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Tag: Municipal elections

  • 2025 Mecklenburg County election: Live results for area municipal races

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    Signs are placed outside Providence Baptist Church, indicating where voters can enter precinct 36 and cast their ballot for the election in Charlotte, NC on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

    Signs are placed outside Providence Baptist Church, indicating where voters can enter precinct 36 and cast their ballot for the election in Charlotte, NC on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.


    Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez

    mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com

    Huntersville Mayor Christy Clark held a commanding lead over challenger Derek Partee in the race for mayor on Tuesday, cementing a political shift that began in 2023 when Democrats swept every town board seat.

    Clark secured 64.6% of the vote to Partee’s 33.7%, according to final returns from the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections.

    Huntersville’s contest was one of several local races decided Tuesday as voters across Mecklenburg County chose mayors and town boards in Cornelius, Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville and Davidson. All returns are unofficial.

    Huntersville election results

    The Huntersville mayoral race was a rematch between incumbent Clark, a former state lawmaker and registered Democrat, and former commissioner Partee, a registered Republican who lost to Clark in 2023. The campaign centered on growth, public safety and whether Democrats would maintain the gains they made in 2023, when they swept every town seat.

    “I am so grateful to Huntersville voters for giving me and a majority of the current board a chance to serve again,” Clark said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer. “Prioritizing public safety and infrastructure will continue to be a priority for this board.”

    For the six-member town board, Jennifer Hunt, Nick Walsh, Edwin Quarles, LaToya Rivers, Scott Coronet and Heather Smallwood secured seats, according to unofficial results. All five Democrats on the ballot won, along with one Republican, Smallwood.

    Democrats Hunt, Quarles, Rivers and Nick Walsh sought reelection, joined by newcomer Coronet. Republicans Dan Boone, Frank Gammon, Smallwood and Jamie Wideman ran in coordination under the “No More Than 4” banner to consolidate conservative votes. Partee distanced himself from the slate and campaigned independently.

    Mecklenburg County Democratic Party chair Wesley Harris told The Charlotte Observer last month that the 2023 results reflected years of organizing in northern Mecklenburg, and could indicate how the area will lean in statewide races next year.

    “Huntersville is an area that has been trending blue for a while,” he said. “We finally reached that critical point in 2023 where we got our folks out.”

    Cornelius election results

    Former commissioner Denis Bilodeau beat Mayor Woody Washam Jr. in the Cornelius mayoral race, with 43.8% to 36.8%., a rematch of the 2023 race where Washam won by just five votes.

    Bilodeau campaigned on frustration with what he called “business-as-usual” leadership and urged more locally funded road fixes instead of waiting on the state. Washam stressed controlled growth, fiscal stability and transportation investment.

    For the board of commissioners, candidates Michael D. Osborne, Susan Johnson, Todd Sansbury, Robert Carney and Colin Furcht came out on top with all precincts reported.

    Town of Matthews election results

    With five of six precincts counted, Mayor John Higdon led the mayoral race with 65.2% of the vote compared to 34.6% for Commissioner Leon Threatt.

    “I’m honored that the people of Matthews have once again placed their trust in me to serve another term as mayor. I remain committed to being responsive to residents’ concerns and available for open, transparent dialogue,” Higdon said in a statement to the Observer. “I also want to thank Leon Threatt for running a respectful and clean campaign, and I sincerely wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”

    The race came amid significant board turnover in Matthews, with all six commissioner seats on the ballot and at least three were guaranteed to be filled by newcomers.

    Candidates Susan Chambers, John Urban, Kerry Lamson, Brian Hacker, Jennefer Cross Garrity and Jonathan Clayton led the commission race with five of six precincts counted.

    Mint Hill election results

    With all precincts counted, Dale Dalton defeated Tim Radzicki in the Mint Hill mayor’s race with 64% of the vote to 35%.

    Mint Hill’s new mayor will replace Brad Simmons, who did not run again. Both Dalton and Radzicki are sitting commissioners.

    In the race for two commission seats, Twanna Henderson and Trey Long came out on top with all precincts counted.

    Incumbents Henderson and Patrick Holton faced challengers Long, Patrick O’Brien and Matt Schwoebel.

    Pineville election results

    Nick Gallo and Joshua Simelton won council seats with all three precincts counted. The two faced three other competitors, Les Gladden, Yvette Isaacs and Tony Jennings.

    Davidson election results

    Davidson’s election centered on the Town Board, where six candidates ran for five seats. With all two precincts counted, Incumbents Ryan Fay, Steve Justus, Tracy Mattison Brandon and Autumn Rierson Michael and former commissioner Connie Wessner won seats, with only newcomer David Lusk trailing Wessner by 588 votes.

    This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 9:10 PM.

    Related Stories from Charlotte Observer

    Nora O’Neill

    The Charlotte Observer

    Nora O’Neill is the regional accountability reporter for The Charlotte Observer. She previously covered local government and politics in Florida.

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    Nora O’Neill

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  • Contributions for Decatur mayoral candidates total almost $122K in final week before election

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    Aug. 21—With less than a week left before Decatur’s 2025 municipal elections, contributions for two of the four mayoral candidates are officially up to $121,838.

    According to the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office’s website Wednesday, Kent Lawrence leads in these final days with $82,784 in contributions. Billy Jackson reported $39,054 in contributions through Monday.

    The election is Tuesday.

    A candidate does not have to report contributions or expenses to the state if he or she doesn’t cross the $1,000 threshold.

    Butch Matthews said Wednesday that he reported a single $100 contribution to the Secretary of State. Matthews, who is making his fourth attempt at becoming mayor, said he doesn’t have as many signs as in the past.

    “I’m talking to people and waving at people,” Matthews said. “I’m paying for the campaign myself.”

    Wiley had not passed the $1,000 threshold as of Wednesday, according to an official in the Secretary of State’s Office. However, Wiley said she received $1,800 in contributions and spent $1,600 of it on her campaign.

    “I don’t owe anybody anything,” Wiley said. “I don’t have a consultant, an image maker or an entourage. I’m a self-confident woman who can go into a room and talk to anyone. I’m talking to a boatload of people, one coffee cake at a time, three or four people at a time. That’s how I am.”

    Jess Brown, a retired political science professor, said it’s important to look at financial disclosures. He said often candidates get support from friends and close business associates, many of whom would already have access to the candidates if elected even if they didn’t give money.

    “The questions become who gave money and how much did they give,” Brown said. “If they don’t know the candidate well, they could be looking for access and influence.”

    Brown said there are some with vested interests in municipal elections, particularly developers, contractors and real estate investors.

    “Those people know that city government always impacts their business,” Brown said.

    Brown said he was surprised that $82,000 was the most any mayoral candidate had received so far in Decatur. He said $500 or $1,000 is a small contribution in most municipal elections.

    Jackson said Tuesday that he is pleased with where his campaign sits financially at this point in the race.

    “Our goal initially was to be somewhere between $45,000 and $50,000,” Jackson said. “We thought that this would allow us to run a viable and productive campaign.”

    According to the state, Lawrence reported 175 contributions averaging $597. In contrast, Jackson’s 122 contributions averaged $433.

    Lawrence’s largest contributions came from three groups. He got $3,500 from the Alabama Builders Political Action Committee, $2,294 from the Alabama Realtors Association and $2,000 from Gobble Fite.

    His largest individual contributors were $2,500 each from Brandon Price and Jack Fite, both builders, and Michael Ceci of Madison.

    Jackson’s biggest contribution was $5,000 from E&F Group Homes, whose chief executive officer is listed as Tommy Cook. Henry Jackson and attorney Carl Cole each gave $2,000 to Jackson, who loaned his campaign $3,000 at the start of the race.

    Jackson said it means a lot to him that he’s getting a large number of smaller contributions.

    “People are giving what they can,” Jackson said. “And we’re very grateful for every contribution. You know it’s harder on some people who are stretching their budgets to give to our campaign. They believe in our campaign and what we’re doing.”

    Lawrence has spent more than all of his competitors combined, with $59,316 in reported expenditures to the state.

    He reported that he has paid $38,100 to Strategy Management, a Montgomery public relations firm that specializes in running political campaigns. The firm’s website says it ran the campaigns of Gov. Kay Ivey, Huntsville Congressman Dale Strong and local state Rep. Parker Moore.

    Jackson reported spending $21,303 so far on his campaign. Most of his expenses were on signs, billboards and T-shirts. His highest expense is $3,621 to Red Clay Strategies Political Consulting Firm, a Huntsville company founded by April Hodges.

    Jackson said the campaign has been “very conservative in our spending,” using the campaign funds on the basic necessities.

    “We’re approaching this campaign with a lot of door-knocking, canvassing, phone banking and leg work,” Jackson said. “Our campaign is a grassroots effort focused on meeting and seeing people. I’ve wore out a pair of shoes just trying to get out there.”

    In response to an interview request, Lawrence sent The Decatur Daily an email through his political consultant. Here is a portion of that response:

    “When I got into this race I had one mission in mind: bring people together to move our city forward, restore trust in local government, and work with every citizen to ensure every voice is heard and our needs are met. I am incredibly thankful for all of the support I’ve received from people who have volunteered their time to help knock on doors, make phone calls, contribute to the campaign, host events, and more.”

    The candidates were asked what they think the biggest focus of their campaign will in the final week.

    Wiley said safety, roads and “a lack of unity. We’re always split 50-50” over certain issues.

    Jackson said his campaign’s focus will be talking to as many people as possible who have not decided how they will cast their vote and explaining that he has the best qualifications, experience, education and training to be mayor.

    “When people say they want to move Decatur forward and still they’re not necessarily picking the most qualified candidate, then it comes across as being insincere,” Jackson said. “I want a Decatur where there’s accountability and transparency, and I want a Decatur where everybody’s voice is heard. I want people to be able to trust city government again.”

    Lawrence said he thinks the biggest issue in the final stretch of the campaign is making sure everyone goes to vote.

    “It shouldn’t matter who you support, you should vote. We are fortunate to have control of who our elected leaders are, and I would encourage everyone to make your voice heard by voting. Of course, I want to earn as many votes as I possibly can, so that is what I will be doing: talking to folks, meeting citizens, and working to earn their support,” he said in the email.

    —

    Council races

    The contributions in the City Council races and the single school board race are lower than the mayoral race.

    District 1’s Nick Perkins leads all council candidates with $15,065 in contributions. This haul features the single largest contribution of all of Decatur’s races, $11,000 from Roy Priest, of Huntsville.

    In District 3, incumbent Carlton McMasters has the most contributions with $10,700. Opponent Mike Faruqui reported $5,331. This includes $815 in contributions from supporters while personally putting $4,519 into his campaign.

    Two of the four District 4 candidates reported contributions. Pam Werstler received $5,350, including $1,500 from North Alabama Forward PAC. Sarah French got $2,500 in contributions, including $1,500 from supporter Tommy Cook.

    In the two-man race in District 5, Barry Bullard received $7,949 in contributions while Harold Gilmore reported $1,250.

    — bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432

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  • Taiwan votes on lower voting age, mayors, city councils

    Taiwan votes on lower voting age, mayors, city councils

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    TAIPEI, Taiwan — Voters headed to the polls across Taiwan in a closely watched local election Saturday that will determine the strength of the island’s major political parties ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

    Taiwanese citizens will be picking their mayors, city council members and other local leaders in all 13 counties and the six major cities. There’s also a referendum to lower the voting age from 20 to 18. Polls opened at 8 a.m. (0000GMT) Saturday.

    While international observers and the ruling party have attempted to link the elections to the long-term existential threat that is Taiwan’s neighbor, many local experts do not think China has a large role to play this time around.

    “The international society have raised the stakes too high. They’ve raised a local election to this international level, and Taiwan’s survival,” said Yeh-lih Wang, a political science professor at National Taiwan University.

    President Tsai Ing-wen, who also serves as the chairman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, has spoken out many times about “opposing China and defending Taiwan” in the course of campaigning. But the DPP’s candidate Chen Shih-chung, who was running for mayor in Taipei, only raised the issue of the Communist Party’s threat a few times before he quickly switched back to local issues as there was little interest, experts said.

    During campaigning, there were few mentions of the large-scale military exercises targeting Taiwan that China held in August in reaction to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit.

    “So I think if you can’t even raise this issue in (the capital) Taipei,” Wang said. “You don’t even need to consider it in cities in the south.”

    Instead, campaigns resolutely focused on the local: air pollution in the central city of Taichung, traffic snarls in Taipei’s tech hub Nangang, and the island’s COVID-19 vaccine purchasing strategies, which had left the island in short supply during an outbreak last year.

    Candidates spent the last week before the elections in a packed public schedule. On Sunday, the DPP’s Chen marched through Taipei with a large parade filled with dancers in dinosaur suits and performers from different countries. Chiang Wan-an, the Nationalist party’s mayoral candidate, canvassed at a hardware market, while Vivian Huang, an independent candidate, visited lunch stalls at a market. All three made stops at Taipei’s famous night markets.

    The question is how the island’s two major political parties — the Nationalist and the incumbent DPP — will fare. Because both Tsai and the Nationalist’s chair Eric Chu handpicked candidates, the performance will impact their own standings within their party, as well as the party’s strength in the coming two years.

    “If the DPP loses many county seats, then their ability to rule will face a very strong challenge,” said You Ying-lung, chair at the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation that regularly conducts public surveys on political issues.

    The election results will in some ways also reflect the public’s attitude towards the ruling party’s performance in the last two years, You said.

    Observers are also watching to see if outgoing Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je’s Taiwan People’s Party’s candidates will pick up a mayoral seat. A 2024 presidential bid for Ko will be impacted by his party’s political performance Saturday, analysts say. Ko has been campaigning with his deputy, the independent mayoral candidate Huang, for the past several weeks.

    Food stall owner Hsian Fuh Mei said he was supporting Huang.

    “We want to see someone international,” he said. “If you look at Singapore, before we were better than Singapore, but we’ve fallen behind. I hope we can change direction.”

    Others were more apathetic to the local race. “It feels as if everyone is almost the same, from the policy standpoint,” said 26-year-old Sean Tai, an employee at a hardware store.

    Tai declined to say who he was voting for, but wants someone who will raise Taipei’s profile and bring better economic prospects while keeping the status quo with China. “We don’t want to be completely sealed off. I really hope that Taiwan can be seen internationally,” he said.

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  • Anti-government protest held in Albania over rising costs

    Anti-government protest held in Albania over rising costs

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    TIRANA, Albania — Thousands of Albanian opposition supporters on Saturday protested the country’s cost-of-living crisis, blaming it on the center-left government.

    Opposition supporters gathered in front of the main government building, shouting that Prime Minister Edi Rama of the ruling Socialist Party should resign.

    The protest was mostly peaceful but at the end some broke the police line and sprayed red paint on the main doors of the government building. Others lit candles to memorize two people killed by police in the last years.

    Police intervened and at least one protester was taken away.

    Albania has seen an 8% price hike this year, especially for basic food and fuel following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Opposition supporters have also blamed Rama for the thousands of young men who leave the country each year in search of a better life.

    Rama says his Cabinet has kept inflation low compared to double-digit inflation elsewhere in Europe, and has noted that government subsidizes electricity for families and small businesses.

    The protest was organized by the opposition center-right Democratic Party and attended by its leader Sali Berisha, a 78-year-old former president and prime minister, and former President Ilir Meta, now leader of the leftist Freedom Party.

    Albania holds a municipal election in May.

    Berisha called on Albanians to support the opposition, which has pledged to double wages and pensions if it gets back into power.

    But his party has been plagued by infighting after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last year barred Berisha and his close relatives from entering the U.S. for “corrupt acts that undermined democracy” during his 2005-2013 tenure as prime minister.

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  • Popular Istanbul mayor on trial, could face political ban

    Popular Istanbul mayor on trial, could face political ban

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    ISTANBUL — A Turkish court resumed the trial of Istanbul’s mayor Friday on charges of insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council, a case critics allege is an attempt to remove a key opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from the political scene.

    Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a member of the opposition Republican People’s Party, faces up to four years in prison if found guilty of the charge and could also be barred from holding office. The court in Istanbul might deliver its verdict on Friday.

    Imamoglu was elected to lead Turkey’s largest city in March 2019. His win was a historic blow to Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. The party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.

    The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later. Imamoglu won again, that time with a comfortable majority.

    His trial is based on accusations that he insulted members of the electoral council with a Nov. 4, 2019 statement in which he described canceling legitimate elections as “foolishness.”

    The mayor denies insulting members of the council, insisting his words were a response to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu calling him “a fool” and accusing Imamoglu of criticizing Turkey during a visit to the European Parliament.

    Government critics regard the trial as an attempt to prevent the popular mayor from running against Erdogan in presidential and parliamentary elections currently scheduled for June 2023.

    If convicted, Imamoglu could lose his post as mayor and be replaced by someone close to Erdogan’s ruling party.

    Several mayors from the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party, or HDP, who were also elected in 2019, were removed from office over alleged links to Kurdish militants and replaced by state-appointed trustees.

    Dozens of HDP lawmakers and thousands of party members were arrested on terror-related accusations as part of a government crackdown on the party.

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  • UN urges Libya rivals to agree in road map to elections soon

    UN urges Libya rivals to agree in road map to elections soon

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    UNITED NATIONS — The Security Council voted unanimously Friday to extend the U.N. political mission in Libya for a year and urged key institutions and parties in the divided north African country to agree on a road map to deliver presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.

    The resolution adopted by the U.N.’s most powerful body urged “dialogue, compromise and constructive engagement” aimed at forming “a unified Libyan government able to govern across the country and representing the whole people of Libya.”

    Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The oil-rich nation has been split between rival administrations in the east and west, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.

    The country’s current political crisis stems from the failure to hold elections in December 2021 and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who led a transitional government in the capital, Tripoli, in the country’s west, to step down. In response, the country’s east-based parliament appointed a rival prime minister, Fathy Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.

    The resolution reaffirmed the Security Council’s “strong commitment to an inclusive Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process, facilitated by the United Nations and supported by the international community,” that leads to elections as soon as possible. It backs the resumption of efforts to resume intra-Libya talks to create conditions for elections.

    Gabon’s U.N. ambassador, Michel Xavier Biang, the current council president, said the three African nations on the council — Gabon, Kenya and Ghana — “have the sense of having contributed to an important milestone towards the stabilization of a major African state.”

    “Through this vote, we are sending a message to the Libyan people and that message is clear that the U.N. is standing by their side,” Biang said. “This is also a message to the Libyan authorities and all political stakeholders who have an opportunity to create a momentum that would lead to restoring hope in Libya.”

    The council welcomed the appointment of a new U.N. special envoy, Abdoulaye Bathily, after a nine-month search amid increasing chaos in Libya.

    Russia had refused to extend the mandate of the U.N. mission in Libya, known as UNSMIL, for more than three months until a new special representative was chosen. So UNSMIL’s 12-month extension until Oct. 31, 2023, was a vote of confidence for the former Senegalese minister and diplomat.

    Bathily told the council Monday he plans to follow up on commitments by Libya’s political rivals at the end of a meeting last week that reportedly include the need to hold elections and ensure that the country has a single executive power as soon as possible.

    He said he plans to talk to leaders of the east-based parliament, the House of Representatives, and west-based High Council of State in the coming weeks “to understand” the agreements announced at the end of their Oct. 21 meeting in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.

    According to the Moroccan Press Agency and the North African Post, the speaker of the east-based parliament, Aguila Saleh, and the head of the Supreme Council, Khaled al-Meshri, agreed to implement a mechanism on criteria for leadership positions agreed to at talks in Morocco in October 2020.

    Saleh was quoted as saying the rivals also agreed “to ensure that there is a single executive power in Libya as soon as possible” and to relaunch dialogue to achieve an agreement about the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections. The elections need to respect “a clear roadmap and legislation, on the basis of which the polls will be held,” he was quoted as saying at a press briefing after the meeting.

    The Security Council’s resolution underlined “the importance of an inclusive, comprehensive national dialogue and reconciliation process.”

    Council members expressed concern at the security situation in Libya, particularly recurring clashes between armed groups in the Tripoli region that have caused civilian casualties and damaged civilian infrastructure.

    They emphasized “that there can be no military solution in Libya” and called on all parties to refrain from violence.

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  • Venezuela, SKorea, Afghanistan lose vote for UN rights body

    Venezuela, SKorea, Afghanistan lose vote for UN rights body

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    UNITED NATIONS — Venezuela, South Korea and Afghanistan lost contested races for seats on the top U.N. human rights body in Tuesday by the General Assembly, which faced criticism for electing countries like Vietnam and Sudan, which have been accused of having abysmal human rights records.

    The 193-member assembly voted by secret ballot to fill 14 seats on the 47-member Human Rights Council. Seats are allocated to regions to ensure geographical representation, a rule that has regularly led to many regions putting forward uncontested slates — as Africa, Eastern Europe and Western nations did this year.

    Human rights groups have long criticized this practice, saying it denies U.N. member nations any choice of countries on the council and virtually guarantees seats for some countries with poor rights records.

    In this year’s election, the most hotly watched race was in the Latin America and Caribbean regional group, where Chile, Costa Rica and Venezuela were vying for two seats. The result saw Chile get 144 votes, Costa Rica 134 and Venezuela 88.

    Venezuela narrowly won a seat on the Human Rights Council in 2019. Louis Charbonneau, U.N. director for Human Rights Watch, welcomed Tuesday’s result, saying the General Assembly “rightly closed the door” on Venezuela’s attempt to remain on the council.

    “U.N. investigators have found evidence that (President Nicolas) Maduro and other officials may have been responsible for crimes against humanity against their own people,” Charbonneau said.

    “A government facing these kinds of allegations has no business sitting on the U.N.’s top rights body. Now U.N. member states should seek ways to hold accountable those Venezuelan officials responsible for grave human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings and torture.”

    The other closely watched race was in the Asia-Pacific region, where Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, South Korea and Vietnam contested four seats. Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives and Vietnam were declared the winners.

    Charbonneau said that “electing abusive governments like Vietnam to the council only undermines its credibility.”

    In the uncontested regions, the assembly elected Africa’s slate of Algeria, Morocco, South Africa and Sudan, Eastern Europe’s candidates of Georgia and Romania, and the Western nations’ candidates of Belgium and Germany.

    The 14 newly elected countries will take their seats Jan. 1 and serve until Dec. 31, 2025

    The Human Rights Council was created in 2006 to replace a commission discredited because of some members’ poor rights records. But the new council soon came to face similar criticism, including that rights abusers sought seats to protect themselves and their allies.

    On April 7, the General Assembly approved a U.S.-initiated resolution to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council because of the rights violations it committed in invading and taking control of parts of Ukraine.

    The vote, 93-24 with 58 abstentions, was significantly lower than on two resolutions the assembly adopted in March demanding an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, withdrawal of all Russian troops and protection for civilians.

    The assembly voted overwhelmingly on May 10 for the Czech Republic to replace Russia on the council.

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  • FACT FOCUS: Wisconsin mobile voting truck claims scrutinized

    FACT FOCUS: Wisconsin mobile voting truck claims scrutinized

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    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Two years ago, the city of Racine became the first — and only — municipality in Wisconsin to purchase a mobile voting truck.

    City Clerk Tara McMenamin said she pushed for the truck because it was too difficult to set up equipment at remote sites for early in-person voting. The city used the truck for the first time for municipal elections this past spring. No one seemed to pay any attention.

    But with a slate of hot races on the battleground state’s Aug. 9 fall primary ballot, including GOP primaries for governor, attorney general and secretary of state, conservatives online have in recent days raised questions about the truck, asking how such an operation can be legal and accusing Democrats of using the truck to cheat.

    Here’s a closer look at some of their claims:

    CLAIM: Racine has been using multiple mobile voting vans since June 2021.

    THE FACTS: There’s only one truck, and it wasn’t used until this year. The Common Council approved funding for one truck to serve as a movable early voting site in June 2020. The city used it for the first time in the state’s spring primary this past February, McMenamin said.

    ___

    CLAIM: The city bought the truck using “Zuckerbucks” from the nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life.

    THE FACTS: It’s correct that the truck was purchased using money from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, according to Racine Mayor Cory Mason’s chief of staff, Shannon Powell. The nonprofit seeks to help election officials update technology and to increase civic participation and got a $350 million donation in 2020 from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife.

    Wisconsin’s five largest cities all received CTCL grants in 2020. Racine was one of them, accepting almost $950,000.

    Some conservatives have derided the CTCL grants as “Zuckerbucks” and called them election bribery, saying they tilted the 2020 presidential election toward Democrat Joe Biden. But judges have rejected legal challenges to the grants.

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    CLAIM: The truck has been functioning as an absentee ballot drop box in defiance of a state Supreme Court ruling in July outlawing them.

    THE FACTS: No, it hasn’t. McMenamin said the truck is used only to facilitate early in-person voting during the two weeks prior to an election as per state law. She wanted the truck because it was becoming too cumbersome for her staff to set up their equipment in remote polling sites.

    The city posts notices at City Hall, online and in the Racine Journal Times newspaper of the truck’s planned stops, meeting a requirement in state law that municipalities give public notice of the times and locations of early in-person voting sites, McMenamin said. Often the truck parks outside of buildings that have traditionally been used as early voting sites such as community centers, she said. Using the truck allows voting at the site without interrupting functions within the building, she said.

    People can walk up to the truck, register to vote if they haven’t done so, vote in one of the truck’s five built-in booths and hand their ballot to a city staff member manning the vehicle, she said. The ballots are then secured in a locked container. People can turn in absentee ballots at the truck, just as they’re allowed to do at brick-and-mortar early voting sites, but the truck doesn’t have a slit for a drop box and isn’t available 24 hours a day like a drop box, McMenamin said.

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    CLAIM: The city doesn’t allow Republican observers in the truck, enabling Democrats to cheat.

    THE FACTS: False. McMenamin said state law allows observers to watch in-person early voting, so observers are allowed in the truck. She said GOP observers have been in the truck since the fall primary early in-person voting window opened July 26th.

    “It would be exactly the same as if it was in the brick and mortar (early voting site),” she said. “(I would tell) people who are more skeptical of the process, this follows state law.”

    If election observers feel they’ve been unjustly barred or thrown out of an early voting site, they can file a complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

    Some online blogs claimed Democrats were staffing the truck and would cast “phony ballots” from it. But the truck is staffed by city election officials and has the same rules as any other early voting site.

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    This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.

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