When it comes to elections, Watauga County has room to grow. And App State students have a role to play.
As App State students begin thinking about finals, North Carolina counties like Watauga begin planning fall elections.
But unlike most exams, helping Watauga County get ready to vote is easier than you think. It just requires a quick look back to the last midterm election in 2022.
At first blush, mediocre voter turnout was the story of Watauga’s 2022 general election. The county ranked 70th of 100 counties, with only half (50%) of Watauga’s voters casting a ballot.
But if you dig deeper, you can find another culprit for any disappointing 2022 turnout.
Watauga County fell short in funding its elections.
In 2022, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners approved a budget that devoted about half of 1% (.54%) to administer the growing county’s elections for the 2022 general and 2023 primary. As a result, Watauga ranked 62nd in per-voter investment of the 83 counties that provided 2022-23 budget data, spending just over $9 per voter. That was not only well below the state’s per-voter spending average in 2022 ($13.59/voter), but also about half of the national average ($17.10/voter).
A 2023 report from the NC Budget & Tax Center confirms why this mattered: On average in North Carolina, greater election funding means higher voter turnout.
Onslow County provides one of the most striking examples. As Common Cause North Carolina’s Tyler Daye reported in Onslow’s Tideland News, the county ranked dead last in election funding in 2022, spending almost $12 less per voter than the national average. It also had the worst voter turnout in the state, with only around 37% of Onslow voters turning out that fall.
Daye’s research showed that every $10 in additional funding per voter is associated with a 3.4% increase in turnout. That’s enough votes in most North Carolina counties to determine statewide races for the Supreme Court. In this year’s high-profile Senate District 26 primary, that amount of turnout was more than enough to determine whether arguably the most powerful person in North Carolina politics, Sen. Phil Berger, was unseated this year.
“The evidence clearly shows that counties with better funding are boosting the electoral voices of their residents,” said Daye.
In Watauga County, a $10-per-voter funding increase in 2022 could have changed the narrative, placing the county closer to the top in voter turnout statewide.
The connection between election funding and votes cast makes sense. Election funds help counties register voters, maintain voting equipment and records, conduct mail voting and provide accessible voting locations, like early voting sites on or near campuses.
For the 2024 general election, Watauga County’s budget funded six early voting sites, including three Saturdays and two Sundays for working and student voters. In 2022, when turnout lagged, the county still offered six sites, including a campus site for Appalachian State University, but only the last mandatory Saturday and no Sunday voting.
In 2026, better funding could mean more weekend hours, including multiple Saturday and Sunday options, in addition to the traditional campus voting site for Western North Carolina’s largest university, potentially spurring voting in these “city centers,” where thousands of Boone residents eat, sleep, learn and work.
Fortunately, App State students can play a big part in securing better funding before they leave for summer break.
In spring, county elections directors prepare their budgets for approval by their boards. Elections are then integrated into the county commission’s overall budget, which must pass no later than July 1.
Along the way, there are opportunities for voters of all ages to engage in the local budget process. In the Onslow County example, reaching out to election officials on local needs and consistent public comment at the county commission’s budget meetings motivated local officials to increase the budget after years of consistent underfunding, per a report by Southern Coalition for Social Justice. And that community advocacy has continued to pay off. Onslow’s reported 2024-25 election budget was 61% higher ($1,045,310) than the last comparable presidential election year in 2020-21 ($650,256).
This type of election funding advocacy matters even more this year. Recent election law and administration changes have put a greater financial burden on county election officials. Record demand for early voting options — North Carolinians’ favorite way to cast a ballot — will require better county elections funding for the fall. And, of course, this year we’ve seen campus sites on the chopping block — like the one used by Western Carolina University — with many counties citing funding to justify these cuts.
In Watauga County, there’s definitely room to grow and a lot to save. And campus and community can work together on the local level to protect their voting options now.
All North Carolinians interested in working locally for better election funding can learn how online on Wednesday, April 22 at 6 p.m. Register now at ccnc.me/electionhub.
Sailor Jones is State Director for Common Cause North Carolina.
