More than half of Cape Fear-area races unopposed ahead of Election Day
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — As Election Day approaches, more than half of the races in the Cape Fear region are uncontested, leaving voters with only one candidate on the ballot for several local offices.
New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon, Brunswick County Sheriff Brian Chism and Columbus County Sheriff Bill Rogers are among the incumbents running unopposed this election cycle.
In fact, 54% of Cape Fear-area races are unopposed, raising questions about voter participation and the challenges of attracting candidates to local elections.
Aaron King, a political science professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, says a lack of competition can leave voters frustrated and potentially discourage some from heading to the polls.
“Competition is really important in a political system, in a democracy, right? The competition of ideas and two candidates saying, ‘No, I have a better way to do this,’ right, to give voters a choice. When you don’t have that competition, sometimes it can frustrate people to say, ‘Hey, I don’t really have a reason to go out to vote if the outcomes already been decided,” King said.
Nelson Beaulieu, a political science professor at Cape Fear Community College, says competition is essential to a healthy democracy, but running for office can come with significant financial and time commitments.
“Even your county commissioner races sometimes see six-figure, you know, fundraising, and they spend tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars on campaign ads, mailers, campaign infrastructure, so even these local raises are often prohibitively expensive if you’re a teacher, a firefighter, if you’re a small-business owner, that’s before we even get into the time factor,” Beaulieu said.
Beaulieu also noted that in areas where voters strongly favor one political party, potential challengers may be less likely to enter a race, further limiting competition.
While uncontested races leave voters with fewer choices for certain offices, other races on the ballot remain competitive as Election Day approaches on Nov. 3.
