
Advocacy
Candidate Positions On Issues Affecting You and Your Community
This page is meant to be an aggregation of all 2020 primary candidates, as well as the candidates for the Georgia 2020 special senate election. Click on each candidate name to learn where they stand on issues. Limited information is available for some candidates; for those, brief biographies are presented instead.
What Can I Do?
Advocacy is a way of claiming our history as Americans. The birth of our nation is founded on the articulation of grievances in the Declaration of Independence. It served to break bonds with England and legitimized resistance. The Boston Tea Party was just one of many revolutionary acts that lead to the creation of our great country.
It was followed by the U.S. Constitution. The very first amendment of this vast document set forth the rights of citizens to dissent, which is the lifeblood of democracy.
PPN believes it is our responsibility, as citizens of a democracy, to keep our government and those who represent us accountable to voters, and to uphold those principles set forth these documents.
There are numerous ways that citizens can become informed and involved in decisions made by their government. Here are two resources for learning about upcoming elections and ways to influence them:
You can also use the online toolkit to learn about who our representatives are, how government works and what policies are being proposed that affect us and our community. In this way, you can advocate for policies in our best interest.

Toolbox for Advocates
National Legislation & Regulations
- Library of Congress
https://www.congress.gov - Countable – Legislation being introduced in Congress, pro and cons, link to contact
https://www.countable.us - Five Calls, Make Your Voice Heard – A quick and easy way to call your congressional representatives,
https://5calls.org - Congressional Budget Office – Nonpartisan reports on the fiscal and program impact of legislation
https://www.cbo.gov - U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) – This agency conducts independent investigations of government programs to ensure taxpayer funds are being spent well and as intended by congress.
https://www.gao.gov - Sunlight Foundation – This foundation advocates for transparancy in decisions made by elected officials.
https://sunlightfoundation.com - Tax Policy Center – The Urban Institute and the Brookings Institute analyze legislative proposals and prepare reports on how they will impact citizens.
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org - Federal Regulations
https://www.federalregister.gov
State & National Representatives for GA
Senate:
House of Representatives
State House of Representatives
State Senate
Local - Cherokee and Clay Counties, NC
Clay County, NC
- Mayor Harry Baughn
- Town Council Members are Joe Slaton, Will Penland, and Austin Hedden
- Mailing Address:
- Town of Hayesville, P.O. Box 235, Hayesville, NC 28904
- Phone: (828)389-1862
- Email: clerk@hayesville.org
- Hours: MWF 9:00 to 1:00
- Town Council Meetings: 2nd Monday each month at 5:30 @ 56 Sanderson Street (Town Hall)
- Clay County Commissioners are Clay Logan, Ed Roach, Robert Penland, Randy Nichols and Rob Peck.
Cherokee County, NC
- Mayor Rick Ramsey
- 5 Wofford St Murphy, NC 28906
- 828-837-2510
- City Council
- City Council includes Barry McClure, Gail Stansell, Noland Smith, Frank Dickey, Karen Watson and Barbara Hughes.
- County commissioners’ meetings 1st & 3rd Monday’s of each month at 6:30 pm. Meetings held at Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St, Multipurpose Rm 342, . 828-837-5527
- Cherokee County Commissioners are Cal Stiles, CB McKinnon, Gary Westmoreland, Dr. Dan Eichenbaun and Roy Dickey.
Vote in Upcoming Elections
Board of Elections
- Clay County Board of Elections
54 Church Street
Hayesville, NC 28904
828-389-6812
828-389-3757 (fax)
Clay.boe@ncsbe.gov - Cherokee County Board of Elections
40 Peachtree Street
Murphy, NC 28906
828-837-6670
828-837-7998 (fax)
cherokee.boe@gmail.com - NC State Board of Elections
http://www.ncsbe.gov - Union County Board of Elections
Union County Annex II
76 B Hunt Martin Street
Blairsville, GA 30512
Phone: (706) 439-6041
Fax: (706) 439-6009
Email: elections@uniongov.com
Union County has 11 Voting Precincts - Towns County Board of Elections and Registration
Towns County Civic Center
67 Lakeview Circle
Hiawassee, GA, 30546 – 0000
Towns County has three voting precincts
Election Day polling place hours are 7 am – 7 pm.
Voting Resources
- Check your voter status in Georgia
Ways to Make a Difference
- Attending or sponsoring a Town Hall and inviting elected officials
- Hosting candidate forums
- Writing letters to the editor of local newspapers
- Writing letters to representatives and meeting with elected officials
- Commenting on officials’ Facebook and Twitter pages
- Participating in social media groups devoted to an interest area
- Presenting your views at public hearings on bills
- Commenting on proposed regulations
- Serving on regulatory work groups
- Serving on citizen advisory committees
- Participating in studies called for by state legislatures
- Participating in political campaigns and/or protests
- Joining or partnering with other like-minded organizations to lobby
- Making financial contributions to candidates and organizations supporting your position
- Participating in community projects to make the world a better place
- Voting and helping to get out the vote
Local - Towns and Union Counties, GA
- Cliff Bradshaw, County Commissioner
- 48 River Street, Suite B , Hiawassee GA 30546
- Phone: 706-896-2276
- Meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 5:30 pm
- http://www.townscountyga.org/commissioner2.html
- Hiawassee Mayor Liz Ordiales
- City Hall, 50 River Street, Hiawassee, Ga 30546
- Phone: 706-896-2202
- www.hiawasseega.gov
- Hiawassee Council Members: Kris Berrong, Amy Barrett, Patsy Owens, Nancy Noblet, Anne Mitchell. The city council meets the first Tuesday of the month at 6 pm.
Union County, GA
- Lamar Paris, Commissioner
- 65 Courthouse Street, Blairsville, GA 30512
Phone: (706) 439-6000
Email: commissioner@uniongov.com
See web site for meetings
- 65 Courthouse Street, Blairsville, GA 30512
- Blairsville Mayor Jim Conley
- Po Box 307, 62 Blue Ridge St, Blairsville, 30514 . (706) 745-2000
- Council Members: Rhonda Mahan, Tony Dyer, Betty Easter, Martha Cone and Buddy Moore.
- The council holds regular meetings at 6 pm on the first Tuesday of each month in the conference room. Agendas may be obtained from city hall prior to the meeting.
City of Young Harris, GA
- Council Meetings are the first Tuesday of each month at 7 pm and are open to the public. Anyone wishing to speak should call ahead to have their name added to the agenda.
- City of Young Harris, 50 Irene Berry Drive, P.O. Box 122, Young Harris, GA 30582
- Phone: 706-379-3171
- http://www.youngharrisga.net/People/Council.aspx
- Young Harris Mayor is Andrea Gibby
- Council Members: Jared Champion, John Kelley, Samuel Leslie, Matthew Miller, Stuart Miller, Angela Smith
State & National Representatives for NC
- Mark Meadows (11th Congressional District)
US Senate
State Senate
State House of Representatives
State Legislation & Regulations
- Georgia General Assembly – Information on how the state legislature works and provides links to enable tracking legislation.
http://www.legis.ga.gov/en-US/default.aspx - Georgia Regulations
http://rules.sos.state.ga.us - North Carolina General Assembly – Information on how the state legislature works and provides links to enable tracking legislation.
https://www.ncleg.net - NC State Laws
http://statelaws.findlaw.com/north-carolina-law.html - NC Regulations
http://www.ncoah.com/rules/register/
Miscellaneous Resources
- FactCheck.org – A nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. .
https://factcheck.org - Citizens Climate Lobby – A non-profit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change.
https://citizensclimatelobby.org - NC Media Outlets
- GA Media Outlets