© 2024 254 North Front Street, Suite 300, Wilmington, NC 28401 | 910.343.1640
News Classical 91.3 Wilmington 92.7 Wilmington 96.7 Southport
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

CoastLine: The quick and dirty (yes, it is) municipal election primer for fall 2021

CoastLine Host Rachel Lewis Hilburn (left) and The Newsroom Host Ben Schachtman (the other one) try something new to make municipal elections interesting.
Ken Campbell (had nothing to do with this) / WHQR
CoastLine Host Rachel Lewis Hilburn (left) and The Newsroom Host Ben Schachtman (the other one) try something new to make municipal elections interesting.

WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman is with us to offer something of a primer on the municipal races on the ballot this fall. You'll come away with a better idea of who’s on the ballot and why, what the pressing local issues are this year, and you don’t even have to listen directly to politicians.

If you live in a North Carolina town, city, or village, you probably have an election to decide this year. What, did I hear a snore? Why are municipal elections so reviled? Or worse – totally ignored?

Give this episode a chance. For two reasons. First of all, this is the only episode of CoastLine dedicated to elections in the fall of 2021. The only one. This is it.

Secondly, WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman is with us to offer something of a primer on the races. You'll come away with a better idea of who’s on the ballot and why, what the pressing local issues are this year, and you don’t even have to listen directly to politicians.

But if you’re a local political junkie and want more, there is help available. Tune intoBen Schachtman’s show, The Newsroom, or just check out the reporter coverage at WHQR.ORG.

Here are just a few of the points we cover in this episode:

  • Why people get confused about the difference between county and municipal races
  • What Wilmington’s weak mayor system means (and, no, it’s not a comment on the incumbent’s performance)
  • Why the New Hanover County Republican Party has endorsed a Democratic incumbent and why they are concerned about “splitting the vote” among Republican city council candidates in Wilmington
  • Why we call it a nonpartisan election when there’s so much talk about political affiliation
  • The link between the Leland Town Council race and the H2GO Board race
  • Why a Wrightsville Beach mayoral candidate (the challenger) is suing his own town

Election Day is November 2nd.

Resources:  

New Hanover County One Stop Voting:

https://elections.nhcgov.com/voting-registration/one-stop/

Brunswick County One Stop Voting:

https://www.brunswickcountync.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2021-Municipal-One-Stop-Schedule.pdf

Pender County One Stop Voting: 

https://www.pendercountync.gov/boe/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/09/One-Stop-Plan.pdf

How to check your voter registration:

https://vt.ncsbe.gov/reglkup/

The above link will also tell you where your polling place is if you plan to vote on Election Day.  And it will provide you with a sample ballot, so you can do your research before you show up at the polls.  

Rachel hosts and produces CoastLine, an award-winning hourlong conversation featuring artists, humanitarians, scholars, and innovators in North Carolina. The show airs Wednesdays at noon and Sundays at 4 pm on 91.3 FM WHQR Public Media. It's also available as a podcast; just search CoastLine WHQR. You can reach her at rachellh@whqr.org.