Making North Carolina Voting and Elections Accessible
NC Lt. Governor 2020 Election Guide
Lieutenant Governor
The Lieutenant Governor assists the Governor in carrying out their duties. When a State Senate vote ends in a tie, the Lieutenant Governor casts the deciding vote. The Lieutenant Governor must be ready to become the Governor if the Governor is absent, passes away, or becomes incapacitated.
There are 2 candidates for the office of Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina in 2020.
Yvonne Lewis Holley (D) Mark Robinson (R)
One candidate, Mark Robinson (R), did not respond to our survey, so you will not see them mentioned below.
All answers are provided in text and audio files for each candidate. To navigate through the questions you may either scroll through this page to read or listen to their answers, or use the links below to jump directly to specific questions.
The primary candidates for the office of North Carolina Lieutenant Governor were each asked the following questions:
- Closing the wealth gap by promoting an Affordable Living Initiative, which includes: attainable housing, transportation, access to healthy food, & job development
-Public education
-Affordable and accessible healthcare
- Medicaid expansion
Trainings that provide sessions devoted to students with disabilities, with an emphasis on invisible disabilities. Include modules to help in the areas of special circumstances & cultural diversity that can de-escalate crisis situations. Use certified & qualified instructors for these trainings, including role-play & situational exercises to provide real-life experience that can be recalled in a heated moment or altercation. SROs’ primary function in schools should be to protect students, not to police them.
Question 3: How will you work to improve the Medicaid program?
Yvonne Lewis Holley (D)
My priority is not just improving the Medicaid program, but encompasses overall affordable healthcare in NC. The first part of this is to promote & encourage Medicaid Expansion throughout the state to cover the 600,000 people who are uninsured in NC. Other areas passing and implementing the SAVE Act (expanding nursing roles), include telemedicine expansion, lower drug costs, saving rural hospitals, & expanding & improving healthcare services in underserved areas.
Question 4: What will you do to promote more affordable and accessible housing?
Yvonne Lewis Holley (D)
Affordable Living Initiative
Comprehensive Legislative Study to review laws/policies that hamper affordable housing
Eviction expungement program
Increase financial resources for the NC Housing Finance Agency
Implement energy efficiency conversion programs for existing stick built/mobile/modular homes
Study ways to upgrade inaccessible homes or repair “sick homes”
Study tax structures in areas of rapid gentrification which may push people out of their homes
Question 5: What will you do to promote employment of people with disabilities on your staff, throughout state government, and in state government contracting?
Yvonne Lewis Holley (D)
My employment process will always be open, transparent, and striving for diversity. I will use my experience with state procurement to support the HUB office and ensure employment and contracting is equitable across the state.
Question 6: What would you do to address schools/school systems in North Carolina that repeatedly violate the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or other laws protecting the educational rights of students with disabilities?
Yvonne Lewis Holley (D)
If elected, I would serve on the State Board of Education. This would give me the ability to regulate schools who violate IDEA or work with schools who want to come up to standard.
Question 7: Recently access to the Legislative Office Building and Legislative Building has been restricted resulting in enormous burdens for people with disabilities who visit the buildings for work or to engage with their elected officials. What will you do to ensure our state government is accessible to people with disabilities?
Yvonne Lewis Holley (D)
I will do what I can to make sure the facilities staff are aware they need to comply with the American with Disabilities Act.