Charlotte’s early voting numbers top prior years. What to know for Election Day

Charlotte voters will finalize their primary picks for mayor and City Council on Tuesday.

After nearly 14,000 people cast ballots during early voting, Election Day is Tuesday. Voters will be able to make picks in Democratic primary races and a single Republican primary in District 6. With the exception of the routinely competitive District 6, primary elections will give winners a high chance of scoring a seat in the Nov. 4 general election.

Early voting ended Saturday. Polls are open on Election Day from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Unlike early voting, people must cast ballots at their assigned precinct on Tuesday.

During early voting, 13,676 people cast ballots, according to the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections. The board has approved another 194 mail-in ballots.

That turnout is thousands of ballots higher than early voting in the 2023 primary. And it appears to be the highest early voting total on record for a standalone city primary election, according to Mecklenburg County Board of Elections data. A total of 8,371 people voted early in 2023. The 2022 and 2019 city of Charlotte primaries were paired with other elections that drove up turnout. And 12,277 people voted early in the 2017 primary. Earlier city primary elections all produced lower turnouts, according to the county elections data archive.

This year, the University City library produced the highest early voting turnout — 2,966 people. Second was the SouthPark Library — 1,812 people.

Here’s what else voters need to know before Tuesday’s election.

What’s on the ballot

Charlotte is the only city in the region one of just a few in the state with a primary election on Tuesday. Other city and town elections are nonpartisan and take place in November. Mecklenburg voters also won’t have their say on a transportation tax referendum until November.

Mayoral candidates on Tuesday’s ballot include incumbent Democrat Vi Lyles as well as Democratic challengers Jaraun “Gemini” Boyd, Delter Kenny Guinn III, Brendan Maginnis and Tigress Sydney Acute McDaniel.

Ten Democrats are running for four at-large spots in the primary. They include incumbents Dimple Ajmera, James “Smuggie” Mitchell, LaWana Slack-Mayfield and Victoria Watlington. Challengers include: Matt Britt, Roderick Davis, Will Holley, J.G. Lockhart, Emerson Stoldt and Namrata (N.Y.) Yadav.

Contested district races include:

• Incumbent Dante Anderson is challenged by Charlene Henderson El in District 1. The winner of this election faces no Republican opposition in November.
• In District 3, incumbent Tiawana Deling Brown faces challengers Montravias King, Joi Mayo and Warren F. Turner. The election is complicated by the fact that Brown faces felony fraud charges. If convicted, she will not be able to hold elected office until she completes her sentence. Republican James Bowers will face the primary winner in November.
• District 4 features a rematch of incumbent Renee Perkins Johnson and challenger Wil Russell. Johnson won a competitive primary in 2023. The winner faces no Republican competition in November.
• District 5 incumbent Marjorie Molina faces a challenge from Juan Diego (J.D.) Mazuera in east Charlotte. The winner faces no Republican competition in November.
• District 6 features the only Republican primary — Krista Bokhari and Sary Chakra. Bokhari is the wife of Tariq Bokhari, who resigned his seat earlier this year to take a job in the Trump administration, which he left this week. The winner faces Democrat Kimberly Owens in November.

How do I know what’s on my ballot?

To be eligible to vote in any North Carolina municipal election, a voter must live within the city or town limits for at least 30 days before Election Day. With the voter search tool on the State Board of Elections website, people can see what’s on their ballot and which districts they live in under the “YOUR JURISDICTIONS” tab.

Voters also can find their sample ballot, designated district, current elected officials and voting location by filling out their address on the county Board of Elections website at apps.meckboe.org/addressSearch_New.aspx.

Unaffiliated voters are able to cast a ballot in Democratic and Republican primaries — but not both. People registered to a party can only vote in that party’s primary.

Voter ID

Voters must bring photo ID to the polls, but “all voters will be allowed to vote with or without photo ID,” according to the NCSBE Voter ID website. Voters who don’t show an ID will need to fill out an exception form. Details regarding acceptable forms of ID including student and government employee IDs can be found on ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id#acceptable.

Results

For results on election night and complete coverage, visit to charlotteobserver.com.

This story was originally published September 7, 2025 at 6:00 AM.

Josh Bergeron

The Charlotte Observer

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Josh Bergeron is the government editor at The Charlotte Observer. Previously, he was the editor of the Salisbury Post in Salisbury, N.C. and worked as an editor and reporter at newspapers in North Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi. He’s a proud LSU alumnus — Geaux Tigers.