2017 election

Next Asheville City Council Will Be Most Diverse Ever

By • Nov 9, 2017

This week's election in Asheville will produce the most ethnically diverse city council in its history.  Vijay Kapoor, Sheneika Smith, and incumbent vice mayor Gwen Wisler were all elected to city council.  Kapoor is the first Asian-American ever elected to the body (he and Pratik Bhakta, who lost in this year's primary election, were the first Asian-American candidates ever for Asheville city council).  Smith's election means for the first time in 26 years, there will be two African-Americans on city council.  Citizen-Times reporter

AVL Districts Bill Sponsor - "Isn't Optional" City Must Follow Law

By • Nov 8, 2017
Wikicommons

The sponsor of the bill that mandated Asheville draw districts for future city council elections says ‘it isn’t optional’ for the city to follow the law – even though Asheville residents rejected districts by a 3 to 1 margin in this week’s election.  Henderson County Republican Chuck Edwards district includes parts of South Asheville – a supposedly more politically moderate and conservative part of Asheville that rarely has been represented on city council, whose six members are currently elected at-large.  The bill Edwards sponsored which his colleagues in the General Assembly OK’d earlie

Election Night - New Jersey & Virginia Governors Races

By • Nov 7, 2017
Meg Kelly NPR

Voters in Virginia and New Jersey are choosing new governors. Both races began with an emphasis on statewide issues such as property taxes and education policy. Now, in the closing weeks of the campaigns, both have morphed into the latest test of President Trump's influence down the ballot. We're updating election results as they come in.

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2017 Election Results - Kapoor, Smith, Wisler AVL Council Winners: 3/4 Of Voters Say No To Districts

By • Nov 7, 2017

Incumbent Asheville mayor Esther Manheimer breezed to an easy re-election, while Vijay Kapoor, Sheneika Smith, and incumbent Gwen Wisler won city council seats.  Meanwhile, three-quarters of those who voted in Asheville said no to creating city council districts, even though a state law passed earlier this year by the Republican-dominated General Assembly mandated the Democratically-controlled city do so for the 2019 election.  

Candidates Tackle Issues Around Discrimination In First BPR - Citizen Times AVL City Council Forum

By • Oct 19, 2017
BPR Tech

Blue Ridge Public Radio and the Asheville Citizen-Times partnered on the first of two forums with candidates for Asheville City Council Monday.  You can watch it on the BPR News Facebook page.  It will be aired this Friday October 27th at noon in place of The State of Things.  The second forum will be held Monday October 30th at noon and can be viewed live on the Citizen-Times website and

Asheville Primary Results - Many Issues Drove Voters To The Polls, But They All Have A Common Thread

By • Oct 13, 2017
Wikicommons

This week's Asheville primary yielded a few surprising results, but the issues that were driving voters to the polls should come as no shock to anyone who follows city politics.  South Asheville businessman Vijay Kapoor was by far the top vote getter in the city council primary, which whittled the number of candidates from 12 to 6 for next month's general election.  Kapoor's showing is a sign the neighborhood he hails from is becoming a burgeoning force in Asheville politics according to Citizen-Times reporter Joel Burgess, who covers city government.  He says growth of Asheville was what

Asheville Primary Results - Bothwell Ousted, Other Incumbents Advance

By • Oct 10, 2017
Wikicommons

Asheville mayor Esther Manheimer and Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler advanced to next month's general election in the city, but outspoken city council Cecil Bothwell fell just short in his quest for another term.  The primary whittled down the number of mayoral candidates from four to two, and city council candidates from 12 to six.  Those remaining face off in the general election, which will be held on November 7th.

Asheville Primary Election On Tuesday

By • Oct 9, 2017

Tuesday is primary election day for the city of Asheville.  Up for election this year are the mayor's office, and three city council seats currently held Cecil Bothwell, Gwen Wisler, and Gordon Smith.  Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.  More information can be found here. 

The top two finishers in the mayoral primary and the top six in the city council primary will advance to the November 7th general election.  

Early Voting Starts Today For Asheville Primary Election

By • Sep 21, 2017

Early voting gets underway Thursday in Asheville for the city's primary election, which will take place on October 10th.  Voters will pare down the number of candidates for city council from 12 to 6, and for mayor from 4 to 2.  Those who advance will face off in the general election on November 7th, when voters will choose a mayor and 3 city council seats.  The lone early voting site is at the Buncombe County Election Services building at 77 McDowell Avenue in Asheville.

As Filing Deadline Arrives, City Elections Take Shape In Asheville

By • Jul 20, 2017
Wikicommons

The filing deadline is noon on Friday July 21st for candidates wishing to run for offices in this fall's municipal elections in Buncombe County.  Asheville, Black Mountain, Montreat, Weaverville, and Woodfin will all be holding elections this fall for mayor, city council, town council, or board of alderman seats (Woodfin will also hold an election for its Sanitary Water & Sewer District Board of Trustees).

Supreme Court Temporarily Halts NC's 2017 Legislative Election

By • Jan 10, 2017

The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily halted special legislative elections in North Carolina.

A federal three-judge panel ruled last summer that 28 state legislative districts in North Carolina are unconstitutional. That ruling declared the seats illegal racial gerrymanders and ordered state lawmakers to redraw boundaries by March 15th, with special state elections to take place in November.