Election Day 2023: What to know before voting in Mecklenburg County races
Tuesday is Election Day in Mecklenburg County, with a record-setting school bond and other high-profile races on ballots across Charlotte and surrounding towns.
Voters will decide the fate of a $2.5 billion bond for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and elect at least two new faces to the district’s school board. In Charlotte, the marquee race is a City Council rematch in south Charlotte’s District 6. And towns around the county will elect mayors and other city representatives.
More than 40,000 people have already made their voice heard, with one party making up the majority of early voters, according to the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections
Those who haven’t cast a ballot yet can check their polling place, see a sample ballot and even get a free ride to the polls Tuesday.
Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
What’s on the ballot in Mecklenburg County?
All Mecklenburg County voters will have a $2.5 billion dollar school bond on their ballot this election cycle. If approved by voters, the money would go toward 30 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools projects. If passed, it would be the largest approved bond for a public school district in North Carolina.
Voters across the county will also choose three at-large school board members from a slate of 14 candidates. Just one incumbent, Lenora Shipp, is on the ballot.
In the City of Charlotte, voters will elect a mayor and four at-large City Council members. Current Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, is facing Republican Misun Kim and Libertarian Rob Yates. The five candidates running for City Council at-large are incumbent Democrats Dimple Ajmera, James “Smuggie” Mitchell and LaWana Slack-Mayfield, plus Libertarian Steven J. DiFiore II and current Democratic District 3 representative Victoria Watlington.
There are also City Council races in Districts 3 and 6.
In west Charlotte’s District 3, Republican James Harrison Bowers and Democrat Tiawana Brown are competing to succeed Watlington. And in south Charlotte’s District 6, it’s a rematch between Republican incumbent Tariq Bokhari and Democrat Stephanie Hand. City Council incumbents in Districts 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 are unopposed in the general election.
The towns of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill and Pineville will elect mayors on Election Day. Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews and Mint Hill voters will also choose town commissioners. Pineville voters will pick town council members.
Early voting results
Early voting wrapped up Saturday in Mecklenburg County, with 39,432 voting early in person and an additional 594 sending in absentee ballots, according to the county Board of Elections.
That’s about 5.15% of the county’s 776,318 eligible voters.
“That was little higher than what we expected, which is always good to see,” Michael Dickerson, director of the county Board of Elections, said.
Looking ahead to Election Day, Dickerson said he anticipates turnout will reach “the 15% to 20% range.”
Registered Democrats accounted for 52.35% of early voters, compared to 30.21% for unaffiliated voters and 17.27% for registered Republicans.
The most popular early voting site was the SouthPark Regional Library in Charlotte City Council District 6, where 4,315 cast early ballots. Other popular early voting sites included the North County Library in Huntersville and the former Kohl’s in the University City area.
The least utilized early voting site in the county was Davidson Town Hall, where just 896 cast early ballots.
Early voting is typically a popular option — a majority of Mecklenburg voters who cast a ballot in the November 2022 general election chose to do so during early voting. And about 28,000 people voted early in Charlotte’s municipal election in July 2022, an election that was pushed back from November 2021 due to Census data delays. A total of 72,870 ultimately voted in that summer election.
How to find your sample ballot
Voters can see what their exact ballot will include ahead of time through the county Board of Elections website by searching by address at apps.meckboe.org/addressSearch_New.aspx.
Sample ballots are also available when you search by name via the State Board of Elections at vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup.
How to find your polling place
Voters can find their polling place through the county or state Board of Elections by searching by address at apps.meckboe.org/addressSearch_New.aspx or by name at vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup.
People with questions can contact the county Board of Elections by calling 704-336-2133 or emailing Vote@MeckNC.gov.
How to get a free ride to the polls
Those in need of transportation to their polling place can ride all CATS buses, the LYNX Blue Line and the CityLYNX Gold Line for free on Election Day.
Paratransit services will also be fare free on Tuesday. Those in need of accommodations should email telltransit@charlottenc.gov or call 704-336-7433.
NC voter ID requirements
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 free ID issued by the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections
A military 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. or 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, such as student IDs from Davidson College, Johnson C. Smith University, Queens University of Charlotte and UNC Charlotte.
Voters who can’t show an ID will still be allowed to vote but need to fill out an ID Exception Form, the Board of Elections adds.
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