Feb. 24, 2017. The Watauga NAACP will join with other NAACP branches, Forward Together Moral Movement supporters, and coalition partners in Congresswoman Virginia Foxx’s district to visit her Boone office on Feb. 27 to present a letter of demands and to request a public Town Hall by the end of March. / Read more…

Feb. 21, 2017. U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx doesn’t have any public events scheduled during the current “District Work Week,” according to Sheridan Watson, communications director for Foxx. This is the first extended recess since President Donald Trump’s inauguration last month, and activists have made no secrets about protesting congressional lawmakers during their week home from Washington. By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Feb. 20, 2017. The schedule, including dates, times, and locations for the 2017 annual Watauga County Democratic Party precinct meetings, is copied below. If you do not know your precinct, write [email protected] and include your full name and your residential address. Precinct meetings are open to Democrats and to Unaffiliated voters who wish to align with the Democratic Party. / Read more…

Feb. 17, 2017. Denise D. Adams, who represents the North Ward on the Winston-Salem City Council, will run for the Fifth Congressional District seat now held by Virginia Foxx in 2018. The Fifth District covers parts of 11 northwestern North Carolina counties, including all of Forsyth, and runs to the Tennessee border. / Read more…

Feb. 14, 2017. On Tuesday morning, Gov. Roy Cooper held a press conference to announce a “common sense compromise” for a repeal of HB2, otherwise known as the state’s bathroom bill. Meanwhile Lt. Gov. Dan Forest responded in a statement that if his proposal were to become law, it would “create a state-sanctioned ‘Look But Don’t Touch’ policy in our bathrooms.” See statements from Cooper, Forest and other state leaders inside. Compiled by Jesse Wood / Read more…

Jan. 25, 2017. Kaye Wilkinson Barley, a writer based in Boone, was among the hundreds of thousands of people who participated in the Women’s March on Washington to protest Donald Trump’s inauguration. Barley called the Saturday event “very inspiring” and captured her experience on her blog, “Meanderings and Muses,” which includes nearly 100 photos from her trip and the event. Barley shared her post with High Country Press. By Kaye Barley / Read more…

Jan. 20, 2017. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today released the following statement regarding the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States: “Today is a very exciting and positive day for the people of the United States. We pride ourselves on the peaceful transfer of power, and I believe this tradition is a strong statement to people all over the world who value freedom. We are a privileged nation and we must never be casual with the freedoms we have inherited. / Read more…

Jan. 9, 2017. The North Carolina Justice Center is hosting a local roundtable to hear from Ashe and Watauga County residents about how policies have played out in your community, and where you see the most pressing needs and opportunities. Information about policies that boost local economies will be shared and opportunities to plug in during the upcoming legislative session will be discussed. / Read more…

Jan. 4, 2017. The Boone Chamber of Commerce is hosting a “Meet Your Local Representatives” event at Lost Province Brewing Co. on Tuesday, Jan. 10 from 4 to 6 p.m. Drop-in at your convenience. Dubbed a “causal evening,” elected officials from the Boone Town Council, Watauga County Board of Commissioners, Watauga County Board of Education, N.C. House and N.C. Senate are expected to attend. By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Jan. 3, 2017. Roy Cooper today took the oath of office to become North Carolina’s 75th Governor, pledging to build a North Carolina that works for everyone. “It is the honor of my life to be your governor, who will work for all of North Carolina,” Governor Cooper said. “I pledge to give my very best to the people of this great state of North Carolina, the state I love and where I have spent my life.” / Read more…

Jan. 3, 2017. Since Governor Pat McCrory entered office in January 2013, North Carolina’s economy added 300,000 new jobs, the state experienced one of the largest drops in unemployment in the country, $2.6 billion in debt for federal unemployment insurance was paid off, personal income and business taxes were cut, teacher pay was significantly increased, transportation funding was revolutionized and $2 billion was invested in our education, parks, National Guard and other infrastructure through the Connect NC bond. / Read more…

Dec. 28, 2016. The Civitas Institute has sent letters to the NC State Board of Elections and Watauga, Buncombe, Bladen, Pasquotank, Wake, and Durham counties, requesting a thorough examination of voter rolls and full compliance with section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act. / Read more…

Dec. 22, 2016. North Carolina lawmakers failed to repeal HB2, otherwise known as the “bathroom bill,” which forces transgender people to use the gender-based bathroom listed on their birth certificate – along with preventing local governments from raising the minimum wage and eroding the right for employees to sue in state court for workplace discrimination. By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Dec. 15, 2016. In an effort to point out the blatant hypocrisy of Democrats and their allies, today the NCGOP called on Roy Cooper, legislative Democrats, and their protesting allies to condemn the long history of Democrat partisan power grabs to limit Republican power following elections.


 / Read more…

Dec. 7, 2016. The Watauga County Board of Elections are meeting on Wednesday to hold a recount of ballots cast in the N.C. Auditor’s race during the general election on Nov. 8. Republican candidate Chuck Stuber is running against incumbent N.C. Auditor Beth Wood, a Democrat. Unofficial results on election night showed Wood had 2,259,397 votes (or 50.07 percent) versus Stuber’s 2,253,405 votes (or 49.93 percent). By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Dec. 2, 2016. With approval of the full Republican conference, the House Republican Steering Committee has selected Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., as the chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in the 115th Congress. / Read more…

Nov. 21, 2016. Updated: The gubernatorial race between incumbent N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory and current N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper is so close, that in this case, every vote does matter. Out of more than 4.5 million votes, Cooper came out ahead in the unofficial count at the end of Election Day by just about 5,000 votes. Compiled by Jesse Wood / Read more…

Nov. 14, 2016. Elections are much more complicated than just which candidate received the most votes, though that count does determine who claims victory. Voters may be individuals, but often tend to behave in blocs that can help in understanding their behavior in an election. During the 2016 presidential race in North Carolina, different candidates’ messages resonated with people who shared different things in common – party affiliation and ideological identity, religious and cultural values, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender and sexual identity, or educational level. By Frank Taylor / Carolina Public Press / Read more…

Nov. 8, 2016. Republicans N.C. Rep. Jonathan Jordan and Sen. Deanna Ballard won their respective races for N.C. House District 93 and N.C. Senate District 45. Jordan defeated Sue Counts, former director of the Watauga County Cooperate Extension, for the second election in a row, while Ballard defeated Art Sherwood of Caldwell County. By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Nov. 8, 2016. Constituents in the Fifth Congressional District voted Virginia Foxx into in the U.S. House of Representatives for a seventh-consecutive term. Foxx won decisively with about 58 percent of the vote, according to unofficial election results, where all but a few remaining precincts had yet to report around midnight on Tuesday. By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Nov. 8, 2016. While four members with plenty of school board experience were running for a seat on the Watauga County Board of Elections, only three seats were up for re-election. Brenda Reese, Ron Henries and Barbara Kinsey will serve another term on the Watauga County Board of Education. All three have strong backgrounds in education, and all three received at least 25 percent of the vote, according to the unofficial election results on Tuesday. By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Nov. 8, 2016. Democrats regained control of the Watauga County Board of Commissioners, according to unofficial election results tallied on Tuesday evening. Incumbents John Welch, a Democrat, and Perry Yates, a Republican, will remain on the Watauga County Board of Commissioners, while fellow incumbent Republican David Blust got the boot. By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Nov. 8, 2016. Unofficial results: 20/20 precincts … The polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Soon thereafter – for about the next hour – results from the 20 precincts in Watauga County will be announced at the Watauga County Board of Elections office. Continue to check back for updates. See more…
COMPILED BY JESSE WOOD

Nov. 8, 2016. Throughout this election cycle, Watauga County has made the national news because it’s considered a bellwether county. Here are just a few related stories to peruse until the polls close and votes are counted. Inside are excerpts and links to the full postings. Compiled By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Nov. 8, 2016. As of 10 a.m., more than 3,000 people voted so far on Election Day, according to the Watauga County Board of Elections. Since the polls opened at 6:30 a.m., 3,181 voted. See Tuesday’s voting totals per precinct inside. During the early-voting portion of the 2016 general election, nearly 20,000 people voted early. By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Nov. 7, 2016. After a voting machine malfunctioned in one of the six early voting sites in Watauga County, the Watauga County Board of Elections conducted a re-processing of more than 9,000 ballots on Sunday afternoon. “It went great just as we had hoped,” Watauga County Elections Director Matt Snyder said on Monday. “We ended up with the same number of ballot counts.” By Jesse Wood • Photos by Ken Ketchie / Read more…

Nov. 1, 2016. The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored a “Meet the Candidates” forum in late October in an effort to inform voters about local issues and the candidates that are running for office. Most of the candidates for U.S. House District 5, N.C. 24th Judicial District, Watauga County Board of Education, Watauga County Board of Commissioners, N.C. Governor, N.C. Senate District 45 and N.C. House District 93 attended. Below are videos of the round-robin Q-&-A session and the candidate’s closing statements. See full comments from candidates, including closing statements, per race inside. / Read more…

Nov. 4, 2016. Governor Pat McCrory was presented with the Good Samaritan Award tonight by Franklin Graham to recognize his efforts to help North Carolinians during the response and recovery from Hurricane Matthew. Tonight, Samaritan’s Purse committed to building 20 homes for North Carolinians whose homes were destroyed by flooding. / Read more…

Nov. 3, 2016. The Watauga County Board of Elections will hold a special meeting on Sunday, November 6, 2016 at 12:00 noon in the Board of Elections Office on the ground floor of the Watauga County Courthouse, according to a notice published on Thursday afternoon. The purpose of this meeting is to re-process the One-Stop Administration Site ballots, as directed by the State Board of Elections. / Read more…

Nov. 3, 2016. The Harvest House hosted Republican candidates, N.C. Sen. Deanna Ballard and N.C. Rep. Jonathan Jordan, on Wednesday evening. The event was co-sponsored by the N.C. Homeowners Alliance and the High Country Association of Realtors. By Jesse Wood • Photos by Ken Ketchie / Read more…

Nov. 3, 2016. Josh Teague, a candidate for District Court Judge, held a meet-and-greet event at the Fairview Café, located at the Boone Golf Club, on Wednesday. The event was sponsored by Tom Speed and hosted by Richard Pedroni, Tina Houston, Andi and Rob Gelsthorpe, and Elizabeth Hempfling. By Jesse Wood • Photos by Ken Ketchie / Read more…

Nov. 2, 2016. Carolina Public Press has taken a look at the most recent wave of campaign filings for the four federal races affecting Western North Carolina and analyzed the amount of money raised and who its coming from. / Read more…

Watauga County Voters by Party

State Voters by Party

Nov. 2, 2016. As of Tuesday closing, more than 13,000 voters have early voted in the general election in Watauga County. Of the six early voting sites, the two sites located in Boone – the Watauga County Administration Building on King Street and the Plemmons Student Union on the campus of App State – are dominating in terms of the number of people casting ballots. By Jesse Wood / Read more…

Nov. 2, 2016. N.C. Sen. Deanna Ballard and N.C. Rep. Jonathan Jordan will hold a town hall at the Harvest House in Boone on Wednesday, Nov. 2 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Ballard, a Republican of Blowing Rock, is running against Art Sherwood, a Democrat from Caldwell, while Jordan a Republican in Ashe County is facing off against Sue Counts, a Watauga Democrat. / Read more…

Nov. 1, 2016. The survey conducted Oct. 23-27 is the final survey by the Elon University Poll before Election Day on Nov. 8. The contests at the top of the ballot have tightened in North Carolina, with the races for president and governor now too close to call and incumbent Republican Richard Burr holding a lead within the margin of error in the U.S. Senate race, according to the results of the latest Elon University Poll. / Read more…