Welcome to The Charlotte Ledger's 2023 Charlotte City Council Election Hub — your source for information on voting and the candidates.
We’ve got the info on the Charlotte mayoral and council races for 2023, including videos of most of the candidates discussing why they're running and why they think you should vote for them. We filmed those in partnership with the Charlotte Area Chamber of Commerce and CLT Public Relations.
Important dates:
Aug. 24-Sept. 9: Early voting for Democratic primary election (view dates, times and locations; for registered Democrats and Unaffiliateds only)
Sept. 12: Democratic primary election (for registered Democrats and Unaffiliateds only)
Oct. 19-Nov. 4: Early voting for general election
Nov. 7: General election
From the Mecklenburg Board of Elections:
Voter guides:
“Who is, and isn’t, running in Mecklenburg County 2023 elections” — Axios Charlotte
“Mecklenburg County Election Guide 2023” — Queen City Nerve
“2023 Candidate Questionnaire + Voter Guide” — Sustain Charlotte
Charlotte Observer candidate questionnaires — The Charlotte Observer (NOTE: As of Aug. 24, the responses of some candidates are paywalled and available only to Observer paying subscribers)
Recent news articles:
“A top fundraiser rises from what was Charlotte’s hottest City Council race last cycle” (Charlotte Observer)
“GOP fields no candidates for Charlotte city council at-large seats” (Carolina Journal)
Endorsements:
“Black Political Caucus makes endorsements for mayor and City Council” (WFAE Inside Politics Newsletter — last item)
Charlotte Observer endorsements — The Charlotte Observer. NOTE: The Observer has chosen to paywall its election endorsements, so they are available only to Observer subscribers. TLDR: They endorsed all incumbents in the primary, except in District 3 (endorsed Tiawana Brown) and District 4 (endorsed Wil Russell).
This year's races:
City Council At-Large — 4 seats
There are 4 seats for representatives elected by the entire city. Incumbent Democrats up for re-election are Dimple Ajmera, James “Smuggie” Mitchell Jr. and LaWana Slack-Mayfield. Additional Democratic candidates are Ben Copeland, Charlene Henderson El and Victoria Watlington, who now serves as District 3 representative but is running at-large this year.
The 4 leading vote-getters among Democrats will face Libertarian Steven J. DiFiore II in November.
Democrat Dimple Ajmera:
Democrat Ben Copeland:
Democrat LaWana Slack-Mayfield:
Democrat James "Smuggie" Mitchell Jr.:
Democrat Victoria Watlington:
—
Libertarian Steven J. DiFiore II:
—
Mayor of Charlotte
Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, is seeking her 4th term. She will face Lucille Puckett in the primary. The winner will face Republican Misun Kim and Libertarian Rob Yates in the general election in November.
Republican Misun Kim:
District council races
Six council members are elected by district. Here's the map. (If you're unsure which district you're in, check your registration and sample ballot here.)
District 1
Democrat Danté Anderson is running for a second term. She has no opposition.
District 2
Democrat Malcolm Graham, who served on council from 1999-2005 and 2019-present, faces challenger Gary Linn Young II in the primary.
Democrat Gary Linn Young II:
District 3
There's no incumbent in District 3. Democrats Tiawana Deling Brown, Melinda Lilly and former council member Warren F. Turner are competing in the Democratic primary.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican James H. Bowers in November.
◼️ News articles:
Democrat Warren F. Turner:
Republican James H. Bowers:
District 4
Incumbent Democrat Renee Perkins Johnson is running for a third term in District 4. She will face fellow Democrats Wil Russell and Olivia Scott in the primary. In a rare move, Mayor Vi Lyles has endorsed Russell, as have former council members Julie Eiselt and Greg Phipps. The Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg has endorsed Johnson.
There is no Republican opposition.
◼️ News article: “Mayor Vi Lyles enters primary fray, seeks to oust incumbent Renee Johnson”
Democrat Renee Perkins Johnson:
Democrat Wil Russell:
District 5
Democratic incumbent Marjorie Molina faces challengers Curtis M. Hayes Jr. and Vinroy Reid in the primary.
There is no Republican opposition.
Democrat Curtis M. Hayes Jr.:
Democrat Marjorie Molina:
Democrat Vinroy Reid:
District 6
Incumbent Republican Tariq Scott Bokhari, who has served on the council since 2017, will face Democrat Stephanie Hand in November in a rematch of last year's election, which Bokhari won 51%-49%.
Republican Tariq Scott Bokhari:
Democrat Stephanie Hand:
District 7
Republican incumbent Ed Driggs, who has served since 2013, has no opposition.
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