Editor’s note: This election guide was originally published in October. We have updated it to reflect the winners of the 2018 Buncombe County and North Carolina elections.
The 2018 midterm election season ended Tuesday night, and yesterday we caught up with the results to bring you an update to our 2018 voter guide and break down what the results mean.
Citizens choose candidates for offices including the U.S. House of Representatives, the N.C. Senate and House of Representatives, the new Buncombe County Sheriff, seats on the N.C. Supreme Court + more. Plus, voters decided the fate of six constitutional amendments on everything from the right to hunt and fish to the selection of vacant judicial seats. Now we’re saying hello to the next few years of local, state, and federal leadership.
The races at a glance
- Both Republican incumbents for the U.S. House of Representatives were re-elected. Both incumbents for the N.C. Senate – Edwards (R) and Van Duyn (D) – were also re-elected. All Democratic incumbents for the N.C. House of Representatives were re-elected.
- Early voting totals surpassed all of early voting in the 2014 midterm election, with over 2 million people casting early votes. That’s a 74% increase from 2014. 👏
- Buncombe County elected its first African-American sheriff, Quentin Miller (D), who won with 61.51% of the vote. 🚓
- Anita Earls (D) won the contested seat in the State Supreme Court after a contested race with two other candidates, both Republican.👩⚖️
- 4 out of 6 state constitutional amendments passed, including a voter ID requirement, the right to hunt and fish, expanded victims’ rights, and an income tax cap. 💸
- Democrats picked up enough seats to break a veto-proof supermajority in the N.C. legislature, though some races in the Senate are still dependent on uncounted absentee + provisional ballots. ⚖️
See all of Tuesday night’s winners here. Don’t love the results? Remember that the next national election comes in 2020. 🇺🇸
6 constitutional amendments
Passed
- Amendment to require voters to provide photographic identification to vote (House Bill 1092): 55% FOR
- Voters would be required to present photo identification at their polling place in order to cast a vote. The legislature would decide what forms of identification are acceptable if the amendment passes. The requirement would not apply for absentee voters. No cost estimate was provided regarding implementation or ID requirements. See the summary here.
- Amendment protecting the right of the people to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife (Senate Bill 677): 57% FOR
- The amendment acknowledges the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife using traditional methods (“traditional methods” are not defined), subject only to laws passed by the General Assembly. The amendment would also establish hunting and fishing as a preferred method of controlling + managing populations of wildlife and would honor the practices as part of N.C.’s heritage. See the summary here.
- Amendment to strengthen protections for victims of crimes (House Bill 551): 62% FOR
- These additions and edits to the already existing rights for victims would include being treated with dignity and respect, being present at any proceeding upon request, information about the crime upon request + more. See the summary here.
- Amendment to cap maximum state income tax at 7% (Senate Bill 75): 57% FOR
- The current maximum state income tax in N.C. is 10%. This would make the new limit to 7%. The amendment does not reduce taxes, but limits how much the state income tax rate could go up. In times of disaster or recession, additional funds would have to come from cutting core services, increasing borrowing, or raising sales taxes + fees. The state must still balance its budget (rather than borrowing additional funds) to pay debts. See the summary here.
Did not pass
- Amendment to change the process for filling judicial vacancies that occur between judicial elections (House Bill 3): 67% AGAINST
- Currently, if a judge’s seat becomes vacant before an election, the governor appoints a judge selected from nominees sent by local bar associations. This amendment would shift that duty to the state legislature, which would form a committee and would collect public feedback, then select two or more candidates for the governor to select from. If the governor does not select a candidate, the legislature will make the final decision. The appointed judge would then serve “until the next election following the election for members of the General Assembly” (instead of until the next election) before voters could elect or replace that judge.
- Amendment to establish an 8-member bipartisan Board of Ethics and Elections enforcement and eliminate nonpartisan representation on the board (House Bill 4): 62% AGAINST
- Currently, the State Ethics and Elections Board is a 9-member bipartisan board. 8 of the 9 members are appointed by the Governor from a selection of nominees from each party, and the Governor appoints the 9th members, who is not from a party. A 2017 bill passed by the legislature reestablished the board as an 8-member board, but the bill was struck down as unconstitutional because it took executive power from the Governor. This amendment would overturn the Supreme Court’s 2017 decision and remove the 9th nonpartisan member of the board. Critics of the amendment note that it could create a 4-4 partisan deadlock issue.
National + State General Assembly Seats
Every seat in the House of Representatives (120 total) and the Senate (50 total) was up for election, with almost all contested. Other positions – including nonpartisan + county board roles – were chosen.
Buncombe County is split into different districts based on census data for national, state, and local offices. County-specific seats are for Buncombe County. See the Buncombe County district maps here.
Federal Offices
Nationally, the Democratic Party is now the House majority party. The U.S. Senate gained several Republican seats.
U.S. House of Representatives
The lower chamber of the U.S. Congress. Representatives serve specific congressional districts and are elected for two-year terms.
- District 10
- Patrick McHenry (R): incumbent – Currently serving seventh term in Congress; Chief Deputy Whip; priorities include oiling drilling to fund alternative sources for energy, establishment of Association Healthcare Plans, rebuilding the economy of WNC. (59% of the vote)
- District 11
- Mark Meadows (R): incumbent – in his third term in Congress after 27 years as a small business owner; priorities include ending dependence on foreign energy, modernization of the military, state- and locally-run education, removing regulations on businesses. (59% of the vote)
State Offices
N.C. State Senate
The upper chamber of the state Congress, the Senate has 50 members that serve for two-year terms. Senate headquarters are in Raleigh.
- District 48
- Chuck Edwards (R): incumbent – Supports reducing business regulation, creating an environment for businesses to move into WNC, supporting parents’ choices in schools for their children, protecting taxpayer interests, supporting an individual’s right to defend him/herself, guided by Christian principles. (56% of the vote)
- District 49
- Terry Van Duyn (D): incumbent – Supports common sense gun reform, protecting clean water as a basic resource + not allowing fracking, increasing funding for healthcare (including Medicaid expansion), childcare, and education, pro-transparency in government. (64% of the vote)
N.C. House of Representatives
The house has 120 members who serve two-year terms and is the lower chamber of the state Congress. Headquartered in Raleigh.
District 114
- Susan Fisher (D): incumbent – Supports living wage jobs, environmentally- and locally-friendly business, affordable housing, increasing education funding, access to healthcare, childcare support, clean energy, air and water, sponsored the Appalachian Mountains Preservation Act (anti-mountaintop removal legislation) (82% of the vote)
District 115
- John Ager (D): incumbent – Supports elimination of HB2, Medicare, palliative care + insurance reform, Medicaid expansion, commitment to get to the national average in teacher pay, expansion of broadband, supports climate-driven private businesses + climate solutions (58% of the vote)
District 116
- Brian Turner (D): incumbent – Supports clean air + water regulations, funding pollution cleanup from companies (rather than taxpayers) who pollute, Medicaid expansion, increasing funding for education (55% of the vote)
County Offices
County District Attorney
Buncombe County’s District Attorney acts as the chief prosecutor for a specific region and represents the region + the state in all criminal matters.
- District 40
- Todd M. Williams (D): incumbent – D.A. since 2015; experience as a Capital and Public Defender and in juvenile and drug treatment court. (uncontested)
County Board of Commissioners
Commissioners serve four-year terms and serve as both the legislative + executive branches of county government, creating and administering local ordinances. They also oversee county spending + employment.
- District 1
- Al Whitesides (D): incumbent – Buncombe County’s first African-American commissioner, supports improving + funding early childhood education, living wage, improving public transit, affordable housing, working with the City to collaborate on a budget. (uncontested)
- District 2
- Amanda Edwards (D): executive director of the A-B Tech Foundation with nonprofit experience; priorities include curbing over-development, funding emergency services, addressing the opioid epidemic, expanding diversity and equity in services and workforce + more (55.21% of the vote
- District 3
- Robert Pressley (R): incumbent – Supports transparency in local government, education, veterans + the elderly. Former Nascar driver + founder of Celebrity’s Hot Dogs. (50.95% of the vote)
Clerk of Superior Court
In N.C., the Clerk of Superior Court must also be a judge. Responsibilities overseeing family estates, guardianship, name changes, managing Assistant + Deputy Clerks, investing court fees, and filing, processing, indexing + preserving court documents.
- Steven Cogburn (D) (uncontested)
Buncombe County Sheriff
Oversees law enforcement, including enforcing court orders, at the county level + is considered the county’s highest law enforcer.
- Quentin Miller (D): Current sergeant in the Asheville Police Department; in favor of de-escalation training + deputy support. Miller is the first black candidate for Sheriff in Buncombe County. (61.51% of the vote)
Judicial Offices
N.C. Supreme Court
N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 1
An Associate Justice is any justice on the State Supreme Court other than the Chief (or Presiding) Justice. The state supreme court is the highest in the state and its findings are considered final + binding at the state level.
- Anita Earls (D) (49.56% of the vote)
N.C. Court of Appeals
State Courts of Appeals (also called appellate courts) decide on appeals from district court cases. They do not retry cases, but they do review decisions and arguments from lower courts.
Judge Seat 1
- John S. Arrowood (D) (50.71% of the vote)
Judge Seat 2
- Tobias (Toby) Hampson (D) (48.81% of the vote)
Judge Seat 3
- Allegra Katherine Collins (D) (48.55% of the vote)
N.C. Superior Court
The Superior Court hears civil + criminal cases that are not designated to be tried in any specific court. In N.C., the Superior Court hears all felony cases and some misdemeanors.
Judge District 28 Seat 1
- Marvin P. Pope (D) (uncontested)
Judge District 28 Seat 2
- Alan Thornburg (D) (uncontested)
N.C. District Court
The state District Court hears cases involving civil + criminal charges, as well as juvenile and magistrate issues. Criminal cases are either misdemeanors or infractions (non-jury).
Judge District 28 Seat 1
- Ward D. Scott (D) (uncontested)
Judge District 28 Seat 2
- Julie M. Kepple (D) (uncontested)
Judge District 28 Seat 3
- Patricia Kaufmann Young (D) (uncontested)
Judge District 28 Seat 4
- Susan (Smitty) Dotson-Smith (uncontested)
Judge District 28 Seat 5
- Ed Clontz (D) (uncontested)
Nonpartisan Offices
Soil and Water Conservation
This board plans + implements strategies for land use, erosion, conservation, policy + more.
District Supervisor
- William Hamilton (32% of the vote)
- Aaron Sarver (24% of the vote)*
Buncombe County Schools Board of Education
Provides oversight of local school systems, including budgets, program offerings + more.
Enka District
- Max Queen (uncontested)
Erwin District
- Pat Bryant (uncontested)
Reynolds District
- Cindy McMahon (uncontested)
I’m proud of the turnout here in Buncombe County – it’s inspiring when people get to the polls to voice their opinions and help make the decisions that will shape the future of our city, state + country. The midterms are a great reminder of the fact that people are the ultimate decision-makers in our country, and that when we come together we can shift the course of history.
Tell us how you’re feeling about the election results by writing us an email, or letting us know over on Facebook or Instagram. Want to know about how the rest of the county voted? Check in with results across the U.S. and how they’ll shape the national legislature here.
