Barbara Pierce heard the same story over and over when she knocked on doors in the Scotland County town of Wagram in 2023 to drum up support for her mayoral campaign.
Voters said they felt demoralized and were skeptical they could make a difference at the ballot box. Some said they didn’t understand the role of local government in Wagram, home to about 900 people.
Pierce, who had previously served on the Wagram Board of Commissioners, won the election with 89 votes—72 more than her opponent.
This year, Pierce is running unopposed to keep her seat as mayor. She predicts even fewer people will vote in the Nov. 4 election. Early voting is already underway. (Find early voting sites here.)
“I guess most folks don’t see the importance of it, but I think all elections are important,” she said. “These are the folks that make decisions as to what will happen with the citizen’s funds.”
Almost 70 seats for mayors and town boards are on the ballot this fall in the Border Belt region of Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties.
Local elected leaders are responsible for passing balanced budgets and setting priorities, like fixing potholes and funding parks and recreation programs. But if history is any indicator, a small percentage of voters will decide the winners.
In 2023, when only municipal elections were on the ballot, fewer than 5 percent of voters in Bladen and Columbus counties cast ballots. Robeson County saw a turnout rate of nearly 7 percent. Scotland County had the highest turnout in the region: 8.8 percent.
The four counties lagged behind the statewide turnout rate of 13.8 percent.
Elections with state and federal races draw a bigger crowd. Last year, when candidates for president and governor were on the ballot, 73.7 percent of North Carolina voters cast ballots.
But the Border Belt has historically seen lower turnout rates. Robeson County had the lowest voter turnout in the state in 2024 at 59 percent. In Scotland County, 64.1 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. Bladen and Columbus saw higher rates—70.1 percent and 69.5 percent, respectively.
‘Anti-Government Sentiment’
Jillian McPherson Edge, chair of the Columbus County Board of Elections, said it’s understandable that municipal elections don’t draw a lot of voters. There is little news coverage and an absence of big-money campaigns.
“You’ll notice that for the municipalities, you don’t see as many signs out,” she said. “You don’t see as many articles in the newspaper. A lot of times, voters don’t even know what’s going on within their city. They don’t even know who’s up for mayor.”
Many incumbent office holders in the Border Belt don’t face any challengers, including the mayors of Bladenboro, Dublin, and Tar Heel in Bladen County.
But Whiteville Mayor Terry Mann, who was first elected in 2009, has challengers this year for the first time in more than a decade, according to The News Reporter. Candidates Brandon Acker, Brittany Payne, and Mike Schachnuk hope to unseat him.
Mann said low voter turnout is partly the result of a growing anti-government sentiment in which voters don’t have as much faith in elected officials. The lack of trust makes it tough for incumbent candidates, he said, because some voters look for a change in leadership without researching the issues.
“They don’t examine the issues and compare the two candidates on their views of the issues,” he said. “The one thing that they’re really upset about, if they vote for the other guy, that one thing might be better. But if there are five other things that they don’t agree with, it might end up not being better for him.”
Mann said some voters blame local elected officials for policies controlled at the state and federal levels, including funding for schools.
Mayor Archie Herring, who has served as mayor of the Scotland County town of Gibson since 2023, said he never campaigned much because everyone in the small town knows each other. This year he is defending his seat against challenger Ron Cherry.
Herring agreed that some voters are upset with locally elected officials about issues town boards can’t control. Issues they do control can also draw scrutiny.
Gibson is trying to replace its 80-year-old water system to prevent discolored water from flowing into homes. The town wants to secure grants to help fund the project, which is expected to be completed next year.
Some people don’t know that it’s tough for small towns to compete with larger cities for grants and other funding opportunities, Herring said.
“People don’t always understand the backend involved in making sure everything is running right,” Herring said. “You’re looking at a pebble and they’re a quarter.”
Partisan Politics
Pierce knows a thing or two about elections. Her husband, Garland Pierce, is serving his 11th term in the N.C. House, where he represents Scotland and Hoke counties.
Garland Pierce has seen his election victories narrow as more voters in his rural district have switched to supporting Republican candidates. He is the lone Democrat representing counties along the state’s southern border between Charlotte and Wilmington—an area that was once a Democratic stronghold. Republicans gained control of the Scotland County Board of Commissioners for the first time last year.
Barbara Pierce said she has heard from some voters who assumed all municipal elections are partisan. They aren’t.
But the political shift has changed some voters’ attitudes, she said—many young people aren’t as engaged.
“When you talk to folks, they are just not interested,” Pierce said. “They don’t have the time and can’t change people’s way of thinking.”
Mann, the Whiteville mayor, said he is focusing on engaging with the community during events but hasn’t knocked on doors as much as he did in previous elections.
“Just the day to day operations of local government, most people—as long as they feel like it’s functioning—most of them don’t want to get involved,” he said.