Our Steering Committee Recommendations
Hey There! Jess and Ingrid from the Guilford For All Steering Committee here. In addition to our excellent slate of endorsed candidates, we have a couple issues on the ballot here in Guilford County, and we want to share our recommendations.
The Guilford For All Steering Committee has voted to recommend:
Vote FOR the Sales Tax Referendum
Vote AGAINST the Constitutional Amendment
Why these recommendations, and why now:
1) We did not have the time to go through our endorsement process; and we needed to make a call quickly what we were going to communicate, if anything.
2) We had a read that these proposed ballot initiatives will have real impacts on our members for better (in the case of the sales tax) and for worse (in the case of the constitutional amendment).
Support Our Teachers + School Workers
Vote FOR the Sales Tax Referendum: Our kids in public schools deserve the best, and this sales tax increase would help us attract and retain top quality teachers and staff in Guilford County. The referendum proposes a fraction of a penny increase on sales tax, *excluding* gas, groceries, motor vehicles or prescription drugs. This tax increase would add one penny for every four dollars spent, and county officials estimate that it would bring in $25 million for much-needed salary increases for our public school teachers and frontline workers. Because Guilford County is one of only 4 counties in the entire state that does not receive a teacher supplement for our public school educators, our teachers are currently being paid a salary supplement that is on average 35% less than teachers in nearby counties. The G4A Steering Committee strongly recommends voting for the referendum to support our public schools.
Protect Voting Rights + Reject Racism
Vote AGAINST the Constitutional Amendment: This amendment was the brainchild of right wing extremists in our General Assembly who continue to perpetuate widely-debunked, racist conspiracy theories about non-citizens participating in elections. House Bill 1074 proposes to amend the state Constitution to modify the qualifications to vote to only a “citizen” by removing “every person born in the United States and every person who has been naturalized…” While the wording may seem harmless or even helpful at a first glance, our state and local laws already strongly protect our elections from fraudulent voting, and the change could potentially put naturalized citizens (like Ingrid!) at risk of losing their voting rights. This amendment is designed to confuse voters, promote mistrust in our elections and perpetuate anti-immigration bias and racism. The Guilford For All Steering Committee strongly recommends you to vote against.
