Early voting expands to 9 sites today
The city of Charlotte primary election is Tuesday, Sept. 9 — You can vote early through Saturday at spots throughout the city
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Voter turnout is expected to be low, low, low — but you have options; Learn about candidates and the issues
Early voting in Charlotte’s Sept. 9 primary election expands to nine sites today, offering voters a convenient chance to weigh in on selecting the next Charlotte City Council.
Since Aug. 21, voting in Charlotte for the election had been possible only through absentee ballots and in-person at the Hal Marshall Center uptown.
But now through Saturday, polls are open at select spots throughout the city.
North, south, east, west: Starting today, voters can choose from 9 sites to cast ballots in the city of Charlotte primary election. (Mecklenburg County Board of Elections)
Voter turnout, so far, has been lackluster: Through Friday, just 947 people had cast ballots, according to the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections. Charlotte has about 524,000 registered voters eligible to cast ballots in the Sept. 9 primary. So just about 0.2% of those eligible have voted so far.
The numbers will rise this week as voting gets easier. In the most recent city of Charlotte primary election, in September 2023, fewer than 5% of those eligible voted, or about 24,000 people.
That low voter turnout means that a shockingly small number of people will determine the composition of the Charlotte City Council, because most of the winners of the Sept. 9 primary face either no opposition in November or will be heavily favored to win.
Last time, four district council seats on the primary ballot drew between about 3,000 and 4,000 voters each. The winning margins were between about 500 and 2,000 votes. Charlotte is the country’s 14th-largest city, with about 943,000 residents.
In this year’s primary, there are five such district races, plus a citywide “at-large” race for four council seats, as well as the race for mayor.
Democrats control the City Council by a 9-2 margin over Republicans, and that makeup is unlikely to change much, if at all. But council members frequently split over questions of growth, transportation, housing, public safety and other issues that can lack clear partisan positions.
Early voting runs at the nine sites from:
Today through Friday (Sept. 5), from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday (Sept. 6), from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Polls at each precinct are open on Election Day — Tuesday, Sept. 9 — from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
🗳️ Who can vote? The primary is open to registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters citywide, and to registered Republicans and unaffiliated voters in City Council District 6, which includes the SouthPark area in south Charlotte. (Not registered? You can register during early voting.)
➡️ For more information on precincts and ballots, check out the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections site at meckboe.org.
Visit The Election Hub
➡️ For information on candidates, check out The Election Hub. (It’s a nonprofit The Ledger is partnering with to provide neutral and easy-to-access information on candidates and voting. It’s 100% ad-free, free to use and hosted on a pleasant website.)
Online candidate forum
🎥 Watch the candidates make their cases: The Ledger and The Election Hub also held an online candidate forum last week, in which we interviewed 17 of the candidates, including 8 incumbents, about issues and why they are running:
Skip ahead to watch the part you want!
You can skip to the part of the video most relevant to you (click on the link for the race you’re interested in):
City Council At-Large Candidates, Democratic Primary: Dimple Ajmera, Matt Britt, J.G. Lockhart, LaWana Slack-Mayfield, James “Smuggie” Mitchell Jr., Namrata Yadav. (Candidate Victoria Watlington separately here.)
City Council District 1 Candidates (NoDa/Plaza Midwood/uptown), Democratic Primary: Danté Anderson, Charlene Henderson El.
City Council District 3 Candidates (west Charlotte/Steele Creek), Democratic Primary: Tiawana Deling Brown, Joi Mayo, Warren F. Turner.
City Council District 4 Candidate (University City), Democratic Primary: Renee Johnson.
City Council District 5 Candidates (east Charlotte), Democratic Primary: Marjorie Molina, J.D. Mazuera Arias.
City Council District 6 Candidates (south Charlotte/SouthPark), Republican Primary: Krista Bokhari, Sary Chakra.
Going viral? We’ve also been posting highlights from the forum on The Ledger’s Instagram account, with more to come this week.
There are, of course, other places to learn about the candidates, including:
—Tony Mecia
Starting tomorrow in The Ledger: ‘Career Boost’ — a short series with tips on how to thrive in your career
Beginning Wednesday, we’re presenting a three-part series called “Career Boost,” in which we talk with local experts who share practical tips on honing the skills you need to thrive and advance in the workplace.
The Ledger keeps you up-to-date on the news and trends in Charlotte, yes. But we also want to help you get ahead.
Each piece in the series combines a column filled with sensible advice with a short, 15-minute podcast — perfect for enjoying on your commute or while walking the dog or doing chores around the house.
The series will be available only to paying Ledger members, so if you need a full subscription, why not take care of that right now?
Members will receive the series in their inboxes starting tomorrow morning (Wednesday).
In brief
Bank chooses Dallas over Charlotte for 1,000+ jobs: Charlotte lost its bid for Scotiabank’s 1,000-job U.S. regional center to Dallas, despite a competitive incentives package and strong local collaboration, according to Charlotte Regional Business Alliance executive Tracy Dodson. (Charlotte Business Journal, subscriber-only)
Special meeting called on CATS safety: Mayor Vi Lyles has called a special meeting of the Metropolitan Transit Commission for Wednesday to discuss “transit system safety and security,” following the Aug. 22 stabbing death of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska aboard a Lynx Blue Line light rail train in South End. (Ledger on X/Twitter)
CMS consultant’s political ties spark scrutiny: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has renewed its agreement with the consulting firm SYDKIMYL for $180,000 from Aug. 25 to Jan. 30. The firm, founded by former CMS counselor Kimberly McGregor, previously held a $500,000-plus contract that sparked board member concerns over its value and connections to her husband, a recent CMS consultant. (WFAE)
Tourism spending rises: Mecklenburg County led North Carolina in tourism last year with a record $6.4B in visitor spending, up 9% from 2023, driven by sports, museums and attractions like Carowinds. (WSOC)
No phones while driving in S.C.: South Carolina’s new hands-free driving act, which took effect Monday, bans drivers from holding or using mobile devices while operating a vehicle, with only warnings issued for the first 180 days before fines and penalties begin. (WCNC)
Fall colors update: Fall foliage in North Carolina will peak in the mountains by mid-October and reach Charlotte in early November, with timing influenced by weather conditions. (Axios Charlotte)
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