Charlotte starts early voting. Here’s where to cast ballots for mayor, City Council.
About 1,100 Charlotteans went to the polls Thursday on the first day of early voting for the city’s general election for mayor and City Council.
Thirteen early voting sites are scattered through the city. People who are not registered can still cast a ballot if they register at an early voting site and vote on the same day.
The deadline to vote on Election Day, July 26, has passed.
Mayor Vi Lyles is running for her third term, and faces Republican opposition in Stephanie de Sarachaga-Bilbao, a first-generation Mexican American who works in finance. Voters will also decide who serves in the City Council at-large and vote for district representatives.
Of the seven district seats, three have competitive primaries: District 2, which includes much of northwest Charlotte; District 3 in west Charlotte; and District 6 in south Charlotte.
Charlotte’s municipal elections are usually in odd-numbered years, but delays caused by the pandemic and the U.S. Census pushed the elections to 2022. Political insiders from both parties have told The Charlotte Observer this could lead to low turnout.
Mecklenburg Board of Elections spokeswoman Kristin Mavromatis said Thursday’s numbers — about 900 by 5 p.m. and 1,107 by the end of the day — aren’t enough to get an accurate reading on how many people might turn out this election. Officials can make a better prediction after a few days of early voting, Mavromatis said.
About 1,400 people cast ballots during the first day of early voting for the May primary, but that election featured statewide races such as U.S. Senate as well as local ones.
Some of the most popular sites this year include the SouthPark Regional Library, the former Kohl’s in the University Area and the Allegra Westbrooks Library on Beatties Ford Road.
In 2019, the last municipal general election, about 30,000 people voted early or voted by mail. In 2017, more than 36,000 people voted early or voted by mail.
Early voting sites this year are open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. from Thursday through July 23. The polls are closed Saturday, July 9, and Sunday, July 10, and close early on July 23, at 3 p.m. For more information, visit the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections website at mecknc.gov/BOE or call 704-336-2133.
Full list of Charlotte early voting sites
▪ Allegra Westbrooks Library: 2412 Beatties Ford Road
▪ Ballantyne — Community House Middle School: 9500 Community House Road
▪ Bette Rae Thomas Recreation Center: 2921 Tuckaseegee Road
▪ Eastway Regional Recreation Center: 3150 Eastway Park Drive
▪ Hal Marshall Annex: 618 N College St.
▪ Independence Library: 6000 Conference Drive
▪ Marion Diehl Recreation Center: 2219 Tyvola Road
▪ Myers Park High School: 2400 Colony Road
▪ South Charlotte area — Former Rite Aid, Carmel Commons: 7611 Pineville-Matthews Road
▪ Southpark Regional Library: 7015 Carnegie Blvd.
▪ Steele Creek area — Former Taphaus49: 13230 Carowinds Blvd.
▪ University area — Former Kohls: 9315 N Tryon St.
▪ West Boulevard Library: 2157 West Blvd.
This story was originally published July 8, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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