2023 election: What Mecklenburg voters need to know for municipal, school board races
Candidates running for office in Mecklenburg County in 2023 will begin to officially file for office Friday — kicking off a campaign season that will include multiple high-profile races.
The filing period opens at noon Friday and will run through noon on July 21, according to the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections.
Voters will see races and issues on their ballots in 2023 that include mayor and council elections in Charlotte and surrounding towns and a multi-billion-dollar bond initiative that could fund up to 30 new schools in the county.
Here’s what to know about the 2023 municipal elections in Mecklenburg County:
What’s on the ballot in 2023?
What’s on your ballot in 2023 will depend on where you live. Races for positions in the city of Charlotte will be limited to Charlotte residents, while all Mecklenburg County voters can vote for at-large school board seats and on the school bond issue.
Charlotteans will vote to fill a number of roles in the 2023 municipal election, the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections notes, including Charlotte mayor and City Council posts.
And three at-large seats on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education will also be on the ballot.
Elsewhere in Mecklenburg County, the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews and Mint Hill will elect mayors and town commissioners in 2023. Pineville voters will choose a mayor and fill two seats on their town council.
And $2.5 billion in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bonds will also be on the general election ballot come November.
Voters can look up their full sample ballot at ncsbe.gov/voting/sample-ballot.
Who’s on the ballot in 2023?
Current Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles announced in late June that she will seek a fourth term in office. At the time, the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections told the Charlotte Observer no other candidates had yet launched a campaign to run against her.
But that doesn’t mean that other potential candidates might not toss their hats in the ring during the filing period.
Voters in south Charlotte’s District 6 will see a rematch of a close 2022 race. Democrat Stephanie Hand previously confirmed to the Observer she will again challenge Republican City Councilman Tariq Bokhari, who also plans to run again. Bokhari won their last race by less than 400 votes.
Current at-large City Council member Braxton Winston announced in April he will run for state Commissioner of Labor in 2024. Fellow at-large council member LaWana Slack-Mayfield announced her relection campaign on social media in June.
Jennifer De La Jara, an at-large member of the CMS board, said at a May board meeting she would not seek reelection in 2023, QCity Metro reported.
Huntersville Mayor Melinda Bales had said she would run for mayor again but then said she would instead seek a seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives.
Cornelius Mayor Woody Washam will face a challenge from Town Commissioner Denis Bilodeau, according to Cornelius Today.
Once the filing period begins, a list of official candidates for positions on the ballot in 2023 will be available at vote.mecknc.gov and updated as people file.
North Carolina voter ID laws
In the wake of an April ruling by the North Carolina Supreme Court, voters will need to show photo identification to cast a ballot in 2023.
Forms of ID that will be accepted at the polls as long as they are “unexpired, or expired for one year or less,” according to the State Board of Elections, include:
A North Carolina driver’s license
A state ID issued by the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles
A U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport card
A driver’s license or non-driver ID from another state, the District of Columbia or U.S. territories, if the “voter registered in North Carolina within 90 days of the election”
A military or veterans ID card issued by the U.S. government, tribal enrollment card issued by a tribe recognized by the State or federal government or an ID card issued by an agency of the U.S. government or the State of North Carolina for a public assistance program will also be accepted “regardless of whether the ID contains an expiration or issuance date.”
Some student IDs and government employee IDs will also be accepted. Dozens of schools and agencies requested the state approve their ID, Observer news partner WSOC reported, including UNC Charlotte, Appalachian State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Livingstone College and Davidson College.
“If a voter cannot show photo ID when voting in person, they can still vote by filling out an ID Exception Form,” the Board of Elections adds. “For absentee-by-mail voters, if they are unable to include a copy of their photo ID in their ballot return envelope, they can also fill out an ID Exception Form with their ballot.”
When is Election Day 2023?
The primary election in the city of Charlotte, which will only include Charlotte mayor and city council races, is Sept. 12.
The 2023 general election is Nov. 7. All voters, regardless of whether they live in Charlotte or a surrounding town, will have school board elections and the bond referendum on their ballot.
North Carolina voter registration deadlines
For most North Carolinians, the voter registration deadline is 25 days before Election Day, according to the State Board of Elections.
That means, to vote in the Sept. 12 primaries, you must be registered to vote by Aug. 18. To vote in the Nov. 7 general election, you must be registered to vote by Oct. 13.
“Individuals who are not registered to vote in a county may register at early voting sites during the early voting period,” the Board of Elections adds. “After registering, the newly registered voter can immediately vote at that same site.”
Same-day voter registration on Election Day is only available to those who get their U.S. citizenship or whose rights are restored after serving a felony sentence before Election Day but after the registration deadline.
Members of the military and people living abroad can find voter registration information at ncsbe.gov/voting/vote-mail/military-and-overseas-voting.
