About the League

Engage in local government and the democratic process

Asheville Citizen Times, December 21, 2025

I was pleased to see the article on the recent meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Elections that had valuable information for voters. The League of Women Voters Asheville-Buncombe County regularly has observers at Boards of Elections in multiple counties where we have members — Buncombe, Madison, McDowell and Transylvania.

Other leagues across the state, including our neighbor Henderson County, also have observers in multiple counties. We share our reports to be able to watch for trends and flag potential problems. A recent trend that is disturbing is eliminating early voting sites at a number of colleges and universities, including community colleges and minority serving institutions. The mission of the League is ‘Empowering Votes, Defending Democracy.’ Our voter education, registration, and outreach efforts are focused on providing all the information they need to cast their ballot; we remind them that your vote is your voice.

Leagues across the state are expanding the government groups that they observe. Locally we are starting with the Boards of Education for Buncombe County and Asheville city and the Buncombe County Health and Human Services Board.

All North Carolina residents are encouraged to observe the various boards and commissions at the town, city, county, and state level. The schedule of meetings is available on line and some provide a remote viewing option. We all should be engaged in our governments and democratic processes.

Suzanne Fisher, Black Mountain
President League of Women Voters Asheville-Buncombe County

Advocacy Alert: Protect NC Public Schools — Stop the 2026 State Tax Cuts

North Carolina’s public schools are already struggling with teacher shortages, rising student needs, and years of underfunding. Yet another round of state income and corporate tax cuts are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026—cuts that will drain $1.2–$1.3 billion from the state budget in a single year and make it even harder for North Carolina to meet its constitutional obligation to provide a sound basic education for every child.

What’s happening

NC’s income tax rate has dropped from 7.75% to 4.25% since 2013, with another cut to 3.99% planned for 2026.
The corporate income tax is being phased out entirely by 2030.
These cuts overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest 1%, while the lowest-income families see almost no gain.
Every lost tax dollar means fewer resources for teacher pay, instructional assistants, school nurses, early literacy, and special education.

Why this matters for public education

Public schools depend on state funding. When revenue shrinks:

Class sizes grow
Schools struggle to hire and retain teachers
Support services are cut
Counties face pressure to raise property taxes
Students with the greatest needs fall further behind

North Carolina cannot strengthen its public schools while continuing to reduce the revenue that sustains them.

Tell your state legislators:

Stop the scheduled 2026 income and corporate tax cuts and invest in North Carolina’s public schools.

North Carolina cannot afford more revenue losses. Tell your legislators: Stop the tax cuts. Invest in our communities. Strengthen the future of our state.

Identify yourself as a parent, grandparent, educator, or supporter of public schools.
Share one example of what underfunding looks like in your community (teacher vacancies, overcrowding, outdated materials, lack of support staff, reduced transportation, etc.).
Deliver the message: NC must halt the scheduled tax cuts and invest in public education, childcare, health services, and infrastructure to secure our state’s future.

Find your legislators here.

Your voice matters. Speaking up now can help protect the resources our students and schools need to thrive.

Who is running in the Asheville, Buncombe 2026 primary elections?

By Sarah Honosky, December 23, 2025, Asheville Citizen Times

ASHEVILLE – Upcoming primary elections in Buncombe County will see ballots cast for what is anticipated to be among the most watched U.S. Senate races in the country, as well as city and county seats, North Carolina General Assembly and U.S. House of Representatives’ District 11, where Rep. Chuck Edwards is vying to keep his seat.

Local races include school board, Buncombe County commissioners, sheriff, district attorney and a large slate of Asheville City Council candidates. Plus, a mayoral race face-off between the incumbent and a sitting member of council — though they will not appear in the primary.

The primary decides who will compete in the general election in November.

What should you know about the 2025 primary?

December 19: Candidate filing closed
January 12: Absentee voting begins
February 6: Voter Registration deadline
February 12: Early Voting begins
February 17: Last day to request absentee ballots
February 28: Early Voting ends
March 3: Primary Election Day
March 13: Official election results available

Am I registered to vote?

Registration status and other details can be searched at https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/. More information at buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/election.

Party affiliation determines the primary in which a voter is eligible to vote. You may also register as unaffiliated. If you do not declare a party affiliation upon registering, you will be registered as unaffiliated. However, during a partisan primary election, an unaffiliated voter may vote only if a party authorizes unaffiliated voters to vote in that primary election.

Who filed to run in Asheville, Buncombe?

Ballots differ depending on where voters live. People living in some municipalities will get to vote in city or town elections. A sample ballot will be found through the voter search when it becomes available — typically 50 days before Election Day.

If no candidate reaches the vote percentage necessary to become the nominee in a contest on the ballot, a runner-up can request a second primary to be held on May 12, according to North Carolina State Board of Elections Website.

Continue reading.

LWV and Partners Sue for Voting Rights

LWV and five state and local Leagues filed a lawsuit against the federal government because of anti-voter actions.

We’re suing the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the US Department of Homeland Security, and other federal officials for enacting — without following the required process — a new rule that bars nonpartisan civic engagement groups from providing voter registration and civic engagement at administrative naturalization ceremonies.

“Purposely excluding groups like the League from administrative naturalization ceremonies is a deliberate move by this administration to exclude new citizens from the democratic process and attack the League’s very mission to register and support new voters,” said Celina Stewart, CEO of LWV.

The newly enacted rule violates the First Amendment rights of the League and other civic groups. Also, it fails to adhere to provisions that require federal agencies to follow transparent procedures when adopting new policies.

In League,
Team LWV
League of Women Voters of the US

Don’t miss SUFFS — the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical about the women who changed America! Performances will run March 10-15, 2026 in Charlotte. Click here for tickets.

The League of Women Voters North Carolina has arranged for a block of tickets for the March 15th matinee. If you’re interested in attending that day you can find more information here. Seats have been reserved for League members and friends in two excellent sections: Grand Tier and Mezzanine. (*Choose the starred seats.)

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, volunteer-based, political organization consisting of women and men passionate about our democracy. Born out of the national women’s suffrage movement in 1920, the League continues to work to serve the needs of the voting public and protect the rights of all voters.

Our efforts are two-fold:
Voters Service, Citizen Education – presenting unbiased, nonpartisan information about elections, the voting process and current issues.

Action, Advocacy – following education on the issue(s), action is taken towards enacting policies in the public interest and striking down policies harmful to society.

A just society is derived from a democracy consisting of an engaged and educated public that has faith in the political process.

The League of Women Voters is a membership organization encouraging action and advocacy as a nonprofit 501(c)(4) corporation. To conduct our voter service and citizen education activities, funds are derived from the Florence Ryan Education Fund, which is a 501(c)(3) corporation, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to building citizen participation in democratic process, studying key community issues at all government levels in an unbiased manner, and enabling people to seek positive solutions to public policy issues through education and conflict management.

The League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County currently offers meetings and events for members as well as educational programs for the public. Quarterly member events include two meetings each year, a Holiday Social in winter and an Annual Luncheon & Meeting in May or June. League action teams and committees also hold regular meetings for the members involved in those groups.

Join us! Check us out on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. And check out our YouTube Channel for past meetings and voting issues we’re involved with. Our Calendar page has upcoming events.

Connect with your State League: North Carolina League of Women Voters
Connect with the National League: National League of Women Voters

Our chapter is centered around Buncombe County and includes several adjoining counties. This is the homeland of the Cherokee and other nations. We recognize the sovereignty and traditional territories of these local tribal nations, the treaties used to remove them, and the histories of dispossession. We honor and respect the many diverse indigenous people who came before us, who are still here, and who are connected to the land on which we reside.