Turnover was the theme in election results Nov. 7. Among the 10 winners in three jurisdictions, only one had appeared on a ballot before. Two of the 10 had been appointed but were running for the first time. Another was running for a different position. All the rest will hold office for the first time.
“Overall, the election went very smoothly,” Buncombe County Director of Elections Corinne Duncan said after the final results were submitted on election night Nov. 7.
On Oct. 15, hundreds gathered to hear independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. when he spoke at the Crowne Plaza in West Asheville. The crowd, many of whom were from out of town, cheered for his anti-corporation, anti-war message.
Voters in Weaverville and Woodfin will be the first in Buncombe County to use an electronic method to mark ballots that could save them time at the polls.
Town council and mayoral candidates in Asheville’s closest neighbor to the north, Woodfin, know that growth is inevitable, and the crowds are coming. The threat of uncontrolled growth led to a dramatic turnover on council two years ago, and more fresh faces have emerged to run as the old guard steps down.
The N.C. Supreme Court ruled recently that Senate Bill 824, a voter ID law originally passed in 2018 by the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly, is constitutional, meaning photo identification will be required for the upcoming municipal elections in Woodfin and Weaverville
As the newest appointees to the Buncombe County Board of Elections, Stein, a registered Democrat, and Braine, a registered Republican, are both impressed with the security and organization of Buncombe’s elections, despite allegations of election improprieties in other states.
North Carolina is on the brink of banning transgender athletes in women’s sports from middle school through college. HB 574, also known as the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, requires a student’s sex to be recognized solely based on reproductive biology for the purposes of athletic participation.
On July 1, the window in which to end a pregnancy in North Carolina narrowed. Senate Bill 20 criminalizes abortion after 12 weeks of gestation with few exceptions and places additional requirements on women seeking abortions.
Last month, Rep. Chuck Edwards convened a nine-member agricultural advisory board to provide a variety of perspectives as he advocates for the region’s interests in the farm bill.
In increasingly polarizing political times, organizations centered on the right to vote have united for their common cause.
The microgrid includes 2 megawatts of solar panel capacity and 4.4 MW of battery storage. Those resources are enough to power the entire town for an extended period if its connection to the main grid is disrupted.
Council to vote on switch to public ‘work sessions’ Tuesday, Feb. 14.
Lindsey Prather, Eric Ager and Caleb Rudow have a lot to learn over the state legislative session that started Jan. 25. All three Democrats won their first elections in November after the retirement of three multi-term representatives from Buncombe County.
Xpress spoke with Edwards in the latest installment of our “WTF?” feature — Want The Facts — to learn more about what his office can provide, how residents can reach out and what his goals are for constituent service.
Buncombe first hired Ward and Smith last May, agreeing to pay the firm $72,000 annually to advocate for the county’s interests at the state legislature. A Jan. 30 gathering at the DoubleTree hotel in Biltmore Village marked the first extended public discussion of the lobbyists’ work since that contract was inked.
North Carolina can support as many as nine Las Vegas-style casinos with gambling throughout the state, including one in the Asheville area, according to a report commissioned by the General Assembly.
Xpress reached out to the area’s elected officials, activists and community leaders to learn more about what they took away from 2022’s political action.
Asheville on Bikes has recently drawn attention for its successful advocacy at City Hall, but it’s just one of many community organizations that seek to pull the levers of political power in Asheville. Xpress spoke to several of these groups to learn more about how they pursue their agendas.
The local business group’s annual event usually features WNC’s General Assembly delegation and its reflections on happenings in Raleigh. This year, the entirety of Buncombe County’s incoming state House contingent was absent: As newly elected officials, Eric Ager, Lindsey Prather and Caleb Rudow were taking part in orientation at the capitol.
Over 140 people responded to an Xpress questionnaire designed to learn more about Western North Carolina’s unaffilaited voters. Their answers show that, at least in WNC, the simple label of “unaffiliated” elides a wide diversity of ideologies and concerns.
