Discover what it takes to reshape the future of North Carolina's legal landscape with your vote. In this episode we discuss the 2024 Primary Election, focusing on the Democratic North Carolina District Court Judge race for District 10D, Seat 5. With the unexpected twist of Kevin Boxberger redirecting his campaign to another race, Blair Williams emerges as the spotlight candidate. Get ready to be informed and inspired by a candidate who has captured pivotal endorsements and the hearts of the community.
As we peel back the layers of Blair Williams' campaign, you'll hear firsthand about the endorsements that bolster his candidacy, like those from the Wake County Voter Education Coalition and the Raleigh Wake Citizens Association. These aren't just stamps of approval; they represent a candidate aligned with the pursuit of community betterment and justice for all. Explore the depth of Williams' legal expertise and his promise to uphold fairness in the court. By the end of our conversation, you'll be equipped with the essential insights to cast an informed vote in the Democratic primary, all while gaining an understanding of the vital role judicial elections play in shaping our society's fabric.
As 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 NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.
Now, let's dive in!
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
Hello friends, thanks for joining me and the NC Deep Dive. I am your host, Amanda Benbow-Lunn, and we are delving into the 2024 primary election. Each episode will cover a different race that will be on your primary ballot this election. When you go to vote, you will be handed a ballot based on your address and party affiliation. If you are unaffiliated sometimes also referred here as independent then you will have your choice of which party's ballot you would like to vote. Please note that you are only able to cast one ballot and that there are no primary ballots for the Green Party or the no Labels Party. Moreover, candidates for the general election in November who do not have a primary challenger will not appear on your primary ballot. They get a pass directly to the general election. Due to time constraints and the plethora of candidates, and my belief that having as much information as possible is of vast importance, our primary election segment will consist of me covering one race at a time, as time allows, and going over each candidate's website and what I can find on a simple Google search, in case it is easier for you to take in information this way. If you are short on time, you can check out our NC Deep Dives Voters Guide for the 2024 primary election, found pinned to our Facebook page or on this episode's show notes at www. ncdeepdive. com. It will be an easy way to access each candidate's website and research the candidates on your own. If that's a better use of your time, without further ado, my friends, let's dive in Following the North Carolina District Court Judge, district 10D, seat 5, on the Democratic ballot there are two names listed Blair Williams and Kevin Boxberger.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
Since the filing for this seat, kevin Boxburger has been recently nominated for a different seat for North Carolina District Court Judge, and I believe it's seat 3. So, while his name is still on the ballot, he is not actively campaigning for this seat any longer and the current seat that he is being nominated for does not have a primary, so he will be moving to the general election in November for that particular seat. I will give you a little bit about Blair Williams and go over his website just so that you have that information, in case it is helpful for you. His website is BlairWilliamsforJudge. com. It says Discover the experience and values that define Blair as your elected Wake County Clerk of Court. I work as a team lead with 192 dedicated public servants who strive to fulfill my mission of serving our community as family, with compassion, empathy and professionalism. As your next District Court Judge, I commit to continue to serve our community fairly with compassion, empathy and professionalism. And you can press the button to meet Blair where he says I am asking for registered independence and Democrats for your vote in the 2024 Democratic primary for Wake County District Court Judge.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
I began my legal public service as a volunteer intern for the District Attorney's Office in 1994. I gained valuable court experience as a third year law student with the District Attorney's Office in 1995. As a newly licensed attorney, I served as a court-appointed criminal defense attorney. I had a general practice as a sole practitioner prior to focusing on real estate while working in and for law firms. I served as a judicial hearing officer with the Clerk of Courts in 2007,. Being elected countywide as Clerk of Court in 2018, continues a verifiable legal track record of legal public service that our community relies on today.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
There's an area where you can contribute to his campaign. There are news and updates. So it says Wake County Voter Education Coalition endorses Blair Williams for District Court Judge. This coalition was formed in the early 70s. The following individuals were key for that, and there are a bunch of names listed. Under the leadership and keen focus of the initial coalition goals and objectives, their political advocacy continually led to a better, stronger organization. The current WCVEC stands on the shoulders of its original members, who saw that change was needed in the greater Raleigh and Wake County communities, and they set out to work towards the betterment of all Wake County citizens, and you can learn more about the Wake County Voter Education Coalition by clicking on a link. The Raleigh Wake Citizens Association has endorsed Blair Williams for District Court Judge, and this is a nonpartisan advocacy organization established in 1932. They advocate for public policy that positively affects people of color and underserved communities. Their goal is to empower Raleigh Wake County residents to protect, encourage, educate and support their civic, economic, social, educational and political advancement. There is a space where you can join his campaign and that is pretty much his website.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
I did look him up on ballotpedia. He did not complete their questionnaire survey. According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, he has $4,745.76 on hand. He has received zero contributions from any individuals or PACs and according to this, he has not spent anything either, and this was through the end of last year. I don't see anything current for the beginning of this year. He did fill out the Indie Week Candidate Questionnaire form so you can find that online. There are 10 questions there that he answered. He did participate in our NC Deep Dive Voters Guide Questionnaire, so you can find that as well, which will be in the show notes. I do believe he also is listed in WRAL's voter guide. Their voter guide just takes information that they found from the websites and I didn't see anything of major substance on a Google search for Blair. That is all the information that could be easily googled if you would like to do so.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
For the North Carolina District Court Judge, district 10D, seat 5. Again, there will be two candidates listed on the Democratic ballot For those of you who have this in your district Blair Williams and Kevin Boxburger, but Kevin is no longer campaigning for this seat and he is officially running for another seat. Democracy is the foundation of all we hold dear. We are better as a community, state and nation when we all take part in our civic duty by being informed and casting our vote. The candidates in offices on your ballot can have a major impact on our everyday lives and can have real consequences. They create and enforce our laws, invest in our future well-being, fund all the things like our schools and roads, ensure we have safe drinking water and food to put on our tables and advocate on behalf of those they represent, hopefully keeping in mind both the little and the big picture of it all.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
Early voting is now going on and will continue through Saturday, march 2nd. Our closest early voting locations will be the WE Hunt Center in Holly Springs and the hilltop needmore Town Park and Preserve and Fuquay Varina. The main primary election will be held on Tuesday, march 5th. If you vote that day, it's best for you to go to your designated polling place or else some of the races you are eligible to vote for may not show up on the ballot they have available to give you During early voting. Each area in Wake County has all the possible ballots. For Wake County Election day, they will only have the ballot that corresponds directly to that particular precinct. Please remember you now need to bring your photo ID. If you happen to forget or have had some extraordinary circumstance happen, you will have a few different options provided to you, but it will be best and easiest and most efficient to bring it with you. If, for some reason, you haven't registered to vote yet, you may register and vote at the same time during early voting at any one of the sites. March 2nd will be the last day to register to vote for this primary election, and that brings this episode of the NC Deep Dive to a close.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
Make sure you check out all the other relevant episodes for the 2024 primary election at www. ncdeepdive. com, apple Podcasts, spotify, audible or wherever you currently listen to your podcasts. I will be including helpful links for each candidate and voting in general on our website's show notes, including our NC Deep Dives voters guide for the 2024 primary election. We were blessed to have many candidates take the time to share their thoughts and speak to voters within Southern Wake County. The voters guide is arranged by party affiliation and organized in such a way to make it relatively easy to find the races or candidates you might be interested in. All candidates' websites are linked. If I was able to find one, I also consciously chose to arrange the voters guide starting at the end of the ballot.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
So often we are aware of the larger races, yet don't hear much about, or take the time to learn about, the smaller races. As always, if you have any questions, concerns or topics you'd like to share, you may contact us via social media or our email at ncdeepdive@ gmail. com. Thank you for engaging with this episode and becoming a more informed citizen. Democracy is a team sport. Together we make democracy work and our communities a better place to work, play and live. Your vote matters. Your voice matters. You matter. Until next time, my friends Namaste. The love and light in me sees and honors the love and light in you.