Candidate’s matrix: See where New Hanover County School Board candidates stand on the issues

NEW HANOVER COUNTY—It’s a crowded race for this year’s Board of Education Republican primary. Eleven candidates are vying for a spot on November’s general election ballot, when four seats on the board will be open.

Incumbents Janice Cavenaugh, Don Hayes, Bruce Shell and Edward Higgins are seeking re-election. All incumbents running are registered Republicans. Remaining board members still serving their terms are Republican as well.

RELATED: Here’s what you need to know to vote in the primary; registration closes next week

Newcomers include Stefanie Adams, Nelson Beaulieu, Judy Justice, Frank Meares, Christopher Morgan, Bill Rivenbark and Elena Rosemond-Hoerr.

Meares, Morgan and Rivenbark are registered Republican, while Rosemond-Hoerr, Adams, Beaulieu and Justice are registered Democrat.

The upcoming primary is a partisan election, in which voters can only vote for candidates within the party they are currently registered for.

Seven Republican candidates —Cavenaugh, Hayes, Higgins, Meares, Morgan, Rivenbark and Shell — will appear on the upcoming Republican primary ballot, competing for four Republican spots on the November ballot.

The four Democratic candidates, Rosemond-Hoerr, Adams, Beaulieu and Justice, will appear on the ballot in November. Because the Democrats do not number more than open seats, they do not require a primary on May 8.

With the early-voting period underway, Port City Daily received answers from all 11 candidates.

To make things simple, Port City Daily has arranged an election matrix for readers to navigate. If you’re using mobile, use two fingers to scroll through to the candidate’s responses.

CANDIDATE ELECTION MATRIX – REPUBLICANS

CANDIDATE ELECTION MATRIX – DEMOCRATS

Johanna Ferebee can be reached at johanna@localvoicemedia.com or @j__ferebee on Twitter