HWENA: Get Your Souls to the Polls and Let Your Voices 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, 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. Transportation will be provided to the polls from the three route locations as listed below.

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.