North Carolina Constitutional Amendments Vote – Get Informed – Knowledge is Power

If you live in North Carolina and watch television or online videos, you have undoubtedly seen advertisements about an upcoming North Carolina Constitutional Amendments Vote. Unfortunately, the advertisements only brush upon the subject, but they do not tell you the issues at hand and what is at stake in the vote. At The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, we believe in bringing power to the people. Since knowledge is power, we would like to take this time to discuss the pending Constitutional Amendments Vote in more detail so you know if you should vote on these issues and why.

Six Proposed Amendments We Feel are Unnecessary

There are six Constitutional Amendments on the ballot on Tuesday, November 6th, 2018. Here at the Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, PC, we encourage you to vote NO to all six proposed amendments, regardless of your political party. The North Carolina Constitution is something to be revered, protected, and only amended when absolutely necessary to protect the citizens of North Carolina. It should not be amended for political gain on either side of the aisle. With this in mind, we should take a closer look at these amendments.

Right to Hunt and Fish: There is no reason for this to be on the ballot other than to put fear into people by thinking that these “rights” might go away and therefore to get people out to vote to “protect” these “rights.” This amendment goes as far as to say that public hunting and fishing is the “preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife.” Nothing and no one is threatening to take these rights away. You already have the “rights” to do the things the Legislature is trying to enact. This begs the question, “Why is this Amendment needed if this ‘right’ is not being threatened?” Jason E. Taylor has been an avid hunter his entire life and has been and is currently a Life Member, Endowment Member, Patron Member, and Golden Eagle Member of the NRA. And, he is voting NO on this proposed unnecessary amendment.

Changes to Victim’s Rights Amendment: There is already an Amendment for this that allows victims of a crime to be informed of and present at proceedings for the alleged perpetrator, as well as the right to be heard at those proceedings. Victims already have the right to restitution and are informed of victims’ rights in the criminal justice system. Victims already have the right to discuss the claim with the prosecuting attorney and know the outcome of the charge and any escape, release, or pardon. The proposed amendment creates a formal procedure for what is already happening [read—red tape], and puts the onus on the victim to request these “rights,” rather than the State automatically having to do it, and is estimated to cost you, the taxpayer, nearly $11,000,000 per year.

Cap Maximum State Income Tax at 7%: There is already a maximum cap to the State income tax at 10%. The current state income tax for an individual is 5.499%. This proposed amendment does not limit sales tax, property tax, or federal taxes. Voting NO to this proposed amendment will not increase your State income tax. This proposed amendment is, therefore, a shell game of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Lowering the preexisting cap gives a false impression of reducing taxes. Capping State income tax at 7% also unreasonably prohibits future legislators, perhaps generations from now, from implementing rules and laws as needed to further the advancement of the Great State of North Carolina. Instead, use your vote to elect legislators who will wisely spend your hard-earned tax dollars.

Require Photograph ID to Vote: This proposed Amendment does not apply to absentee voting. It also allows the Legislature to carve out exceptions to the requirement and require the Legislature to set forth what types of identification are acceptable. There is zero information as to how this would be accomplished or how much it would cost the State of North Carolina. It is worth repeating. There is no plan in place as to how this proposed amendment would be effectuated. Putting forth an Amendment to our State Constitution without explaining why it is needed, how it will be accomplished, and how much it will cost is negligent at best and reckless at worst.

Legislature to Control Judicial Appointments: All five living former Governors of the State of North Carolina, both Republican and Democrat, oppose this proposed amendment. The Legislature already has the power to choose the finalists for submission to the Governor for appointment. If the Governor does not select from the Legislature’s “approved” list within ten days, the Legislature already has the power to elect someone to fill the vacancy. The proposed amendment also weakens your right as a voter because the Legislature would also have the ability to lengthen the Judge’s term for up to four years before the Judge can be voted out. Currently, the Governor can only fill a judicial vacancy until the next election. There is no official explanation by the Legislature as to the purpose of the proposed amendment.

Party Leaders in Legislature to Control Ethics and Election Board Appointments: This proposed Amendment would overturn a recent North Carolina Supreme Court decision holding that a similar law passed by the Legislature in 2017 was Unconstitutional. Allowing this proposed amendment is likely to result in legislative gridlock. It does not allow for a nonpartisan individual’s tie-breaking vote. It creates a board that oversees the conduct and actions of the same people who chose them to be on the Board, which unnecessarily creates a conflict of interest. The only other Board currently authorized by our State Constitution is the Board of Education. Once again, there is no official explanation by the Legislature regarding the need for this proposed amendment.

We urge you to vote No on the aforementioned proposed Amendments to the North Carolina State Constitution. We find it questionable that the people pushing these Amendments have been unable to explain why siding with them would be beneficial. To learn more about these topics and make your own informed decision before voting, we suggest you visit https://www.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2018-Election-Information and https://www.sosnc.gov/divisions/nc_constitutional_documents. You should be able to find links to the actual proposed Amendments within each of these supplied websites.

You can get more information about The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor by contacting our law firm at any time. Our North Carolina personal injury attorneys are here to support you during high-stakes and challenging injury cases.

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Notice of Data Security Event
Updated March 28, 2025

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor is providing notice of an event that may affect certain individuals’ information. Although we have no indication of identity theft or fraud in relation to this event, we are providing information about the event, our response, and additional measures individuals can take to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On October 28, 2024, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor identified suspicious activity related to our email system. We quickly took steps to investigate and determined that an unknown actor may have accessed certain emails within our email system between August 7 and November 7, 2024. We then conducted a comprehensive review of the potentially affected emails and attachments to determine what information was contained therein and to whom the information related, which was completed on February 25, 2025. Unfortunately, we were unable to verify the addresses of certain affected individuals, so we are providing this notice to ensure potentially affected individuals receive information about the event.

What Information Was Involved? The information affected may include individuals’ Social Security number, driver’s license and state ID information, financial account number, and health information.

What We Are Doing. We are notifying individuals about this matter and providing guidance about free resources that are available to assist with monitoring relevant accounts, credit reports, and how to place a fraud alert or security freeze on one’s credit file. Further, as with our typical security practices, we will continue to evaluate our policies, procedures, staff training, and technical security measures to reduce the likelihood of an event like this reoccurring.

What Individuals Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also recommend you review the below “Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Personal Information”.

For More Information. If individuals have questions about this matter, we have a dedicated assistance line with agents ready to answer their questions. Please contact our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 1-800-939-4170, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m., excluding holidays. You may also write to us at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, Attn: Compliance, P.O. Box 2688, Hickory, NC 28603.

Sincerely,

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor

STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.

Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/

https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect their personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state attorney general. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 1-202-442-9828; and oag.dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-576-6300 or 1-888-743-0023; and https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/.

For New Mexico residents, consumers have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in their credit file has been used against them, the right to know what is in their credit file, the right to ask for their credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to consumers’ files is limited; consumers must give consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; consumers may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance based on information in their credit report; and consumers may seek damages from violators. Consumers may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active-duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage consumers to review their rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; and www.riag.ri.gov. Under Rhode Island law, individuals have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this event.
STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT A MINOR DEPENDENT’S PERSONAL INFORMATION

Typically, credit reporting agencies do not have a credit report in a minor’s name. To find out if a minor has a credit report or to request a manual search for a minor’s Social Security number each credit bureau has its own process. To learn more about these processes or request these services, consumers may contact the credit bureaus by phone, writing, or online:
Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/help/article-list/-/h/a/request-child-credit-report/
https://www.experian.com/help/minor-request.html
https://www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resources/child-identity-theft

1-800-685-1111 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013 P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

To request information about the existence of a credit file in a minor’s name, search for a minor’s Social Security number, place a security freeze or fraud alert on a minor’s credit report (if one exists), or request a copy of a minor’s credit report consumers may be required to provide the following information:
● A copy of their driver’s license or another government issued identification card, such as a state identification card, etc.;
● Proof of address, such as a copy of a bank statement, utility bill, insurance statement, etc.;
● A copy of the minor’s birth certificate;
● A copy of the minor’s Social Security card;
● The minor’s full name, including middle initial and generation, such as JR, SR, II, III, etc.;
● The minor’s date of birth; and
● The minor’s previous addresses for the past two years.

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