Jackson County might not need to wait until November to determine its Board of Education members. Typically decided during the March primary, there’s a potential shift in the 2026 incumbents Abigail Clayton, Lynn Dillard, and Kim Moore possibly being the first board members on an autumn ballot.
Currently, it seems the 2024 races between Wes Jamison and Clint Irons in District 3, and Rainy Brake and Gayle Woody in District 1, will remain in the spring.
During their Dec. 12 meeting, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners discussed moving school board elections to November to align with other contests and bolster voter turnout. The commissioners unanimously agreed that this shift was necessary, officially voting on a resolution during their Dec. 19 meeting to request the legislature to move Board of Education races to November’s General Election.
The resolution now needs approval from Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-119) and Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-50) to proceed to the General Assembly. The hope is to have the measure approved in time for the 2024 election, although as of now, the races might still occur in March.
According to Jackson County Elections Director Lisa Lovedahl, due to the schedule of the General Assembly, it’s unlikely that a law changing the school board election date could be enacted by Jan. 19, which is the date by which county offices must start mailing absentee ballots for the primary.
Despite the efforts, it appears that the election will indeed stay in March for now. The process to request an absentee ballot for the 2024 primary election in North Carolina has opened online through the North Carolina Absentee Ballot Portal, allowing any registered and eligible North Carolina voter to apply. The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the March 5 primary is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27, a week before Primary Election Day.
