Jennifer Nguyen
Posts by Jennifer Nguyen
You can’t have fair elections in NC without funding them
Adequate funding is essential to running our democracy. Elections involve more than what takes place on Election Day. They require year-round administrative work to maintain election infrastructure and prepare for future elections. Election funding makes it possible to: Keep voters informed about voting laws, polling sites, and key deadlines Develop and maintain voter registration systems Prevent, detect, and respond to cybersecurity and election fraud threats Provide documents, information, and training needed for candidates to file and run…
Property taxes power local services across North Carolina
Working families and seniors in North Carolina are struggling to make ends meet and need relief. But proposals to eliminate or cap property taxes are misleading solutions that will not make housing costs more affordable. Everyday North Carolinians have already seen how the promise that income tax cuts would make life easier failed to deliver relief…
2026 Economic County Snapshots for North Carolina
The Economic County Snapshots are one of the NC Budget & Tax Center’s flagship annual publications. They provide key economic and social indicators from publicly available sources for all 100 counties in North Carolina, along with a comparison to state-level data, with measures for employment, poverty and income, affordable housing, health, education, and more. The…
Protecting SNAP Access in NC: Why the state should fully cover counties’ SNAP administrative costs
Nearly 1.3 million North Carolinians rely on SNAP each month to afford groceries. Counties play a critical role in delivering these benefits on time — by processing applications, verifying documentation, determining eligibility, and calculating monthly benefit amounts. To carry out these responsibilities, counties need adequate funding to hire and train staff and maintain the systems…
North Carolina needs smart property tax relief, not reckless revenue limits
Property taxes are the backbone of local public services in North Carolina, funding everything from school buildings and libraries to fire departments and parks. But when property values rise rapidly in a housing market already short on affordable options, higher tax bills can strain incomes and displace long-time residents. That reality has prompted renewed legislative…
Mapping What’s at Stake: The Impact of SNAP on North Carolina’s Families and Local Economies
Every county in North Carolina benefits from federal food assistance. Each month, SNAP (aka food stamps) dollars flow into every community, helping families put food on the table and keep up with rising costs. They also keep local grocery stores open, support jobs, and strengthen local economies. That critical support is now at risk. Without…
From paychecks to rising costs: The real impact of a federal shutdown in NC
When the federal government shuts down, even partially or temporarily, there are a number of ways in which our daily lives can be impacted — from whether federal offices and national parks remain open to whether landlords get rent or families can put food on the table. Over time, those impacts tend to get worse…