People don't vote based on a sign. The signs are there to let you know who's running. As far as ads on TV, there are a lot of people who don't watch local or network TV. And, even if they did, the local TV stations here focus on Raleigh and Wake county.
Unfortunately, there may be some truth in that. Not so much in the major races that are in the news, but the ones further down the ballot. Besides the DA & Sheriff we've been hearing about, there are contested elections for US Congress; NC state senate; County Commissioner; Clerk of Superior Court - all of which at least tell you on the ballot what party each candidate belongs to. Then there are the so-called "non-partisan" races: Supreme Court Chief Justice; 3 Supreme Court Associate Justice seats; 2 Court of Appeals seats; Superior Court Judge; and Board of Education. I think people look at some of those choices in the voting booth and try to remember what they know about them, and finally vote for the one with the most familiar name. That might just be the name on the last sign they noticed before they went to vote. If you'd like to see a sample ballot before you go to vote, they're on the Board of Elections website: http://www.johnstonnc.com/mainpage.cfm?category_level_id=410&content_id=3268 The News and Observer has a voters guide here: http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/elections/voters_guide/johnston Thanks for taking time to educate yourself before going to the polls! ~Grandma
Forgot to mention, if you live in Clayton, there's a question on the ballot about electing the Town Council by district instead of at large. The purpose would be to make sure all areas of town have representation on the Council, instead of several from one neighborhood and none from some others. That's ballot # 3 on the Board of Elections site. ~Grandma
