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HWENA: Get Your Souls to the Polls and Let Your Voice Be Heard

The Historical West End Neighborhood Association encourages residents to make a voting plan, vote early, and let their voices be heard. Watch the featured video from pastors of Charlotte’s Historical West End below, and join neighbors for Souls to the Polls.

Join a Souls to the Polls March

The public is invited to join Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Mecklenburg IAF, Democracy North Carolina, N.C. Black Alliance, and the National Panhellenic Council of Charlotte for marches on Sunday, October 18, or Sunday, October 25, 2026, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on both days. Buses will be available to transport people to the polling sites.

Choose one of these three routes:

Route #1

Starting location: Friendship Missionary Baptist Church
3400 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte, NC 28216

Ending location: Allegra Westbrooks Regional Library
2412 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte, NC 28216

Route #2

Starting location: Ella B. Scarborough Community Resource Center
430 Stitt Road, Charlotte, NC 28213

Ending location: Eastway Regional Recreation Center
3150 Eastway Park Drive, Charlotte, NC 28213

Route #3

Starting location: Stratford Richardson YMCA
1946 West Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28208

Ending location: West Boulevard Library
2157 West Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28208

Sign up for Souls to the Polls here.

HWENA residents are encouraged to sign up, invite a friend, and share the invitation on their social media pages.

Early Voting Begins October 15

Early voting begins Thursday, October 15, 2026, and ends Saturday, October 31, at 3 p.m. Mecklenburg County voters can cast their ballots at any early voting location in the county. Eligible residents who missed the registration deadline can register and vote during early voting with the required documentation. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.

Understand the Three Constitutional Amendments

North Carolina voters will also consider three proposed constitutional amendments. The League of Women Voters of North Carolina opposes all three. According to the League, its concerns are:

1. Photo ID for Voting

The amendment would expand the constitutional photo ID requirement to all voting methods. The League notes that state law already requires identification or an exception process for voting by mail. It opposes placing the broader requirement in the Constitution without protecting existing safeguards and raises concerns about additional barriers for military, student, rural, and older voters.

2. Maximum Income Tax Rate of 3.5%

The amendment would lower the maximum income tax rate permitted by the Constitution from 7% to 3.5%. The League opposes the proposal because it would limit future elected leaders’ ability to respond to changing economic conditions and state needs. The amendment itself would not directly lower current taxes.

3. Property Tax Levy Limit

The amendment would require state lawmakers to establish limits on increases in local property tax levies. The actual limits, formulas, and possible exceptions would be determined later. The League opposes shifting greater authority over local funding to the state and warns of potential effects on public education, elections, other local services, and reliance on fees.

Read the League of Women Voters of North Carolina’s full explanation and position.

Prepare Before You Go

Review your sample ballot and check early voting locations and hours. Bring an acceptable photo ID. If you cannot present one, ask an election worker about the ID Exception Form and provisional voting process.

Get your Souls to the Polls. Bring a friend. Vote early. Let your voice be heard.

City of Charlotte Housing and Neighborhood Resources Shared with HWENA

Thank you to Amanda Wood, Lead Grant Program Manager with the City of Charlotte Housing and Neighborhood Services, for joining the Historical West End Neighborhood Association meeting this past Saturday. Amanda shared information about housing programs and community resources available through the City and its partners, including home purchase assistance, home repairs, accessibility modifications, lead hazard control, weatherization, homeownership counseling, and foreclosure prevention.

HWENA encourages residents to share this information across all 18 neighborhoods within our association. Review the attached flyers, explore services that may meet your household’s needs, and contact the appropriate providers to confirm eligibility and availability. Please share these resources with neighbors, friends, and family members who may benefit.

For more information, visit Charlotte Housing Services or call 704-336-3380. Thank you, Amanda, for helping keep our community informed!

Lending a Hand to Hidden Valley

Hidden Valley Community Association and the Historic Black Neighborhood Coalition are inviting neighborhood associations, community organizations, and residents to lend their support to efforts focused on preserving the character of established Charlotte neighborhoods.

The coalition is seeking letters of support from organizations and individuals who share concerns about residential development permitted under Charlotte’s Unified Development Ordinance and its potential impact on neighborhoods such as Hidden Valley. The sample letter provided outlines concerns related to duplex and triplex development and efforts to enforce existing deed restrictions.

Want to lend a hand?

Organizations may use the provided letter as a template by replacing the organization name with their own, signing it, and returning it to Bobby Drakeford. Residents who would like to support the effort or have questions are also encouraged to reach out.

Bobby Drakeford
Historic Black Neighborhood Coalition Steering Committee Chair
704 968 3271

HWENA is sharing this information as a community resource. Organizations and residents are encouraged to review the information and independently determine whether they wish to participate.

Mecklenburg IAF Visits HWENA:

An Invitation to Get Involved

HWENA recently welcomed representatives from Mecklenburg IAF to share information about their growing community organizing efforts in Mecklenburg County and opportunities for HWENA members to become involved.

Mecklenburg IAF is the local, pre founding organizing body of the Industrial Areas Foundation in Mecklenburg County. Working in partnership with United Power for Action, the statewide collective of IAF organizations, Mecklenburg IAF is bringing together leaders from religious institutions, labor unions, nonprofits, neighborhood associations, and civic organizations to build a broad based, independent organizing effort in our region.

Building People, Relationships and Community Power

During their visit, Mecklenburg IAF shared their vision for strengthening institutions, developing leaders, building relationships, and organizing people around a shared agenda for meaningful social and economic change. Their organizing approach includes:

-Identifying, recruiting, and training grassroots leaders

-Bringing organizations and institutions together to build a broader community base

-Helping leaders better understand how power shapes communities and decisions

-Turning large community challenges into tangible issues that residents and institutions can organize around

-Bringing solutions to the table and working toward meaningful outcomes

-Evaluating and reflecting on community actions

Mecklenburg IAF Wants HWENA Members at the Table

Mecklenburg IAF is currently working to expand its network throughout Mecklenburg County. One of its goals is to recruit 50 multiracial and multifaith institutions committed to building people power in Mecklenburg County. The organization also plans to conduct a house meeting campaign to hear the priorities and concerns of more than 1,500 Mecklenburg County residents and train more than 100 leaders annually in community organizing and building power. HWENA members who are interested in community leadership, neighborhood advocacy, relationship building, and becoming more involved in issues affecting Mecklenburg County are encouraged to learn more about Mecklenburg IAF and opportunities to participate.

Organizing That Has Produced Results Across North Carolina

IAF affiliated organizing efforts have worked on a range of issues across North Carolina. The Mecklenburg IAF flyer highlights accomplishments including continued funding for affordable housing in Cary, a Wake County investment addressing housing cost burdens for lower income homeowners, affordable housing units in Durham and Orange counties, expanded mental health services for Spanish speaking residents, universal free breakfast and lunch for Durham Public Schools students, and additional staff to support immigrant students in Mecklenburg County Schools. Interested in Learning More?

HWENA members and residents who would like to learn more about Mecklenburg IAF or become involved can review the Mecklenburg IAF information below and connect directly with its organizers.

Morandi Hurst
Lead Organizer, Mecklenburg IAF
[email protected]

Ivan Parra
Executive Director, United Power for Action
Statewide collective of IAF organizations
[email protected]

Midterm Election Update

Bringing Awareness to Absentee Ballot Changes

The North Carolina State Board of Elections just approved a change that makes it easier to disqualify certain absentee ballots ahead of 2026 midterms; they voted 3 to 2 along party lines on July 20th. Essentially if a ballot has an "irregularity", such as not being sealed correctly, being in the wrong envelope, etc. County election staff can now take action on it.

If there are any irregularities to the ballots, voters are supposed to be contacted first. However, if that does not happen the ballot can still be tossed. Although this is being framed as an election security measure, we have to acknowledge the history of disenfranchisement. We should use this time to inform others about the ballot instructions.

Voting in the 2026 election officially begins on September 4th with the initial sending of absentee ballots to voters who requested. This is followed by in person early voting October 15 to October 31. The upcoming statewide general election is November 3, 2026.

For more information you can visit https://qcnerve.com/nc-election-changes-midterms/