Charlotte and Mecklenburg County elections
A 23-vote margin in the NC Senate District 26 Republican primary has triggered a recount that could reshape leadership in Raleigh and ripple into Charlotte policy.
Jack Beckett·Mar 18, 2026
Governor endorses challenger to 7-term Charlotte incumbent who votes with GOP 84% of time. March 3 primary will decide whether Democrats can restore veto power.
Jack Beckett·Jan 27, 2026
North Carolina's 2026 election cycle officially began at noon on Dec. 1 as candidate filing opened statewide. Here's what Charlotte residents should know before the Dec. 19 deadline.
Jack Beckett·Dec 3, 2025
Mecklenburg County voters approved a landmark transit tax, re‑elected Mayor Vi Lyles, and delivered a clean sweep for Democrats on the council and school board in Charlotte's 2025 municipal election.
Jack Beckett·Nov 6, 2025
Federal shutdown hits day 34 as Charlotte votes on $19B transit tax. How Washington chaos, Raleigh redistricting, and local politics collide three weeks before Election Day.
Jack Beckett·Nov 2, 2025
WFAE and the League of Women Voters hosted a CMS board forum. Candidates for Districts 1–6 outlined views on achievement, funding, communications, immigration policy, teacher retention, and district n
Jack Beckett·Oct 28, 2025
Early voting is open in Mecklenburg. What is on the ballot, how same-day registration works, what the transit tax funds, and how NC secures your vote, plus links to our 2025 race guides.
Jack Beckett·Oct 20, 2025
Jack Beckett·Oct 13, 2025
Federal shutdown hits Day 12, Charlotte debates National Guard deployment, and November elections loom. Here's what voters need to know—and do—right now.
Jack Beckett·Oct 12, 2025
At the Tuesday Forum, Vi Lyles and Rob Yates split on transit tax, converged on community policing, and faced Charlotte's hardest fact: thousands of CMS students are without stable housing.
Jack Beckett·Oct 5, 2025
Your week in Charlotte civics: BOA variances, ADA training, JCPC, BOCC intergov, CRTPO, ballots begin mailing, a civic summit, and a school board forum. Show up, speak up, vote smart.
Jack Beckett·Sep 28, 2025
Jack Beckett·Sep 16, 2025
Joi Mayo ousts Tiawana Brown in District 3, District 5 heads toward a recount, and safety on Charlotte Blue Line becomes a central test for November.
Jack Beckett·Sep 10, 2025
District 5 is a cliffhanger. With 26 of 30 precincts in, J.D. Mazuera Arias leads Marjorie Molina 2,712 to 2,679. Four precincts remain. Margin 33 votes, about 0.61 percent. Unofficial.
Jack Beckett·Sep 10, 2025
Mecklenburg logged 13,871 early and by-mail votes. Most arrived in five days and clustered at University City, SouthPark, and a few big branches. In primaries, that small surge sets the agenda.
Jack Beckett·Sep 8, 2025
In Mecklenburg, just 18.7% voted in the 2024 primary. Here's how a motivated 7% can set policy for 100%—and what that means for 'Poll Dance 2025.'
Jack Beckett·Sep 5, 2025
A safely blue district, a decisive primary. Dante Anderson backs the mobility tax and corridor investments. Charlene Henderson pushes neighborhood-first growth and worker standards.
Jack Beckett·Aug 30, 2025
Charlotte's at-large races decide four citywide seats. Meet the field, see key dates, and track positions on the transit tax, housing, and stadium funding. Privacy-first, all receipts linked.
Jack Beckett·Aug 30, 2025
The 1% transit sales tax would fund roads, rail, and buses through a new regional authority with strict gates on the Red Line. Here's how it works, who controls it and where candidates stand.
Jack Beckett·Aug 24, 2025
Charlotte's 1% transportation sales tax could raise $19B, fund roads and rail, dissolve the MTC, and put the Red Line first. What it means for you.
Jack Beckett·Aug 24, 2025
Malcolm Graham chairs Jobs & Economic Development, represents Charlotte's Historic West End, and has a long record on transit, corridors, and high-profile votes. Here's what he's done and what's next.
Jack Beckett·Aug 24, 2025
District 1's 2025 rematch: Charlene Henderson challenges mayor pro tem Danté Anderson. Early voting Aug. 21–Sept. 6; primary Sept. 9. What splits them on labor, transit, and development.
Jack Beckett·Aug 23, 2025
A single vote gave the Black Political Caucus endorsement to Joi Mayo over incumbent Tiawana Brown in District 3. Here is what 46–45 means for a low-turnout primary that decides the seat.
Jack Beckett·Aug 23, 2025
In Charlotte's 2025 elections, five Republican candidates — from seasoned council veterans to first-time challengers — aim to reshape city policy and politics.
Jack Beckett·Aug 15, 2025
Three challengers hope personal histories—spanning Marine Corps service, nonprofit leadership, and street-level advocacy—can unseat Charlotte's entrenched mayor in 2025.
Jack Beckett·Aug 13, 2025
Charlotte mayoral contenders clash over housing, transit, and public safety, offering voters sharply different plans and political philosophies ahead of the 2025 primary.
Jack Beckett·Aug 12, 2025
Explore Charlotte's 2025 City Council races. District-by-district profiles, records, priorities, and key election dates for Mecklenburg voters.
Jack Beckett·Aug 10, 2025
A hard look at the week: Mecklenburg's transit tax hits the ballot, the governor signs a stopgap budget and vetoes a school-choice tax credit, and local transparency fights simmer in Charlotte.
Jack Beckett·Aug 10, 2025
Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners; City of Charlotte; Mecklenburg Public Transportation Authority (proposed); Southern Coalition for Social Justice; Action NC; Charlotte Area Transit System
Jack Beckett·Aug 8, 2025
Learn why Democrats routinely win Charlotte's at-large city council seats—and why Republicans face steep odds in citywide contests. Voting rules, turnout, and math, explained.
Jack Beckett·Aug 3, 2025
Charlotte's 2025 at-large City Council race has 12 candidates, two parties, and one giant question: who has a citywide message that sticks?
Jack Beckett·Aug 3, 2025
From veto overrides to local council contests, Charlotte's political pulse quickened July 27–Aug 3. Here's what mattered and why.
Jack Beckett·Aug 3, 2025
Seven candidates want to run Charlotte. One already does. The rest are campaigning with policy, poetry, or PayPal. The real question: Will anyone show up to vote?
Jack Beckett·Aug 3, 2025
Mecklenburg commissioners advanced a 1-cent sales tax question despite word-smithing wars. Critics call it fuzzy math; supporters say state law ties their hands.
Jack Beckett·Aug 2, 2025
Malcolm Graham's West End roots, corridor crusade, and "no Plan B" transit gamble reveal how one council veteran shapes Charlotte's 2025 narrative—and your commute.
Jack Beckett·Aug 1, 2025
Susie Wiles builds coalitions in whispers and leaves rivals yelling at static. Here's why her "no-leak" discipline shapes 2025—and how Charlotte can steal a page.
Jack Beckett·Jul 31, 2025
Five chaotic days shut a violent bar, cleared two town ballots, unleashed a Senate shake‑up, and let lawmakers spike your power bill—all before Charlotte finished its second latte.
Jack Beckett·Jul 29, 2025
Tillis exits, Cooper edges in, Watley rolls the Trump dice, and Raleigh fights over a budget nobody can see. Grab a seat—Poll Dance 2025 is warming up.
Jack Beckett·Jul 25, 2025
Glory Days Apparel slashes prices for one day only: $10 tees, $25 hoodies, free hats with purchases of $100, and permanent discounts for brave, tattooed fans. Charlotte's best shopping line starts ear
Jack Beckett·Jul 25, 2025
Low-turnout primaries now decide most races. Why twenty percent of voters call the shots—and how Charlotte can push that number higher before Poll Dance 2025.
Jack Beckett·Jul 20, 2025
Congress's $9 billion rollback hits public media coffers; Charlotte Mercury leans on community partners and readers for survival in an election year.
Jack Beckett·Jul 19, 2025
CMPD touts a 25 % drop in violent crime, yet an Uptown shooting reminds residents that statistics don't stop bullets. We dig into the half-year numbers, the fear, and the money at stake.
Jack Beckett·Jul 19, 2025
Filing closed at noon. Lyles wants a fifth term, council bickers, transit tax looms. District 3 drama, District 6 reset, GOP hunts a comeback. Full roster, stakes, and a wink.
Jack Beckett·Jul 19, 2025
Jennifer Roberts bows out, Mayor Vi Lyles files, and a late‑hour GOP realtor scrambles Charlotte's 2025 mayoral race—just as transit, crime, and council chaos crowd the ballot.
Jack Beckett·Jul 18, 2025
Summer Nunn leaves the CMS board after one term, citing family, work, and "dysfunction." District 6 now looks for fresh candidates as November's ballot takes shape.
Jack Beckett·Jul 17, 2025
Vi Lyles files for a fifth mayoral term, faces scant opposition, and eyes a mobility sales‑tax legacy while City Council dysfunction simmers.
Jack Beckett·Jul 17, 2025
Charlotte's Planning Commission preps area plans for an August vote, eyes Opportunity Zone tweaks, and schedules biannual UDO maintenance, while every seat at the dais is finally full.
Jack Beckett·Jul 15, 2025
Charlotte's 2025 campaign season opens July 7 as every City Council seat—and the mayor's gavel—go up for grabs. Filing runs only 12 days. Get in line or get left out.
Jack Beckett·Jul 8, 2025
Mecklenburg's March 2024 primary drew just 19 % of voters—about 13 % of residents—fueling the ideological edge that Bradley Tusk says is tearing national politics apart.
Jack Beckett·Jul 4, 2025