Who’s running in Charlotte, CMS and Mecklenburg town elections in 2023? See the final list

The list of candidates on Mecklenburg County ballots in 2023 was finalized Friday as the filing period closed, with some last-minute additions adding intrigue.

Candidates filed for school board, Charlotte City Council and Mecklenburg town boards.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles picked up a primary challenger on the last day of filing in fellow Democrat Lucille Puckett, who she defeated by a wide margin in 2022. Republican Misun Kim and Libertarian Rob Yates also filed Friday for mayor.

A total of 14 candidates, including incumbent Lenora Shipp, will battle for three at-large seats on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education. Incumbents Elyse Dashew and Jennifer De La Jara aren’t running again.

Mecklenburg County voters will also decide the fate of a multi-billion dollar school bond this election cycle.

District 3 Charlotte City Councilwoman Victoria Watlington will seek an at-large seat, leaving her current seat open to a newcomer. In District 6, Republican Councilman Tariq Bokhari is set for a rematch with Democrat Stephanie Hand.

Elsewhere in the county, a number of incumbents and newcomers alike will compete for seats on the Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Matthews, Mint Hill and Pineville boards of commissioners. Among them, Huntersville is the most crowded, with 17 people running for six seats and three people running for mayor.

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.

As Election Day draws closer, Mecklenburg Elections Director Michael Dickerson previously told the Charlotte Observer the county Board of Elections plans to get the word out about voter ID requirements that will be in place in 2023.

“I don’t want to deter anybody,” he said. “I want anybody to come out and make sure if they’re eligible to vote, make sure they do vote. But make sure you have some sort of photo ID that you can present to us when you go to vote.”

For the full list of acceptable IDs, visit ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id.

Who’s on the ballot in Mecklenburg County in 2023?

Here are the 2023 candidates for office officially listed by the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections as of the filing period closing at noon on July 21:

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education — at-large (3 seats available)

• Annette Albright

• Peggy A. Capehart

• Claire Covington

• Bill Fountain

• Juanrique Hall

• Omar Harris

• Shamaiye Haynes

• Michael Johnson

• Brian Kasher

• Tigress Sydney Acute McDaniel

• Liz Monterrey

• Lenora Shipp (incumbent)

• Monty Witherspoon

• Clara Kennedy Witherspoon

Charlotte Mayor (1 seat)

• Vi Lyles (Democrat, incumbent)

• Lucille Pucket (Democrat)

• Rob Yates (Libertarian)

• Misun Kim (Republican)

Charlotte City Council - At-Large (4 seats)

• Dimple Ajmera (Democrat, incumbent)

• Ben Copeland (Democrat)

• Charlene Henderson El (Democrat)

• John X. Henny (Democrat)

• James “Smuggie” Mitchell, Jr. (Democrat, incumbent)

• LaWana Slack-Mayfield (Democrat, incumbent)

• Victoria Watlington (Democrat)

• Steven J. DiFiore II (Libertarian)

Charlotte City Council - District 1 (1 seat)

• Dante Anderson (Democrat, incumbent)

Charlotte City Council - District 2 (1 seat)

• Malcolm Graham (Democrat, incumbent)

• Gary Linn Young II (Democrat)

Charlotte City Council - District 3 (1 seat)

• Tiawana Brown (Democrat)

• Melinda Lilly (Democrat)

• Warren F. Turner (Democrat)

• James Harrison Bowers (Republican)

Charlotte City Council - District 4 (1 seat)

• Renee Johnson (Democrat, incumbent)

• Wil Russell (Democrat)

• Olivia Scott (Democrat)

Charlotte City Council - District 5 (1 seat)

• Curtis M. Hayes, Jr. (Democrat)

• Marjorie Molina (Democrat, incumbent)

• Vinroy Reid (Democrat)

Charlotte City Council - District 6 (1 seat)

• Stephanie Hand (Democrat)

• Tariq Bokhari (Republican, incumbent)

Charlotte City Council - District 7 (1 seat)

• Ed Driggs (Republican, incumbent)

Cornelius Mayor (1 seat)

• Denis P. Bilodeau

• Woody Washam, Jr. (incumbent)

Cornelius Board of Commissioners (5 seats)

• Robert Carney

• Colin J. Furcht (incumbent)

• Scott Higgins

• Susan Johnson

• Bob Menzel

• Michael (Mike) Miltich

• Charmaine Nephew

• Michael Osborne (incument)

• Thurman Ross, Jr.

• Todd Sansbury (incumbent)

Davidson Mayor (1 seat)

• Rusty Knox, Jr. (incumbent)

Davidson Board of Commissioners (5 seats)

• Matthew Dellinger (incumbent)

• Ryan Fay (incumbent)

• Steven G (Steve) Justus

• Tracy Mattison Brandon (incumbent)

• Autumn Rierson Michael (incumbent)

Huntersville Mayor (1 seat)

• Derek Partee

• Christy Clark

• Dan Boone

Huntersville Board of Commissioners (6 seats)

• Alisia Bergsman

• Mike DeVoney

• Amanda Dumas

• Frank Gammon

• Michael Gandino

• Jennifer Hunt

• Matt Jones

• Rob Kidwell (incumbent)

• Amber Kovacs (incumbent)

• Justin William Moore

• John O’Neill

• Edwin Quarles

• LaToya C. Rivers

• Eric Rowell

• Anna Rubin

• Nick Walsh

• Jamie L. Wideman

Matthews Mayor (1 seat)

• John Higdon (incumbent)

Matthews Board of Commissioners (6 seats)

• Jonathan Clayton

• David Gaertner

• Renee Garner (incumbent)

• Gina Hoover (incumbent)

• Ken McCool (incumbent)

• Jeff Miller

• Sebastian Sadovsky

• Leon Threatt

• Mark Tofano (incumbent)

• John R. Urban (incumbent)

• David Wieser

• George Young

Mint Hill Mayor (1 seat)

• Brad Simmons (incumbent)

Mint Hill Board of Commissioners (4 seats)

• Twanna Henderson (incumbent)

• Patrick Holton (incumbent)

• Matthew Schwoebel

• Dale Dalton (incumbent)

• Tony Long (incumbent)

Pineville Mayor (1 seat)

• Ed Samaha

• David Phillips

Pineville Town Council (2 seats)

• Amelia Stinson-Wesley

• Eric Fransen

• L.R. (Les) Gladden (incumbent)

• Danielle A. Moore