Source: R. Holland / R1-Charlotte
Mecklenburg County Board of Elections reports that more than 109,000 people voted in yesterday’s primary election. 43,000 took advantage of the early voting opportunity, setting a new record for a primary election in a non-presidential year. It is believed that greatly influencing voter turnout this is the leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion indicating the potential overturn of Roe v. Wade. Locally, one race in particular that will be important in this regard, incumbent Spencer Merriweather, the Mecklenburg County’s first Black district attorney, defeated former public defender Tim Emry. He has no opponent in the November general election. This is notable, because if Roe v. Wade is overturned and the state of North Carolina bans abortions, the district attorney will determine the enforcement of laws passed by state and federal officials. Just one example of how critical the local races are.
In other local races, incumbent Sheriff Gary McFadden, beat two Democratic challengers. He is unopposed in the general election. And Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat running for her third term, will face-off with Republican candidate Stephanie de Sarachaga-Bilbao, a first-time candidate.
Check out other local and statewide results in Axios’s full report
