Tips for the Nonpartisan Races on Your Ballot

October 22, 2022

This year there are two important non-partisan races in Buncombe County: School Board (City and County) and Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor.

Your ballot will NOT show any party affiliation for these candidates. Please be sure to study these candidates and mark your ballot with your choices ahead of time.

Buncombe County School Board

All voters served by Buncombe County Schools can vote for all County School Board seats. This year there are three open seats, with two candidates running in each. Members serve four-year terms, with no term limits. Voters may vote for one in each district.

Indivisible AVL recommends the following candidates as most qualified to serve on the County Board of Education. They have all been endorsed by the Buncombe County Association of Educators.

  • Enka District – JUDY S. LEWIS (Incumbent) is a retired educator, former assistant principal of Enka High and a current member of the A-B Tech Board of Trustees. Lewis’s opponent, Kim Poteet, has been a home-school educator for over 20 years.
  • Erwin District – KIM PLEMMONS is a retired banker and member of the Buncombe County Schools Foundation Board; she also currently works in the schools as a substitute teacher. Her opponent Greg Parks is a father who works as a quality assurance manager.
  • Reynolds District – ROB ELLIOT is a former PTA President of Fairview Elementary and Advocacy Chair for Cane Creek Middle School. He is a recent elected member of the NC PTA Board of Directors and a current Haywood Community College Curriculum Advisory Committee member. His opponent Sara Disher Ratliff is a full-time working wife and mother.

City of Asheville School Board

Members serve four-year terms and are limited to two terms. Voters may vote for four of these eight candidates:

  • Liza English-Kelly – Former Asheville City Schools teacher
  • Miri Massachi – Youth movement instructor
  • Amy Ray  – Attorney
  • Rebecca Strimer – Housing counselor and OnTrack WNC program coordinator
  • Sarah Thornburg – Attorney
  • Jesse J. Warren – Former U.S. Marine and JROTC instructor
  • William (Bill) Young Jr. – Longtime employee of Asheville City School system and father of former City Council member Keith Young
  • Pepi Acebo – President of the Montford North Star Academy Parent Teacher Organization

For background on City School Board candidates, see this voter guide in Mountain Xpress. To see the Asheville City Association of Educators (ACAE) endorsements, visit BuncombeCAE.org.

Buncombe County Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor

Voters may vote for two of the four candidates that appear on the ballot. We recommend the two who have been endorsed by the NC Sierra Club: ANTHONY D. COLE and SARA NICHOLS.

Download & Mark Up Your Sample Ballot

Did you know you can take you marked up ballot into the voting booth with you? The NC State Board of Elections (NCSBE) even encourages it!

To find your sample ballot, use the Voter Search Tool on the NC State Board of Elections (NCSBE) website if you’re already registered in NC. If you aren’t registered here yet, you can find your sample ballot simply using your address with the Polling Place Search Tool.

Then head out the door and VOTE! You can vote at any of the 12 One-Stop Early Voting sites in Buncombe County. You can even check out the handy wait map that tells you in real time how many voters are in line at each location.

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