What to know about early voting in Charlotte
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Early voting is now underway and ends July 23 in Charlotte. On the ballot are a number of key local offices, including city council and mayor.
It’s unusual for Charlotte to have a general election this time of year. Elections were pushed back several times from last year because of census delays and redistricting lawsuits, as Axios’ Danielle Chemtob has reported.
Why it matters: Local elected officials make decisions that affect our daily lives — from where and how construction occurs to how much money we should spend on our bus system.
Between the lines: Incumbent mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat who’s held the office since 2017, is running against Republican Stephanie de Sarachaga-Bilbao.
City council district races will feature a handful of newcomers vying for a seat:
- District 1: Democrat Danté Anderson won the May primary. She doesn’t have a Republican opponent.
- District 2: Incumbent Malcolm Graham, a Democrat, faces Republican Mary Barnett.
- District 3: Democratic incumbent Victoria Watlington is running against Republican James Bowers.
- District 4: Incumbent Renee Perkins Johnson, a Democrat, does not have a Republican opponent.
- District 5: Democrat Marjorie Molina is running without a Republican opponent.
- District 6: Incumbent Tariq Scott Bokhari, a Republican, faces Democrat Stephanie Hand.
- District 7: Republican incumbent Ed Driggs is running without a Democratic opponent.
At-large: The Democratic candidates running for at-large seats include: Braxton Winston, Dimple Ajmera, LaWana Mayfield and James “Smuggie” Mitchell.
- The Republicans running for at-large seats are David Merrill, Charlie Mulligan, Carrie Olinski and Kyle Luebke.
Of note: All of the aforementioned election details come from the local Board of Elections website. You can search for your own sample ballot using this tool.
What’s next: The general election is on July 26. Keep an eye out for a full city election guide ahead of that time.
- Winners of this general election get sworn in on Sept. 6, as Spectrum News reported.
Editor’s note: We updated this story to include the date that early voting ends.