(The Center Square) – Municipal elections will wrap up for 91 of 100 counties across North Carolina on Tuesday.
Most of the state’s 550 cities, towns and villages that administrate development, policing, trash service, local taxation and other issues decide leadership in this election cycle that is mostly known as an off year. The reason for the name is no statewide elections or referendums are on the ballot.
Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m., with any voter in line at their assigned polling place at 7:30 p.m. able to cast a ballot. Voters by law are required to show a photo identification when checking in to vote.
Sample ballots can be seen before going to the polls by going to the State Board of Elections website and choosing the voter search option.
The counties of Currituck, Hyde, Jones, Stanly, Surry, Alexander, Rutherford, Polk and Henderson are not scheduled for municipal elections this cycle. Raleigh, second largest city in the state, is a notable exception among cities; its municipal elections next come in conjunction with the 2026 midterm cycle.
Charlotte, the largest city, has partisan elections. Democrat Vi Lyles is seeking her fifth term as mayor, challenged this year by Republican Terrie Donovan. She’s trying to become the first from the Grand Old Party to capture the seat since former Gov. Pat McCrory was mayor in the Queen City from 1995-2009.
Other statistical trends at risk in the state’s largest metro: A Republican hasn’t won an at-large seat for City Council since 2011, or any seats on the Mecklenburg County Commission since 2018.
Greensboro decides a nonpartisan ballot between Marikay Abuzuaiter and Republican Robbie Perkins. Abuzuaiter, registered Democrat according to the State Board of Elections, is mayor pro tempore and a member of the City Council; Perkins, a Republican, is a council member and former mayor.
In Durham, where the race is also nonpartisan, incumbent Leo Williams is challenged by Anjanee Bell. Both are registered Democrats, according to the State Board of Elections.
