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.
The NC-11 race is heating up as Republican State Sen. Chuck Edwards and Democratic challenger Jasmine Beach-Ferrara head into the fall election.
“There are more voters in Buncombe County registered as unaffiliated than with either political party, and this is true across the country, but I often get the feeling we’re overlooked and don’t matter.”
The Buncombe County Board of Elections won’t officially certify the results until Friday, May 27, and the N.C. Board of Elections will issue its own certification Thursday, June 9. But even with those steps still to come, there’s plenty to learn from the unofficial results.
North Carolina voters can register with one of three political parties — Republican, Democratic and Libertarian — or as unaffiliated. The last has become an increasingly popular option, both in WNC and across the state.
