Wake County Libertarian Party

Problem Solvers Caucus We should create a Problem Solvers Caucus in the NCGA. There is one at the Federal level in the US House: 40 Ds and Rs actually talking to each other about problems and solutions rather than sending nasty tweets back-and-forth all day! I think we’d benefit from having one here. And the one here should include members of both the NC House and NC Senate. We have some issues between our two houses—the 15-month 2025-26 budget impasse was an example of that—which might be alleviated if there was more communications between Representatives and Senators. electbradhessel.org/prioriti…

Today’s-Newspaper Dept. Thanks to my opponents Haseeb Fatmi and Chris Stock for helping me get onto the front page.

I am the only candidate running for NC Senate 18 endorsed by two parties: the @LPNC and the @ForwardPartyNC. The Libertarian Party provides my guiding political principles: keeping the government out of your pocketbook and out of your bedroom. You know how to live your own life better than anyone else and I am working to protect your rights to make those decisions. But while libertarians are great on guiding principles, many are less interested in the practical problem of how to get from where we are now to Libertarian Paradise…or even uncomfortable with the notion of making compromises to effect incremental improvements in liberty. That’s where the Forward Party comes in. The Forward Party is not ideological, but rather data-focused and process-driven, as befits an organization co-founded by a successful serial entrepreneur. Their Forward Formula helps candidates to build their own platforms, “grounded in the needs and priorities of their communities…. By focusing on consensus-building positions, our candidates are better equipped to create durable legislation or policy that lasts—delivering meaningful progress rather than polarization.” The melding of the guiding principles of the LPNC and the Forward Formula helps me to prioritize liberty-advancing policies that are both responsive to the needs and priorities of North Carolinians and politically feasible to achieve.

Fairness for independent (“unaffiliated”) voters in North Carolina is a major priority for me. To run for NC Senate, all I had to do was go down to the Wake BoE last December with a check for $140. Same with my D and R opponents. But if you are an independent and want to run, they won’t take your check…unless you also submit a petition signed by thousands of registered voters your district. Why this extra impediment for independents that does not apply to Ds, Ls, or Rs? Patently unfair. Even worse is the situation with the Boards of Election. Independents now amount to 40% of all voters in NC. Each county here has a Board of Election with five members. There are 100 counties, so that makes 500 people plus another five on the state BoE for a total of 505 making important decisions about voting site locations, hours of operation, what machines we use to tabulate votes…they certify election results, a very important function…so how many independent voters would you imagine serve on these Boards of Election? You might think 180 or 200; that would be fair, right? The actual number: zero! In North Carolina, it is literally against the law to appoint an independent voter to the state Board of Elections. The law says it has to be three people from one of the two largest parties and two people from the other of the two largest parties. The statute does not specify which parties, but we know whom they are talking about. So 40% of the voting population of NC has no say whatsoever in these important electoral system decision. :-(

My interview by the Tar Heel Libertarian: lpnc.org/brad_hessel_nc_sena…

Early-Voting Dept. At E. Carroll Joyner Park Tuesday morning.