Charlotte Voter Guides: Listing Names vs Explaining Power
Let me start with this: there’s nothing wrong with a candidate list. If you want to know who filed to run for the Charlotte City Council, WBTV has you covered. Their 2025 municipal guide is complete.
But when it comes to understanding who might win, who holds power, and why your vote does or doesn’t move the needle in an at-large race? That requires a little more ink. Or, in our case, pixels.
Voters Deserve More Than a Roster
WBTV’s guide is a list. It runs top to bottom. It covers the mayor, council districts, and the school board. For each candidate: name, district, and party label. What you don’t get is context.
There’s no turnout history. No analysis has been conducted on how plurality-at-large voting favors slate behavior. No reminder that four at-large seats are selected by voters casting up to four votes, often along party lines, and that this system structurally favors Democrats in Charlotte’s political geography.
We built Poll Dance 2025 to give readers something else: depth.
The Mercury Approach
Our Candidate Guide doesn’t just tell you who’s running. It tells you how many times they’ve run before, what parts of the city might give them an edge, and what ideological coalitions they’re trying to activate (or avoid).
Our explainer on Why Democrats Routinely Win Charlotte At-Large Seats breaks down block voting, turnout behavior, and vote-splitting in a way that makes you understand why certain candidates feel like long shots before a single vote is cast.
It’s not about being partisan. It’s about being literate in how power works.
Who Are These For?
We write for voters, yes. But we also write for:
- The neighborhood leader is wondering whether the candidate will show up after the election.
- The new homeowner is confused about the difference between at-large and district reps.
- The high school government teacher is trying to explain local elections without inducing a nap.
Our stories are meant to be shared. They respect the reader’s intelligence. They do not require a political science degree, but it will get you halfway there.
Respect Where It’s Due
Again, WBTV isn’t doing anything wrong. Theirs is the format most outlets still use: copy and paste the Board of Elections filings, add logos, publish, and move on.
We think Charlotte deserves better. A newsroom that explains why certain candidates dominate the airwaves but disappear on policy. A newsroom that respects your time and doesn’t sell your data.
We built Mercury Local to be a different kind of outlet. If WBTV is the buffet menu, we’re the chef explaining how the sausage got made, which farmer grew the meat, and why the kitchen stopped sourcing from corporate supply chains.
And unlike the buffet, we don’t upsell you on dessert.
About the Author
Peter Cellino is the founder of Mercury Local, typically found on his third espresso and always typing with conviction. You can find him on Bluesky at @pc51.bsky.social or rummaging through the latest over at our Mercury Local Blog.
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This article, “Charlotte Voter Guides: Listing Names vs Explaining Power,” by Peter Cellino is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.
“Charlotte Voter Guides: Listing Names vs Explaining Power”
by Peter Cellino, *Mercury Local (CC BY-ND 4.0)