort to target African-Americans with almost surgical precision. The court s decision not to hear an appeal in the case effectively overturned one of the most farreaching attempts by Republicans to counter what they contended, without evidence, was widespread voter fraud in North Carolina. The law rejected the forms of identification used disproportionately by blacks, including IDs issued to government employees, students and people receiving public assistance. (NY Times, 5/15/17; H589, signed 8/12/13) The law also shortened the early vote period, ended Sunday voting and same-day registration. Republicans shortened early voting period, prohibited extending early voting if lines are long, ended Sunday voting and same-day registration. The bill cuts the early voting period from 17 to 10 days, although counties would still be required to provide the same number of hours for early voting. It also prohibits counties from extending early voting hours on the Saturday before Election Day to accommodate crowds and eliminates same-day voter registration during early voting. (WRAL, 7/25/13; H589, signed 8/12/13) More than one-third of NC counties reduced early voting hours. When early voting begins Thursday, voters in Durham, Johnston and Orange counties will have more hours to cast ballots ahead of the May 6 primary than they have in the past. But in more than a third of North Carolina s 100 counties, people will have less time to vote. (News & Observer, 4/23/13; Associated Press, 2/27/14) Conrad supported voter ID requirements prior to joining the House. In 2012 Conrad supported photo ID at the polls. Conrad: As a commissioner, Conrad has supported a number of immigration crackdowns. She pushed local law enforcement to enroll in the federal 287(G) program, which is meant to expedite the deportation process for illegal immigrants arrested on other charges. She has also supported photo I.D. at the polls. (Winston-Salem Journal, 4/15/12) As a County Commissioner, Conrad voted in favor of a resolution in support of the vetoed voter ID bill. On a split vote, and with charges flying back and forth, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to support a state bill that would require voters to show photo identification before casting a ballot. By a vote of 4-3, the board endorsed the bill, which was passed last year by the N.C. General Assembly but vetoed by Gov. Bev Perdue, meaning that it did not become law. Republican Commissioners Debra Conrad, Richard Linville, Gloria Whisenhunt and Bill Whiteheart voted for the resolution to support the voter ID bill. (Winston-Salem Journal, 3/27/12) Conrad was the only Forsyth County Commissioner to vote against using state money to pay for additional early voting sites, including one at Winston-Salem State University. In 2002 Conrad was the lone no vote against using state money to pay for two additional early voting sites, including one at Winston-Salem State University. The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners voted 6-1 yesterday to use state money to pay for two additional earlyvoting sites at Reynolda Manor Library and the Anderson Center at Winston-Salem State 11

12 University. Commissioner Debra Conrad-Shrader was the dissenting vote. The sites will open Tuesday and will operate until Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. Voters can also vote early at the elections board office at West Fourth Street. The money comes from a statewide pool of $250,000 from the State Board of Elections to pay for satellite-voting sites. (Winston-Salem Journal, 10/18/02) Conrad: Voting is a privilege. When a fellow County Commissioner lobbied for more early voting sites in the black community, Conrad disagreed, saying people should take time to vote on Election Day because voting is a privilege. The county had several sites for early voting last year, and state Rep. Larry Womble, D-Forsyth, lobbied for more in the black community. Debra Conrad- Shrader, the vice chairwoman of the commissioners, disagreed with Marshall, saying that early voting has not increased overall voter turnout. Last month, 11.1 percent of Winston-Salem residents voted in the general election, the lowest turnout in the past 20 years. Conrad-Shrader said that it is the responsibility of voters to cast their ballots on Election Day. Voting is a privilege, she said. (Winston-Salem Journal, 12/23/05) Conrad supported a bill that eliminated 2018 primaries for all judicial and DA elections, raised the threshold for unaffiliated candidates to get on the ballot, but kept legislative requirements the same. S656 would eliminate 2018 primaries in Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, District Court, Superior Court and district attorney races. The initial N.C. Senate Bill 656, titled Electoral Freedom Act, was sponsored by Republican Andrew Brock when he was a state senator for Davie County. He resigned from the legislature on June 30, As part of a compromise reached Wednesday by N.C. House and N.C. Senate leaders, a Section 4 was added that would prohibit holding party primaries for these races: N.C. Supreme Court justices; N.C. Court of Appeals judges; District and Superior Court judges; and district attorneys. (Winston-Salem Journal, 10/6/17; S656, veto overridden, 10/17/17) The primary cancellation would apply to Court of Appeals and Supreme Court elections event though these races are not subject to judicial redistricting. The delay would also apply to elections for three Court of Appeals seats and one Supreme Court seat, even though those are statewide races and aren't subject to redistricting. Associate Justice Barbara Jackson, a Republican, is seeking re-election next year on a Supreme Court in which Democrats currently hold four of the seven seats. (AP, 10/17/17; S656, veto overridden, 10/17/17) Conrad helped bring politics into the courtroom in NC, supporting and sponsoring bills to reinstate partisan judicial elections at all levels. Conrad signed on to sponsor a bill in late December 2016 that reinstated partisan labels in state Supreme Court elections. In December, shortly before Cooper took office, the legislature and then-gov. Pat McCrory passed a law-making elections for the state Supreme Court officially partisan again starting in Now the legislature wants to do the same for lower court judicial races. This session's bill to reinstitute partisan labels was primarily sponsored by Republican Rep. Justin Burr of Stanly County. Reps. Donny Lambeth and Debra Conrad, both representing Forsyth County, were among the Republicans who signed on as sponsors. (Winston-Salem Journal, Editorial, 3/21/17) 12

13 Ø Conrad previously said she was not aware of any legislation beyond disaster relief for December 2016 special session. Members of the local delegation said they don't know what else might be on the agenda for the session. Republican Reps. Debra Conrad and Julia Howard said they will not know if there is other potential legislation until today's caucus meeting. "I am unaware of any elected Republican that has brought this issue up since the election, therefore I am very skeptical that this is a genuine topic for consideration," Conrad said. (Winston-Salem Journal, 12/13/16) Conrad voted for House Bill 100 that made elections for District Court and Superior Court judges partisan. The first election-related bill to get a hearing is House Bill 100, which would make elections for District Court and Superior Court judges partisan. If the bill becomes law, District and Superior Court judicial candidates would need to go through a party primary, and general election ballots would include the candidates party affiliation. Candidates who aren t registered with a political party would need to go through a petition process to get their names on the ballot. (Charlotte Observer, 2/20/17; H100, Veto Overridden 3/23/17) House Bill 100 would make candidates running for District Court and Superior Court go through a party primary. HB 100 would make candidates for District Court and Superior Court judge go through a party primary, and their political affiliations would be included on the general ballot. Candidates who aren t registered with a political party would have to gather enough voter signatures to put their names on the ballot. (News & Observer, 3/22/17; H100, Veto Overridden 3/23/17) House Bill 100 would force unaffiliated candidates to gather enough voter signatures to get their names on the ballot. HB 100 would make candidates for District Court and Superior Court judge go through a party primary, and their political affiliations would be included on the general ballot. Candidates who aren t registered with a political party would have to gather enough voter signatures to put their names on the ballot. (News & Observer, 3/22/2017; HB100, Veto Overridden 3/23/2017) Superior Court Judge James G. Bell said he thinks the bill will bring politics into the courtroom. I think it s a negative. It is going to bring politics into the courtroom, Superior Court Judge James, G. Bell said. It is better to be removed from the politics and just concentrate on being a judge,. (The Robesonian, 3/30/2017; HB100, Veto Overridden 3/23/2017) ### 13