Early voting in North Carolina is in full swing and Election Day is on Nov. 5. Voters in Watauga County have many decisions to make in this election.
The Appalachian has compiled information about candidates running across various races in the 2024 general election. Each candidate will be accompanied by a link to the candidate’s website to discover more information about the candidate’s policies and platforms.
Federal Elections
Democrat Kamala Harris, Republican Donald Trump, Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver, Constitution Party candidate Randall Terry and Justice for All Party candidate Cornel West are running for president of the United States.
Each candidate has a running mate for vice president. Candidates for vice president include Democrat Tim Walz, Republican JD Vance, Green Party candidate Rudolph Ware, Libertarian candidate Mike ter Maat, Constitution Party candidate Stephen E. Broden and Justice for All Party candidate Melina Abdullah.
In district five of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican incumbent Virginia Foxx is facing off against Democrat Chuck Hubbard. Foxx has served in Congress since 2005 and was raised in Avery County. Hubbard is a former journalist from Wilkes County.
North Carolina has 14 congressional districts which are based on equal population sizes throughout the state. Only eligible voters living in a certain district can vote for representatives from their district.
District five includes Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Caldwell, Alexander, Wilkes, Surry, Stokes, Rockingham and part of Guilford County.
State Elections
There are multiple state elections on the ballot in 2024. In a statewide election, eligible voters from across North Carolina can vote for a candidate for office in North Carolina.
Republican Mark Robinson, Democrat Josh Stein Libertarian candidate Mike Ross, Constitution Party candidate Vinny Smith, and Green Party candidate Wayne Turner are running for North Carolina governor.
The race for North Carolina lieutenant governor is between Democrat Rachel Hunt, Constitution Party candidate Wayne Jones, Republican Hal Weatherman and Libertarian candidate Shannon W. Bray.
Democrat Jeff Jackson and Republican Dan Bishop are running for attorney general of North Carolina. According to the North Carolina Department of Justice, the attorney general represents all North Carolina state government departments in legal matters.
In the race for North Carolina auditor, incumbent Democrat Jessica Holmes will face off against Libertarian Party Candidate Bob Drach and Republican Dave Boliek.
The race for North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture is between Libertarian Sean Haugh, Democrat Sarah Taber and incumbent Republican Steve Troxler.
Incumbent Republican Mike Causey is facing off against Democrat Natasha Marcus for North Carolina commissioner of insurance.
In the race for North Carolina’s commissioner of labor Republican Luke Farley will face off against Democrat Braxton Winston II. The seat is currently held by Josh Dobson.
Incumbent Democrat Elaine Marshall is running against Republican Chad Brown for North Carolina Secretary of State.
Democrat Maurice “Mo” Green is running against Republican Michele Morrow in the race for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction. The seat is currently held by Catherine Truitt.
The race for North Carolina treasurer is between Democrat Wesley Harris and Republican Brad Briner. Dale Folwell is the current treasurer of North Carolina.
One position for state Supreme Court associate justice is being contested this year. The North Carolina Supreme Court is the state’s highest court. Justices elected to the court are responsible for having final say in legal matters regarding state law.
In the race for associate justice seat six of the North Carolina Supreme Court, Republican Jefferson G. Griffin is challenging incumbent Democrat Allison Riggs.
The North Carolina Court of Appeals is also holding elections in four of its 15 positions. The Court of Appeals reviews trial cases for errors of law or legal procedure in the state. Members can either be elected or selected by the governor to serve the court with an eight-year term limit.
Incumbent Democrat Carolyn Jennings Thompson will face off against Republican Tom Murry for seat 12 on the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
In seat 14 of the North Carolina Court of Appeals incumbent Republican Valerie Zachary is competing against Democrat Ed Eldred.
Republican Chris Freeman and Democrat Martin E. Moore are competing for seat 15 on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Republican Hunter Murphy currently holds the seat.
District elections
The North Carolina State Senate is made up of 50 representatives across North Carolina where elections are held every two years with two term limits.
Incumbent Republican Ralph Hise is facing off against Democrat Frank Patton Hughes III for district 47 of the North Carolina Senate.
The North Carolina House of Representatives consists of 120 members who serve two year terms. Members of the House convene to pass legislation for North Carolina.
Incumbent Republican Ray Pickett is competing against Democrat Ben Massey for District 93 of the North Carolina House of Representatives.
The remainder of statewide races in North Carolina are uncontested, which means there is one candidate running for a position in these respective races.
The North Carolina Superior Court has five divisions between its 48 districts. The court hears criminal and civil cases in North Carolina. Judges rotate between different districts in their division every six months.
Republican Ted McEntire is running for seat two of district 35 on the North Carolina Superior Court.
There are 41 district courts in North Carolina. District courts hear civil, criminal, juvenile and magistrate cases within their jurisdictions in North Carolina. Watauga County is in district 35 along with Yancey, Avery, Madison and Mitchell counties.
Republican Rebecca Eggers-Gryder is running for seat two, Republican Milton Fletcher is running for seat three and Democrat Alexandria “Allie” Leake is running for seat four in North Carolina’s 35th district court.
County elections
In Watauga County, Republican Amy Shook is running for reelection to the Watauga County register of deeds. The county register of deeds manages real estate deeds, land titles and other legal documents throughout their county of jurisdiction.
There are three seats available on the Watauga County Board of Commissioners. These seats are divided between three districts this year. Voters can only vote for the commissioner living in their district.
In district three, incumbent Republican Braxton Eggers is looking to retain his seat against unaffiliated challenger Jon Councill.
The race in district four is between Democrat incumbent Charlie Wallin and Republican Ronnie Marsh.
In district five, Democrat Sue Sweeting is challenging incumbent Republican Todd Castle.
Three seats are available on the Watauga County Board of Education. The board of education is a nonpartisan race and voters can elect multiple candidates in the race.
Adam Hege, Alison Carroll Idol, Charlotte Mizelle Lloyd, Tom Ross, incumbent Marshall Ashcraft and Chad Cole are running for election to the Watauga County Board of Education this year.
The last nonpartisan office that will hold an election this season will be for the Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor. This position will oversee the collaboration between public and private organizations in using conservation practices to address issues across the state like soil erosion, flood damage and water quality problems.
Nate Coppenbarger is running for Watauga County Soil and Water Conservation District. Voters will find that Coppenbarger is running opposed for this position.
Voters can find more information about the races they are voting in by looking up their sample ballots through the North Carolina State Board of Elections website.
