Spoofed 'Celebs' Make Wager on Protecting Fairness of N.C. Courts
For immediate release.
March 31, 2006
Contact: Bryan Warner, N.C. Center for Voter Education, (919) 839-1200
Spoofed 'Celebs' Make Wager on Protecting Fairness of N.C. Courts
RALEIGH - The answer: These mega-celebrities are helping to protect the integrity of North Carolina's state courts.
The question? For that, audiences will have to watch their email in-boxes or visit www.ncvotered.com.
Some of America's most notable and most notorious celebrity superstars, or at least their animated parodies, have joined forces to help promote awareness of the state tax form option for the Public Campaign Fund, and the judicial election guide it creates.
In a cartoon satire of a popular game show making its way via email to tens of thousands of state voters, some familiar faces battle it out in a seemingly impossible mission, with their knowledge of North Carolina's nationally praised judicial campaign program put to the test.
The Public Campaign Fund offers public financing for candidates to the N.C. Supreme Court and N.C. Court of Appeals who agree to abide by strict fundraising and spending limits. The fund also pays for the State Judicial Voter Guide, featuring all candidates running for these highest state courts.
But getting the word out on the fund before the April 15 tax deadline is key. Financing for the program hinges on the number of people who show their support by saying yes to the Public Campaign Fund option on their state income tax form. Saying yes has no impact on the amount of taxes paid or refund received.
"With more and more folks filing their taxes online, it's only fitting that we would launch this newest educational campaign online as well," says Chris Heagarty, executive director of the nonprofit N.C. Center for Voter Education (NCCVE), which is distributing the animation. "By using humor and some famous faces, instead of the usual yada-yada-yada, we hope to give folks a good laugh, while at the same time motivating them to help ensure the integrity of our state courts and trump voter apathy."
More information about the Public Campaign Fund, the program promoted by the star-studded animated video, is available at www.ncjudges.org.
"You don't have to be a celebrity," says Heagarty. "Even those of us who live a relatively simple life can make a real difference and improve our elections by saying yes to the Public Campaign Fund on our state income tax forms."
The primary edition of the state judicial voter guide, paid for by the Public Campaign Fund, will be available at www.ncvoterguide.org after April 1.
And to supplement the voter guide, the N.C. Center for Voter Education has created the online radio show “Judge for Yourself”, featuring interviews with all statewide judicial candidates running in the May 2 primary. “Judge for Yourself” is part of the NCCVE Podcasts.
The animated video and NCCVE Podcasts are available at www.ncvotered.com.
The N.C. Center for Voter Education is a Raleigh-based nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the quality of North Carolina's elections through research and education.
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