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ASHEVILLE, NC · WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA / BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS EDITION · SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2026
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Asheville NC Politics & Government

Asheville NC Politics & Civic News

Covering Asheville City Council, Buncombe County Council, North Carolina General Assembly, and your federal representatives in Washington, D.C. Accountability journalism for Buncombe County residents.

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Buncombe County sits inside one of the most layered governmental structures in the region. Residents answer to at least five levels of elected authority simultaneously: the federal government, statewide offices, Buncombe County Council, Asheville City Council, and school district boards — each a separately elected body covering its own geographic slice of the county.

Buncombe’s federal delegation includes US Rep. Chuck Edwards (NC District 11) and Senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis.

Buncombe County Council controls property tax millage, land-use zoning outside city limits, and fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreements. Downtown zoning decisions and the Asheville Police Department budget run through Asheville City Council. State funding for schools, roads, and Medicaid flows from the North Carolina General Assembly. The Buncombe County Elections and Voter Registration Office administers local balloting under NC Election Commission oversight.

HEREAsheville covers Buncombe County Council meetings, Asheville City Council sessions, North Carolina General Assembly session, federal delegation votes and town halls, school board meetings, and candidate filing windows. We also pull FOIA-sourced travel records and contracts at both the city and county level. If it shapes how Buncombe County is governed, it’s HERE.

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NATIONAL 421 responses

What do you think: Appeals Court Sets Saturday Deadline?

Strongly support — this is overdue 38%
Cautious support — depends on the details 23%
Skeptical — need to see the cost first 17%
Oppose — not the right direction for Asheville 22%
NATIONAL 219 responses

What do you think: Intelligence Chief Warns Iran Is Stepping Up Plots?

Strongly support — this is overdue 30%
Cautious support — depends on the details 28%
Skeptical — need to see the cost first 17%
Oppose — not the right direction for Asheville 25%
Political Coverage

Local & State Political News

Asheville, Buncombe County, & North Carolina Capitol
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Appeals Court Sets Saturday Deadline
Oct 24, 2026
LOS ANGELES — California has until noon Saturday to answer the federal government in a fast-moving fight over whether about 20,000 mail ballots should be pulled aside before the Nov. 3 midterm election, after the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order late Friday. The Justice Department went to the appeals court because
Intelligence Chief Warns Iran Is Stepping Up Plots
Oct 24, 2026
WASHINGTON — Iran has sharply ramped up its effort to go after American personnel outside the United States, and some of its plans to kill U.S. citizens have moved into late stages in the Middle East and in other countries, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a memo
Justice Department Sues Over Alaska Senate Certification
Oct 24, 2026
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The U.S. Justice Department has gone to federal court in Alaska asking a judge to keep the state from certifying its Nov. 3 U.S. Senate result if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan comes up short, arguing that a second candidate with nearly the same name could pull votes away from him. The complaint,
Federal Workers Rally Outside VA Hospital in Asheville
Oct 24, 2026
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Members of the largest union of federal employees joined other Western North Carolina labor groups on Oct. 22 in front of the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville to protest how the Trump administration is treating the federal workforce. The rally was part of a week of actions by the American
Supreme Court Lets New Hampshire Bar Student IDs
Oct 23, 2026
WASHINGTON — New Hampshire can turn away student IDs as proof of identity at the polls in next month's midterm election after the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday set aside a lower-court order in the state's voting dispute. In a short unsigned order, the justices put on hold a ruling by U.S. District Judge Joseph
Outside Money Tops $18M in Arizona Race for Feely, Shah Seat
Oct 23, 2026
PHOENIX — Outside groups have poured roughly $18.8 million into the general election fight for Arizona's 1st Congressional District, one of the state's two most competitive House seats, with most of it aimed at helping Republican Jay Feely. Feely, a former Arizona Cardinals kicker and a longtime friend of President Donald Trump, faces Democrat Amish
Trump Rallies for Hinson in Sioux City
Oct 23, 2026
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — President Donald Trump rallied more than a thousand supporters in Sioux City on Thursday night, pressing Iowans to back Republican Ashley Hinson in a U.S. Senate race that has turned surprisingly tight less than two weeks before Election Day. Hinson, a congresswoman since 2021, is running against Democratic state Rep. Josh
NC Crime Commission Hosts Grant-Writing Workshop Oct. 27
Oct 23, 2026
RALEIGH, N.C. — Police departments, local governments and nonprofits hoping to tap North Carolina's largest pot of public safety grants can get a walk-through of the process next week. On Tuesday, Oct. 27, the state's Governor's Crime Commission is running its annual all-day session for grant seekers, a Webex event lasting from 9 in the
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Civic Calendar

Political Events & Deadlines — Buncombe County
Upcoming EventsUpcoming events for this section post here as they are announced. Check back soon.
Elected Officials

Your Asheville Reps

Every official with a vote on Asheville's future — pulled live from our roster.

US Congress — NC
US House
Chuck Edwards
US Representative
NC District 11
R
US Senate
US Senate
Ted Budd
US Senator
North Carolina
R
US Senate
Thom Tillis
US Senator
North Carolina
R
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Asheville is in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Mayor: Esther E. Manheimer; City Manager: Dakisha "DK" Wesley; Buncombe County Commission Chair: Amanda Edwards.

Latest Asheville Politics News

  1. Federal Workers Rally Outside VA Hospital in Asheville

    ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Members of the largest union of federal employees joined other Western North Carolina labor groups on Oct. 22 in front of the Charles George VA…

  2. Three Constitutional Amendments Face Asheville Voters

    ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Voters in Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County who head to early voting sites this week will find three proposed changes to the North…

  3. Asheville Voters Weigh Ager, Balkcom in Open NC-11 House Race

    ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Voters in Asheville and across the western mountains are choosing a new member of Congress this fall, and both candidates for the open 11th District…

  4. Manheimer Runs on Helene Recovery Record in Asheville Race

    ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer is asking voters for a fourth term, and her pitch centers on continuity: the relationships she says she has built in…

  5. No Kings March in Asheville Turns Focus to Early Voting

    ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Saturday’s No Kings gathering in Asheville looked more like a get-out-the-vote drive than a protest. Marchers set off from Pack Square Park in the afternoon,…

  6. Buncombe Early Voting Draws 7,049 Ballots in Asheville

    ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Early in-person voting opened strong across Asheville and Buncombe County on Thursday, with 7,049 people checking in at the county’s 13 sites — roughly 3.2…

  7. Health Care Cost Rally Targets Medicaid Cuts in Asheville

    ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A traveling health care rally stopped in downtown Asheville on Oct. 15, where two Buncombe County state lawmakers used the stage at Pack Square Park…

  8. Appeals Court Sets Saturday Deadline

    LOS ANGELES — California has until noon Saturday to answer the federal government in a fast-moving fight over whether about 20,000 mail ballots should be pulled aside before…

  9. Intelligence Chief Warns Iran Is Stepping Up Plots

    WASHINGTON — Iran has sharply ramped up its effort to go after American personnel outside the United States, and some of its plans to kill U.S. citizens have…

  10. Justice Department Sues Over Alaska Senate Certification

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The U.S. Justice Department has gone to federal court in Alaska asking a judge to keep the state from certifying its Nov. 3 U.S. Senate…

  11. Supreme Court Lets New Hampshire Bar Student IDs

    WASHINGTON — New Hampshire can turn away student IDs as proof of identity at the polls in next month's midterm election after the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday…

  12. Outside Money Tops $18M in Arizona Race for Feely, Shah Seat

    PHOENIX — Outside groups have poured roughly $18.8 million into the general election fight for Arizona's 1st Congressional District, one of the state's two most competitive House seats,…