NC Deep Dive

Nineteen candidates never wrote back, twenty-four did, and the gap matters more than most people realize. We’re sharing the behind-the-scenes transparency you deserve: how we contacted every candidate connected to southern Wake County races, what we offered to make participation easier, and why some conversations happened while others never got scheduled.We also get personal about what it takes to publish a nonpartisan election segment during a busy season of life and why we keep our election content ad free. Money can blur trust in political coverage, so we’d rather pay the software costs ourselves than ask you to wonder who’s funding the mic. Then we walk through the structure that keeps these interviews fair: a shared set of core questions across races, respectful follow-ups for clarity, and editing rules that remove filler words and long pauses without changing a candidate’s message.If you’re trying to vote smarter with less stress, we explain how to use ncdeepdive.com as a one-stop shop for Wake County election research, including transcripts, chapter markers, and links to candidates' contact information including their websites and socials. We close with clear North Carolina 2026 midterm election logistics: early voting runs October 15 to October 31, Election Day is November 3, photo ID is required, and the voter registration deadline is October 9 (with same-day registration available during early voting, but not on Election Day). Subscribe, share this with a neighbor, and leave a quick review so more voters can find reliable local election info.Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)Early Voting - October 15-31Closest Early Voting LocationsWE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly SpringsHilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay VarinaBeech Bluff County ParkWake Tech-Southern CampusELECTION DAYTuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PMSupport the showAs always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email [email protected].  Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.Now, let's dive in!

A US Senate campaign usually turns into slogans fast, but this conversation goes somewhere more specific: what happens when the people writing laws don’t understand the technology shaping daily life. We sit down with North Carolina Libertarian candidate Shannon Bray, a long-time technologist and Navy veteran, to talk about why he’s running, what he thinks Washington consistently gets wrong about modern systems, and how voters can demand real accountability instead of sound bites. We explore the practical political reality for third parties in North Carolina, including the 2% ballot access threshold that can determine whether a party even stays on the statewide ballot. From there, we break down ranked choice voting in plain language and why it directly challenges the “wasted vote” pressure that keeps many voters locked into a two-party choice. Then we get into the substance: inflation and federal spending, war funding and undeclared conflicts, and why Bray ties economic stress back to overseas commitments. We also cover marijuana legalization in North Carolina, data centers and the infrastructure behind AI, and the wave of AI-driven job disruption already hitting major tech companies. One of the most urgent segments focuses on privacy and civil liberties: automated license plate readers, Flock cameras, and how surveillance plus AI can erode due process faster than most people realize. If you care about government transparency, privacy rights, AI policy, and the future of elections in North Carolina, listen through and share it with a neighbor. Subscribe, leave a review, and share where you can to help others make their most informed choices this election season.Shannon W. Bray: Campaign Finance [email protected] Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)Early Voting - October 15-31Closest Early Voting LocationsWE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly SpringsHilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay VarinaBeech Bluff County ParkWake Tech-Southern CampusELECTION DAYTuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PMSupport the showAs always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email [email protected].  Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.Now, let's dive in!

Your ballot can include offices that rarely make headlines but still shape the water you drink, the flooding you see after big storms, and whether working farms can survive in a fast-growing county. We’re talking about the Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor race, a nonpartisan contest where you get two votes and won’t see party labels next to names, so doing a little homework really matters.We sit down with Republican candidate Beth Pugh Farrell, who’s seeking re-election, to get specific about what a soil and water conservation district does day to day: implementing conservation cost-share programs, helping landowners with best management practices, and improving water quality by reducing nonpoint source pollution like nutrient runoff (think nitrogen and phosphorus). We also dig into the funding reality, why most dollars are geared toward agriculture, and what that means for community conservation needs like stormwater and watershed protection.Then we zoom out to the big Wake County challenges: rapid development, impervious surfaces, groundwater recharge, drought, urban flooding, and the very real erosion impacts farms can face when upstream land use changes. Farrell shares tools she wants to keep advancing, including farmland preservation planning, voluntary agricultural zoning, and conservation easements that can keep land in production while protecting natural resources for the long haul. We also talk transparency, public input, and a looming facilities change that could disrupt how farmers access key services.If you care about clean water, flood resilience, local food, and smart growth in Wake County, this conversation will help you vote with clarity. Subscribe, share this with a neighbor, and leave a review so more voters can find it before Election Day.Beth Pugh Farrell: Campaign Finance ReportFacebook/Instagram/[email protected] Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)Early Voting - October 15-31Closest Early Voting LocationsWE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly SpringsHilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay VarinaBeech Bluff County ParkWake Tech-Southern CampusELECTION DAYTuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PMSupport the showAs always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email [email protected].  Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.Now, let's dive in!

The fastest way to understand what’s at stake in your local school board race is to follow the money and then watch how it hits real life. Wake County Board of Education District 2 candidate Christina Gordon joins us to explain how persistent underfunding of public education shows up everywhere at once: school safety needs, stretched staffing, classroom materials, student mental health supports, and even reliable access to meals.We talk through Gordon’s three-part framework for governing a district that serves more than 160,000 students: student-centered decisions, educator-driven leadership, and community-focused partnership. That includes what it looks like to build a culture of care in schools, why growth matters as much as proficiency when measuring student success, and how special education supports and IEP follow-through can make or break outcomes for students with learning differences. We also unpack “wraparound services” and why partnerships addressing food insecurity, housing instability, and medical needs can change academic trajectories.Then we get into the policy fights shaping Wake County schools right now: private school vouchers and opportunity scholarships, how charter funding moves dollars away from traditional public schools, and why accountability rules are not equal across school types. We also address common misconceptions about central services, what districts actually fund through central administration, and how leaders make budget tradeoffs when resources are limited. Finally, we break down the Wake County school bond referendum, including new schools, HVAC replacements, renovations, safety upgrades, and classroom technology.Subscribe, share this with a neighbor in Southern Wake County, and leave a review so more voters can find these conversations. What question do you still have about the school board race?Christina Gordon: Campaign Finance ReportFacebook/[email protected] Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)Early Voting - October 15-31Closest Early Voting LocationsWE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly SpringsHilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay VarinaBeech Bluff County ParkWake Tech-Southern CampusELECTION DAYTuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PMSupport the showAs always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email [email protected].  Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.Now, let's dive in!

Court isn’t abstract when it’s your custody case, your misdemeanor charge, your juvenile matter, or your small civil dispute. That’s why we wanted a clear, voter-friendly conversation about the North Carolina district court judge race for District 10D Seat 2 in Wake County, especially for listeners in Southern Wake County communities like Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina.I’m joined by judicial candidate A. Mercedes Restucha, the Democratic candidate and assistant attorney general who has worked across civil and criminal law and appeared at multiple levels of court in North Carolina. We talk about the real job of a district court judge: hearing people out, weighing evidence, applying the law as written, and doing it with both consistency and humanity. Mercedes explains what district court actually covers, including misdemeanors like DWI and simple assault, family law issues such as divorce, child custody, and equitable distribution, juvenile court matters, and civil claims under $25,000. We also dig into why many voters overestimate judicial “discretion,” and how efficiency and timely decisions can make a huge difference for families stuck in limbo.We also spend time on access to justice for pro se litigants, the strain created by under-resourced courts, and the bigger picture behind crowded dockets, including mental health gaps that push people into the system. Mercedes shares why implicit bias training matters, and why having a bench that reflects the community can strengthen trust in outcomes, even when people don’t get what they want.If you’re getting ready for the 2026 election, we close with key voting reminders like early voting dates, photo ID requirements, and how to check your sample ballot. Subscribe, share this with a neighbor, and leave a review so more Wake County voters can make informed choices.Amalia Mercedes Restucha: Campaign Finance ReportFacebook/Instagram/[email protected] Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)Early Voting - October 15-31Closest Early Voting LocationsWE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly SpringsHilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay VarinaBeech Bluff County ParkWake Tech-Southern CampusELECTION DAYTuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PMSupport the showAs always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email [email protected].  Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.Now, let's dive in!

A Supreme Court justice doesn’t “represent” you in the courtroom, but the decisions they help write can still touch your wallet, your vote, and your child’s education. We’re joined by Justice Anita Earls, the Democratic candidate for the North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 1 race, for a clear look at what the court actually does and what voters should be listening for in a judicial election.We talk about the core responsibilities set by the North Carolina Constitution and the Code of Judicial Conduct, then zoom in on the surprisingly broad docket the NC Supreme Court handles. Earls connects big public debates like partisan gerrymandering, voter ID, and school funding to the court’s day-to-day work, including quieter cases that still matter such as Utilities Commission reviews that can affect electricity rates, workers’ compensation disputes, and civil injury claims. We also dig into how she thinks about the rule of law, precedent, judicial restraint, and impartiality including the real work of recognizing implicit bias and correcting for it.You’ll also hear a behind-the-scenes explanation of how cases move from trial courts to the Court of Appeals and then to the Supreme Court, including jurisdiction changes that now require justices to vote on whether many cases are even heard. From “legal deserts” and public defender shortages to how voters can watch oral arguments on YouTube and read opinions for free, this conversation is built to help you feel informed rather than overwhelmed.Subscribe so you don’t miss the rest of our 2026 election series, and if this helped you, share it with a friend and leave a review so more North Carolinians can find it.Anita Earls: Campaign Finance ReportFacebook/Instagram/Threads/X/Bluesky/TikTok/Flickr/[email protected] Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)Early Voting - October 15-31Closest Early Voting LocationsWE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly SpringsHilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay VarinaBeech Bluff County ParkWake Tech-Southern CampusELECTION DAYTuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PMSupport the showAs always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email [email protected].  Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.Now, let's dive in!

Wake County is booming, but a booming region can still feel squeezed. We sit down with Julie Vvon Haefen, the Democratic candidate for North Carolina House District 36, to get specific about what’s driving anxiety in Apex, Cary, and Holly Springs: housing costs, childcare bills, crowded schools, traffic, and utilities that keep climbing. Julie explains how she approaches the job as a sitting state representative, including the behind-the-scenes work most people never hear about: constituent services that help residents navigate state agencies, benefits problems, transportation questions, and more. Public education anchors the conversation. Julie lays out why she treats K-12 school funding, teacher pay, and the state’s constitutional duty to provide a sound basic education as top priorities, and why she opposes sending billions in taxpayer dollars to private school vouchers without equivalent standards and accountability. We also dig into school choice as it exists inside Wake County’s public system and how charter school oversight has changed across North Carolina. From there, we pull the thread into tax policy and growth. Julie argues that continued income tax cuts and the planned phaseout of the corporate income tax weaken the state’s ability to pay for roads, schools, utilities, and other infrastructure, shifting more burden onto local governments and property taxes. We also cover emerging issues that voters ask about right now: data centers and their energy demands in the AI era, automated license plate readers and privacy rights, and what it means for democracy when minority-party bills rarely get hearings. If you want clear context before you vote, listen, share with a neighbor, and subscribe so you don’t miss the rest of our 2026 candidate conversations.Julie von Haefen: Campaign Finance ReportFacebook/Instagram/Threads/[email protected] Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)Early Voting - October 15-31Closest Early Voting LocationsWE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly SpringsHilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay VarinaBeech Bluff County ParkWake Tech-Southern CampusELECTION DAYTuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PMSupport the showAs always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email [email protected].  Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.Now, let's dive in!

Five ballot questions can look simple on paper, then get complicated the moment you ask, “What changes next year, and what changes forever?” We break down North Carolina’s 2026 ballot so you can vote with your eyes open, not your party reflexes. I walk through the three statewide constitutional amendments and the two Wake County bond referenda, focusing on what the ballot language actually does, what it leaves to future legislation, and why that difference matters.First, we dig into the proposed constitutional amendment on photo identification for voting. North Carolina already has a constitutional voter ID requirement for in-person voting, and state law already applies ID rules to absentee ballots. The real shift here is constitutionalizing that requirement across all voting methods while leaving the General Assembly to define details and exceptions. We also talk through real-world impacts like provisional ballots, rejected ballots, and the harder-to-measure deterrent effect on eligible voters.Next, we unpack the constitutional amendment to cap the state income tax rate at 3.5%. This is not the same as setting today’s rate, and it is not an automatic tax cut. It’s a constitutional ceiling that limits what future legislatures can do without another statewide vote, including how much flexibility the state has during future budget crunches and what kinds of tax structures (flat or progressive) remain possible.Then we tackle the amendment requiring limits on local property tax levy increases, including why a “levy” is not the same thing as your tax rate or your personal tax bill. We connect that to Wake County’s growth pressures, cost shifting between state and county services, and how changes like property tax exemptions can reshape the tax base. Finally, we explain the Wake County Public Schools bond and the Wake Tech Workforce Forward bond, including how general obligation bonds are repaid and what the estimated homeowner impacts mean in plain English.Subscribe, share this with a North Carolina voter, and leave a review so more people can find reliable, practical election information.Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)Early Voting - October 15-31Closest Early Voting LocationsWE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly SpringsHilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay VarinaBeech Bluff County ParkWake Tech-Southern CampusELECTION DAYTuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PMSupport the showAs always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email [email protected].  Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.Now, let's dive in!

Growth is reshaping southern Wake County fast, and the choices on your ballot decide how we pay for it, regulate it, and live with it. Join us as we sit down with Robert Von Brederode, the Republican candidate for North Carolina State Senate District 13, for a wide ranging, voter focused conversation about what he wants to change and the principles he says will guide him in Raleigh. His campaign motto is “liberty and common sense,” and he explains how he uses those two tests to judge whether a bill will actually work and whether it expands or restricts individual rights. We dig into the issues voters bring up most: affordability, public education, healthcare costs, and the size and reach of government. Robert makes the case for school choice, including vouchers or portable funding that follows the student, and he argues for performance based bonuses for teachers and administrators alongside clear academic standards. On healthcare, he warns against single payer models and pushes for more competition between providers and insurers, with government focused on safety and quality standards rather than more bureaucracy. We also talk federalism, including why he believes more policy power should sit closer to the people affected by it. From there, we get specific about life in a rapidly growing region: roads that can’t keep up, development that outpaces infrastructure, and whether North Carolina should steer more job growth outside Raleigh and the Research Triangle. We also address data centers, local control, and his view that companies should cover the added water and energy costs so residents aren’t stuck with higher bills. Finally, we tackle privacy and due process in an age of automated license plate readers and expanding databases, plus fiscal questions like balanced budgets, property tax limits, and the corporate income tax phaseout. If you care about North Carolina politics, Wake County growth, education policy, healthcare reform, taxes, and civil liberties, this conversation will help you compare priorities and ask better questions before you vote. Subscribe, share this with a neighbor, and leave a review so more voters can find these candidate interviews.Robert van Brederode: Campaign Finance [email protected] Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)Early Voting - October 15-31Closest Early Voting LocationsWE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly SpringsHilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay VarinaBeech Bluff County ParkWake Tech-Southern CampusELECTION DAYTuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PMSupport the showAs always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email [email protected].  Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.Now, let's dive in!

Most people never see the North Carolina Court of Appeals at work, yet its decisions reach into everyday life across all 100 counties. We sat down with Judge Toby Hampson, a Democratic candidate for the NC Court of Appeals Seat 02, to pull back the curtain on what appellate judges actually do and what you, as a voter, should pay attention to in a statewide judicial race.We talk about the core job: reviewing the cold record, weighing written briefs, and sometimes hearing oral argument before issuing detailed written opinions. Judge Hampson explains standards of review, why precedent binds an intermediate appellate court, and what it looks like to practice judicial independence, impartiality, and judicial restraint when the pressure to politicize the courts keeps rising. If you have ever wondered how a judge keeps personal beliefs out of decision-making, this conversation gets specific about the guardrails built into the law and the process.We also dig into court funding and access to justice, because delays are not just frustrating, they are expensive and sometimes life-changing. Continuances can mean more legal fees, more time away from work, more time separated from kids in custody disputes, or more time sitting in jail awaiting a day in court. You will also hear a powerful custody appeal story that highlights a simple principle: when the law is applied correctly, the result should make sense in the real world.If you want to get informed for the 2026 election, use NC Voter Search to confirm your jurisdictions and remember many ballots are double-sided. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a neighbor.Tobias (Toby) Hampson: Campaign Finance ReportFacebook/Instagram/Threads/X/[email protected] Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)Early Voting - October 15-31Closest Early Voting LocationsWE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly SpringsHilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay VarinaBeech Bluff County ParkWake Tech-Southern CampusELECTION DAYTuesday, November 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PMSupport the showAs always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email [email protected].  Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.Now, let's dive in!