Candidates prepare for local races
Voters will settle municipal contests for mayoral seats and posts on city and town councils, as well as select school boards, in the Nov. 4 general election. The candidate filing period will determine what names appear on the ballot for which races.
Candidate filing across all 100 counties begins at 8 a.m. Monday and continues through noon on July 18. Municipal races in Guilford, Davidson and Randolph counties are nonpartisan, meaning the candidate's political affiliation won't appear on the ballot.
Here's a breakdown of races in the three-county area:
Guilford County
High Point is off the political stage this year as the city's next elections for mayor and city council take place in 2027.
Jamestown will have a race for mayor and two council seats. Other municipalities in Guilford County staging elections include Kernersville, which also covers parts of Forsyth County, Greensboro, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Garden and Summerfield.
Davidson County
Thomasville will hold two municipal elections this year. The contest for Thomasville City Council will feature the mayor's seat and four posts on council.
Two seats are in play for the Thomasville City Schools Board of Education. This is the second election in the history of the school board, whose members used to be appointed by the city council.
Lexington also will stage two elections. The Lexington City Council will have contests for mayor and four ward seats on council, and the Lexington City Schools Board of Education will have contests for three ward seats and an at-large citywide seat.
The towns of Wallburg and Denton will each have races for mayor and two Town Council seats. The town of Midway will have contests for three Town Council seats.
Randolph County
The northern Randolph County cities of Archdale and Trinity won't hold their next municipal elections until 2026.
The city of Asheboro will hold two municipal elections this fall, with one changed because of a bill passed in the N.C. General Assembly earlier this year.
The Asheboro City Council will have a race for mayor and four council seats.
The Asheboro City Board of Education will have contests for two seats instead of four as originally scheduled. The change is part of a reform pushed through the General Assembly by the Randolph County Republican delegation to reduce the size of the board. The board will go from 11 members to seven in stages.
Other Randolph County cities and towns staging elections this year are Franklinville, Liberty, Ramseur, Randleman, Seagrove and Staley.
While municipal races involve candidates who directly address topics important to a community, local government contests consistently rank the lowest for voter turnout among all types of elections. Wake Forest University Political Science Professor John Dinan said voters who sit out municipal elections may want to re-examine their interest in local races.
'Turnout for municipal odd-year elections, while understandable, is still unfortunate because we are constantly reminded of the importance of these elections and the significant decisions made by officials chosen in these elections,' Dinan told The High Point Enterprise.
Local governments set property tax rates, decide on spending in county or municipal budgets, and determine which local programs receive funding.
'We were particularly reminded of the importance of local officials during COVID, when many key decisions about handling COVID were made at the local level,' Dinan said.
Not in play The cities of High Point, Archdale and Trinity won't hold municipal elections this year. Archdale and Trinity will stage elections in 2026 while High Point's next elections are in 2027.
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