2024 voter guide: Research Charlotte-area candidates on NC general election ballots

Voters will have hotly contested races on the ballot around the Charlotte region as they head to the polls for the 2024 general election.

What’s on my NC ballot

In addition to the presidential race, every North Carolina council of state seat is up for grabs — governor, lieutenant governor, superintendent of public instruction, auditor, treasurer, secretary of state and commissioners of agriculture, insurance and labor. Every U.S. House and North Carolina General Assembly seat is up for election, too.

Multiple judicial races are also on the ballot for the state Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and District Court. Though, none of the Mecklenburg County District Court seats feature more than one candidate.

Some of the competitive local races include the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, Cabarrus County Board of Education and Soil and Water Conservation district supervisors.

There’s one statewide referendum on ballots this year: a constitutional amendment saying only adult U.S. citizens can vote in North Carolina elections.

Some voters may have other local referendums on their ballot. Charlotte voters, for example, will decide the fate of three bond measures totalling $400 million to pay for transportation, housing and neighborhood improvement projects.

Find my polling place, sample NC ballot

Early voting begins Thursday and ends at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2., and Election Day is Nov. 5. Polling places will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Voters can cast their ballot at any site during early voting but must vote at their designated polling place on Election Day.

To find early voting sites in any county, visit vt.ncsbe.gov/EVSite. To check your registration, see your sample ballot and find your Election Day polling place, visit vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup.

Same-day voter registration is only available during early voting. The deadline to register and vote on Election Day has passed.

Charlotte Observer endorsements and questionnaires

In preparation for the election, The Charlotte Observer in collaboration with the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative sent surveys to statewide, congressional and local candidates asking questions about their backgrounds and platforms.

Answers from candidates for contested Mecklenburg and some Cabarrus candidates are below. We’ve also sent questionnaires to contested legislature candidates in nearby counties and will post them as they’re received. They have been lightly edited for clarity and grammar.

To view the Observer’s endorsements in local and state races, go here.

To help inform voters in the Nov. 5, 2024, election, candidate questionnaires are available to be republished by local publications in North Carolina without any cost. Please consider subscribing to The Charlotte Observer to help make this coverage possible.

This story was originally published October 17, 2024 at 12:00 AM.

Mary Ramsey

The Charlotte Observer

Mary Ramsey is the local government accountability reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she studied journalism at the University of South Carolina and has also worked in Phoenix, Arizona and Louisville, Kentucky. Support my work with a digital subscription