{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Phil Smith","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Karl Philip Smith is a registered voter in Burke County, North Carolina, registered since 1979 (47 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Karl Philip Smith's year of birth as 1961; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 15 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Karl Philip Smith can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Karl","lastname":"Smith","middlename":"Philip","suffix":null,"token":"b6ff7fe92da0108e"},"token":"ieVuuc65iXr6m1E4"},{"candidatename":"Randy Burns","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Randall Scott Burns is a registered voter in Burke County, North Carolina, registered since 1983 (43 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Randall Scott Burns's year of birth as 1965; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 15 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Randall Scott Burns can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Randall","lastname":"Burns","middlename":"Scott","suffix":null,"token":"bcb3d385f06e7e17"},"token":"jbnCDDyDCNjph89r"},{"candidatename":"Steve W. Starnes","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Steve W. Starnes is the Democratic candidate for a seat on the Burke County Board of Commissioners in North Carolina.  According to a profile published by The News Herald on Morganton.com, Starnes is running in the 2026 local election that will be held on November 3, 2026\u202f[12].  The article identifies him as a Democrat and specifies the office he seeks, the Burke County Board of Commissioners\u202f[12].  The same piece includes a photograph of Starnes, showing him in a portrait that is used to illustrate the candidate\u2019s profile\u202f[12].  The coverage is part of the newspaper\u2019s election reporting for Burke County, providing voters with basic information about the individuals on the ballot\u202f[12].  No additional details about Starnes\u2019s personal background, education, professional experience, or policy positions are provided in the source.  Voters seeking further information about his platform or qualifications will need to consult additional resources beyond this brief news article.\n\n## Sources\n- [12] [Steve Starnes, Democrat candidate for Burke County Board of Commissioners](https://morganton.com/news/election/steve-starnes-democrat-candidate-for-burke-county-board-of-commissioners/article_28332f46-54c3-11ed-915e-9bf69f9adb9f.html)","firstname":"Steve","lastname":"Starnes","middlename":"W","suffix":null,"token":"7ffd1a8980a49991"},"token":"zIbisQX1bsh2NTOw"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":"county_commission","office":"county_commission","officedescription":"A county commissioner is a member of the county's legislative body. The commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, authorizes borrowing, and passes county resolutions and ordinances. Commissioners are elected from districts (or at-large seats) to represent constituents on countywide policy.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment on countywide matters \u2014 budget, taxes, land use, services, and intergovernmental issues \u2014 within Tennessee county-government law.\n- Budget literacy: the commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes multi-year bond issues.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; committee work that pre-screens items.\n- Constituent relations in the district \u2014 case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required annual continuing education through UT CTAS.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Commissioner","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":2,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Burke County Board Of Commissioners"}