§ 163-278.69. Voter education.
§ 163‑278.69. Votereducation.
(a) Judicial VoterGuide. The Board shall publish a Judicial Voter Guide that explains thefunctions of the appellate courts and the laws concerning the election ofappellate judges, the purpose and function of the Public Campaign Fund, and thelaws concerning voter registration. The Board shall distribute the Guide to asmany voting‑age individuals in the State as practical, through a mailingto all residences or other means it deems effective. The distribution shalloccur no more than 28 days nor fewer than seven days before the one‑stopvoting period provided in G.S. 163‑227.2 for the primary and no more than28 days nor fewer than seven days before the one‑stop voting periodprovided in G.S. 163‑227.2 for the general election.
(b) CandidateInformation. The Judicial Voter Guide shall include information concerningall candidates for the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, as provided bythose candidates according to a format provided to the candidates by the Board.The Board shall request information for the Guide from each candidate accordingto the following format:
(1) Place of residence.
(2) Education.
(3) Occupation.
(4) Employer.
(5) Date admitted to thebar.
(6) Legal/judicialexperience.
(7) Candidate statement.Concerning that statement, the Board shall send to the candidates instructionsas follows: "Your statement may include information such as yourqualifications, your endorsements, your ratings, why you are seeking judicialoffice, why you would make a good judge, what distinguishes you from youropponent(s), your acceptance of spending and fund‑raising limits toqualify to receive funds from the Public Campaign Fund, and any otherinformation relevant to your candidacy. The State Board of Elections will rejectany portion of any statement which it determines contains obscene, profane, ordefamatory language. The candidate shall have three days to resubmit thecandidate statement if the Board rejects a portion of the statement.
The entire entry for a candidateshall be limited to 250 words.
(c) Disclaimer. TheJudicial Voter Guide shall contain the following statement: "Statements bycandidates do not express or reflect the opinions of the State Board ofElections." (2002‑158,s. 1; 2005‑276, s. 23A.1(d); 2005‑430, s. 6; 2006‑192, s. 14;2007‑391, s. 4(a); 2008‑187, s. 33(a); 2009‑543, s. 6.)