The makeup of Macon County’s registered voters has changed considerably over the years. New voters are moving in, and some existing voters are changing their party affiliation.
Since 2004, the gap between the number of registered Republican and Democratic voters has increased from 599 to 7,335.
There are now 12,348 registered Republicans and 5,013 Democrats. The number of unaffiliated voters has more than doubled to 10,244.
The 2022 county elections were reflective of the county’s changing voter population. Macon County is sitting entrenched in the red camp right now.
The Board of Education, Franklin and Highlands municipal races remain nonpartisan. As they should be. Some of the county races should be nonpartisan as well.
When it comes to the issues that local government boards deal with, party politics should not be a factor. Party affiliation should not dictate what type of education your child receives, the potholes on your road getting repaired, the water or sewer service available at your house, or the law enforcement coverage in your neighborhood.
The number of counties with partisan school board elections continues to increase. In 2013 there were 15 partisan school boards in the state. Now 42 of the 115 districts have partisan elections, with six more implementing partisan elections in 2024. Some of our neighboring counties have partisan school boards – Clay, Cherokee, Graham and Swain.
Why? Party politics should not influence the decisions that impact thousands of children, schoolteachers and school system employees.
Just because someone has an R by their name does not mean they hold the same Republican values that you do. Just because someone has a D by their name does not mean they think the same as you.
Party affiliation should not be the sole reason for casting a vote for someone. The good thing about local elections is you usually have the opportunity to talk to candidates, to attend events where they are speaking, to read interviews with them. That means you get to learn more about a candidate and how they might conduct the public’s business once in office. It means you get to make a decision based on the caliber of the individual, not just the letter by their name.