Fight Back & Vote: 2025 School Board & Municipal Elections

On November 4, we’ll be voting on city council races and, for some of us, school board seats. These local races have a huge impact on our everyday lives and sometimes are decided by just a few votes. A couple of years ago, a race was decided by one vote in Hoke County; another by a coin toss in Union County. That’s why it’s so important for us to get everyone we know to the polls. Plus, if folks turnout for the 2025 municipal elections, they’ll be primed for voting in 2026!

What’s at Stake this November

During this election cycle, it’s vital for North Carolinians to elect officials at the local level who will protect our rights. Sometimes it’s a little harder to identify who those candidates are in nonpartisan races, so we’re making it clear which candidates we can trust to have our backs.

Legislative Changes to Some Local Races

In a move to gain power at the local level, Republicans in the NC General Assembly have been moving bills through the legislature to change some school board and city council races from nonpartisan to partisan, and vice versa. This is a game they’ve been playing for years, where races in “Red” counties have been changed to partisan so Republicans can easily identify their preferred candidates, but races in “Blue” counties have been made nonpartisan, so Democrats can’t tell who identifies with their party. This is clearly an attempt to give an edge to Republicans candidates and increase the chances for “stealth” Red candidates in Blue counties to win.

Regardless of party affiliation, it is important to learn about EVERY candidate to ensure that who you vote for shares your values. We’ve done the research — including “intel” from our Red Wine & Blue Troublemakers who live in these communities — to highlight candidates in key races who will fight for our rights and values. We’ve also flagged some who we know are not aligned with our values.

Municipal Elections

We know we can make a huge impact by voting in local and state races. Our NC General Assembly races are not until 2026, but municipal races are taking place in cities and towns all across the state this November.

Primary Elections

But first, we’ve got to vote for the best candidates in the primaries in order for them to be on the general election ballot! There are primaries in various municipalities on September 9 and October 7. Check to see if there will be a primary in your city or town and vote for the candidates who best share your values. You can find complete lists of candidates for both the primary and the general election on the NC Board of Elections website here. Be sure to check for any local referendums that may be on your ballot too! These are some of the most important decisions you can make for your community.

Here are a few key primary candidates who have proven that they will fight for Red Wine & Blue’s values:

September 9
City of Charlotte City Council: Charlene Henderson El (District 1), Tiawana Deling Brown (District 3), Renee Perkins Johnson (District 4), Namrata (N.Y.) Yadav (At-Large), LaWana Slack-Mayfield (At-Large).

October 7
City of Fayetteville Mayor: Mario (Be) Benavente
City of Fayetteville City Council: Shaun McMillan (District 8), J’Kwan D. Fulmore (District 7)
City of Greensboro City Council: Crystal Black (District 1), April Parker (District 3)
City of Elizabeth City Mayor: Kirk Rivers
City of Elizabeth City Councilman: Kem Spence (3rd Ward), Katherine W. Felton (3rd Ward), Barbara A. Baxter (4th Ward)
Town of Louisburg Mayor: Christopher Neal

Primary Election – September 9, 2025

• Register to vote by: Friday, August 15, 5pm
• Request a mail or absentee ballot by: Tuesday, August 26, 5pm
• Return absentee or mail-in ballot by: Tuesday, September 9 in BOE office by 7:30 pm
• Early Voting: Thursday, August 21, 8am – Saturday, September 6, 3pm
• Primary Election Day: Tuesday, September 9, 6:30am-7:30pm

School Board Elections

Depending on where you live in North Carolina, you may have a local school board race this fall. We cannot give an inch to Moms for Liberty candidates and other extremists who want to ban books, eliminate protections against bullying, and restrict our kids’ freedom to have a well-rounded education. The RWB North Carolina team is working alongside you to identify and elect school board candidates who are vested in making our public schools better for our children, not dismantling them from the inside out.

Make a plan to vote!

Who’s on the Ballot?

We need to elect common sense candidates who reflect our values — in every race up and down our ballot.

That means filling out your full ballot and voting for school board members who will stand up against the loud, extremist minority causing chaos in our schools. You can find information below about candidates in key local races across the state. You can find your jurisdiction, polling place, and a sample ballot with additional candidates on your ballot here: vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup

Candidates with a green check mark next to their name have proven that they will fight for Red Wine & Blue’s values, like support for reproductive freedom, public education, and democracy.

Candidates with a red “x” next to their name are endorsed by extremist groups, have expressed support for extremist policies like abortion bans and book bans, or have otherwise proven that they are not aligned with Red Wine & Blue’s common-sense values.

Note: Not all North Carolina races are included in this list. Red Wine & Blue is working on the ground in these key races where we have identified candidates who will fight back against extremism in Raleigh and DC. If you’d like to see a sample of your ballot, you can look that up here on the NC Board of Elections website.

Municipal Candidates

School Board Candidates