Voters will pick Charlotte’s next mayor, council members today. Here’s what to know.
.JPG "A Vote Here sign greets potential voters at St. Johns Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, July 25, 2022.")
The general election for Charlotte mayor and City Council is Tuesday, with polls open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
In-person early voting ended Saturday. Mail-in absentee voting is still open, but ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday and received by the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections by Friday to be counted.
Three of Charlotte’s seven district City Council members face opposition: Democrat Malcolm Graham in District 2, who faces Republican Mary Lineberger Barnett; Democrat Victoria Watlington in District 3, who faces Republican James H. Bowers; and Republican Tariq Bokhari in District 6, who faces Democrat Stephanie Hand.
Bokhari’s race is expected to be one of the most competitive. The south Charlotte district saw the most early voting participation of any district. A near-even number of Republicans and Democrats cast ballots, according to an analysis by Catawba College political science professor Michael Bitzer.
Bitzer also found voters in District 6 preferred Democratic candidates in the 2020 elections for president, U.S. Senate and governor.
Bokhari won with 59% of the vote in 2019 and with 62% in 2017.
In every other competitive district, Democrats far outweighed Republicans in early voting this election, Bitzer found.
About 28,000 people, less than 5% of Charlotte’s registered voters, voted early.
Mayor Vi Lyles is running for reelection against Republican Stephanie de Sarachaga-Bilbao. There are also eight candidates running for City Council at-large seats, which represent and are elected by the whole city, rather than a single district.
Voters can choose four candidates on the ballot.
Incumbent Democrats Dimple Ajmera and Braxton Winston are running for reelection. Two former City Council members James (Smuggie) Mitchell and LaWana Slack-Mayfield, both Democrats, are up against four Republicans: Kyle J. Luebke, David Merrill, Charlie Mulligan and Carrie Olinski.
Citywide, 53% of early votes were cast by Democrats, 27% by unaffiliated voters and 19% by Republicans, Bitzer found. The general election is open, meaning that Democrats could vote for Republican candidates and vice versa.
People can confirm their registration, view a sample ballot and find their polling place at vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/. People could register and cast a ballot on the same day during early voting, but that’s not allowed on Election Day.
This story was originally published July 25, 2022 at 1:35 PM.
.jpg)