The future is on the ballot for young Mecklenburg voters

Good morning! Today is Friday, October 30, 2026. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.

Today's Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by Trinity Episcopal School. Trinity Episcopal School is holding K-8 Open Houses to learn more about its academic program and its community of curious learners and leaders.

Happy Friday! It’s Lindsey, here to remind you that not only is tomorrow Halloween, but it’s the last day of early voting for the midterm elections. After that, you’ll only have Tuesday, Nov. 3. Let today’s Ledger be your motivation to get to the polls like all the local Gen Z-ers, who are apparently showing up and showing out. The only thing scarier than not voting this election cycle might be the five haunting stories Jason Tapp of SpookyCLT shared with us this week. (Keep scrolling to read more… if you dare,*insert evil laugh here.*)

This story is from The Election Hub, a free, non-partisan resource that empowers voters with unbiased information about statewide and local races in North Carolina.

by Rachel Black

Voter turnout among older generations historically outpaces that of younger voters. But this year, disillusioned by an economy that doesn’t seem to be working for them and frustrated with political division, Generation Z voters could be narrowing that gap. 

Gen Z is currently about 14 to 29 years old. Data from the North Carolina Board of Elections shows that in the 2024 election, voter turnout in Mecklenburg County for voters aged 18-25 was 57.4%, the lowest of any age group; the second-lowest turnout rate was for voters 26-40, at 61.1%. And in the 2022 midterm, these rates were significantly lower: only 24.1% of registered voters in the 18-25 bloc turned out to vote in Mecklenburg County, and 34.2% of voters aged 26-40. 

Other data from The Civics Center, a nonprofit focused on youth civic engagement, shows that as of Oct. 13, 66% of 18-year-olds in Mecklenburg County are registered to vote, compared with 81% of people 45 or older. 

A full picture of young voter turnout won’t be available until the midterms are over. But Gen Z voters at Mecklenburg County polls on Thursday told The Election Hub they felt energized to get out and vote this year, and that friends their age feel the same way. 

At an early voting site in Matthews, Ben Kearney, a 22-year-old recent college graduate, said he was motivated to come out to vote to “get rid of the corruption and career politicians.” But he said the main problem his generation faces is the high cost of living. 

“A lot of stuff was kind of promised to us and said that if we work hard enough, we could get it; we just simply can't afford it,” Kearney, a Matthews native, said. 

Standing outside of Matthews Library after casting his ballot, Kearney said he feels like buying a house and getting a mortgage “is kind of a pipe dream” for a lot of people in his generation.

A volunteer with Meck Dems at the polling site told The Election Hub that the day before, on Oct. 28, a young voter from Matthews who goes to college in Vermont drove over 10 hours home to vote early. She had realized she was no longer registered, and didn’t want to risk any complications on Election Day. 

Another volunteer, who was with the Mecklenburg County GOP, said that three college-aged voters had visited the library that day to campaign for Stacie McGinn, the Republican candidate for North Carolina Senate District 42.

Young voters in University City told The Election Hub that they came to the polls out of concern for their future.

“Students like me who are about to finish school … once we’re done with school we want to be able to survive in the community we live in,” said Jestevie Mpembu, a 22-year-old UNC Charlotte student.

Mpembu said he was concerned about gas prices and other affordability issues, like high housing costs.

Other recent stories from The Election Hub:

Many of the new and growing companies in Charlotte are part of the broader catch-all “financial services” industry, but the types of jobs associated with these companies aren’t just the traditional banking and back-office roles that have, in the past, landed here.

“Saying ‘financial services’ is like saying ‘life sciences.’ It’s so broad that we don’t really know what is coming here, and a lot of people assume it’s all the same stuff and it’s all the same talent,” said Tracy Dodson, chief operating officer and head of economic development at the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. “That’s not necessarily the case.”

CRBA analyzed the job functions of six recent financial services expansions here — Citigroup, SoFi, Pacific Life, Capital Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. These projects are expected to include 4,200 to 4,500 new jobs for Charlotte.

While Charlotte might not have the haunted reputation of Salem, Mass., or Savannah, Ga., the city has some spooky stories worth telling.

Just ask Jason Tapp, the man behind the popular Instagram account SpookyCLT, which has amassed more than 30,000 followers over the past eight years.

Tapp, who also serves on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission, has made it his mission to uncover the area’s darker history and share the stories hiding in plain sight.

“If I were to be in uptown, I don't think there's like a single street corner I wouldn't be able to stand on without pointing at something, like a building, that doesn't have a ghost story,” Tapp told The Ledger's Ashley Fahey on this week's episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast.

Just in time for Halloween, here are five spooky Charlotte stories Tapp shared:

🎧 Want more spooky stories? Listen to this week's episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, where Tapp shares more local lore, his favorite horror movies and which Charlotte neighborhood he considers the spookiest.

Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30: “Candy Crawl + Monster Market 2026,” 4-9 p.m., at Urban District Market, 2315 N. Davidson St. Presented by POP Culture, Candy Crawl + Monster Market is a high-energy Halloween activation packed with trick-or-treating, local vendors, live entertainment, rides and interactive experiences for the whole family. Costumes are highly encouraged. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Free entry.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31: “Charlotte True Crime Tour,” 4-5 p.m., at Nefelie’s, 145 Brevard Ct. Explore the dark side of Charlotte's history, including some of the city's most unusual and disturbing tales of murder and crime. Between disturbing tales of unsolved disappearances, to cases of crooked cops gone horrifically wrong, and corruption used to cover up infamous cases, this tour will surely leave you with a very new perspective on the Queen City. Not a ghost tour - something far more fascinating. $15/ticket.

NOVEMBER 7: “‘Raising Arizona’ - Movie and Talkback,” 4-6 p.m., at Independent Picture House, 4237 Raleigh St. Join the Independent Picture House for a post-screening discussion with editor and University of North Carolina School of the Arts Professor of Filmmaking, Michael R. Miller! $9.75/ticket.

NOVEMBER 14: “‘Sunday in the Park with George,’” 7:30-9:30 p.m., at The Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement at Queens University, 2319 Wellesley Ave. Step into a painting and the lives behind it in “Sunday in the Park with George,” Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Pulitzer Prize–winning musical. This production is presented to the community by Queens University of Charlotte and features student performers, set designers and creative teams. Support the arts at Queens! $12-$17/ticket.

➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.