Early voting for municipal elections began this morning in North Carolina.
If you haven’t availed yourself to the candidates running for the Highlands Board of Commissioners, now is certainly the time to do so as Election Day looms on Nov. 7.
On Tuesday night, local political action group Highlanders for Good Government hosted a candidate forum at the community building and allowed each of the five candidates time to introduce themselves, share their thoughts on a variety of topics, and meet with perspective voters.
The questions covered topics such as tourism, sustainability, road and sidewalk projects, and ways the town can extend services to underserved communities.
While at the national level, politics is often an ugly game where debates turn into trainwrecks and poor responses “go viral,” the forum in Highlands was civil and handled with aplomb by five candidates that all gave the impression of being rational adults. Of course, they didn’t agree on every topic, that’s never going to be the case, but all five candidates did their best to be respectful of each other and the audience.
Anyone who attended the forum hoping for fireworks and drama left sorely disappointed and that’s more than okay.
With three seats on the board up for grabs, and incumbent commissioner Marc Hehn not seeking re-election, Highlands is guaranteed to get at least one new board member and could get as many as three. It’s important to understand candidates’ positions on local topics and to vote according to your wants, needs, and overall platform.
It is important to note that North Carolina’s new voter ID law is in place for the 2023 election cycle, meaning anyone who goes to vote (early one-stop or on Election Day) will have to present a valid ID.
Now is the time to get to know the candidates, make sure you have an acceptable ID ready, and make your voice heard at the polls. The next four years in Highlands are going to be too important to sit this election out.