Chapel Hill, North Carolina may have a public financing program for municipal elections if the town council signs off on it. The state Assembly has already approved the program. Supporters hope that a public financing option will even out the playing field for challengers to compete against established incumbents.

North Carolina was the first state in the country to create a full public financing program for judicial elections, and public financing pilot program was recently passed that will extend the program to three Council of State races. Democracy North Carolina has been the lead organization moving public financing proposals forward and their Organizing Director, Adam Sotak was quoted on the Chapel Hill developments:

"It's a very forward-thinking, progressive idea of government coming out of Chapel Hill [. . .] It's not the answer to all democracy's problems, but it is a great solution and a great way to give people a chance to run for office."