Gaston County Elections Set To Be A Power Year in 2025

10:46 AM EST |April 24, 2025|Mason Beam|Elections, Government, News Articles,

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By: Mason Beam – Wise News Network

Gaston County, NC (WNN) – You always hear that local elections are more important for your well-being than national ones. Well, how can you get involved? You start with candidate filings, which in Gaston County will begin on July 7th, 2025. Gaston County will be up for a “Power Year” in its municipal election cycle due to how many municipalities have the option for major change. Nine of its thirteen councils will have half or more of its seats up for election this year.

Gaston County and its municipalities as shown by the Gaston County GIS.

The towns and cities that will have a minority of its roles available for re-election are Bessemer City, Kings Mountain, Stanley, and Mount Holly. Notably, Bessemer City has one vacant seat in Ward One that is not up for re-election. If a vacancy occurs in North Carolina, then according to General statute 160A-63: “A vacancy that occurs in an elective office of a city shall be filled by appointment of the city council.”

Major Move Potential

Of those nine, five have their mayoral candidacy open, and five have a majority of elected council positions available. If you live in Belmont, Cherryville, Cramerton, High Shoals, or Ranlo, you can run for Mayor in your local area.

Of the towns with mayoral positions available, only Cramerton will not have a majority of its elected positions up for this voting cycle. The odd one out with a majority of seats up but no mayoral position is Gastonia.

An image showing the areas with a majority of seats available in red and a minority in green.

As you can see on the map above, in red, these nine areas mean that the majority of Gaston County has the potential for a huge shift of municipal power. As of now, there is no official word on who is running, but many seats will likely see their current candidates running for reelection.

Cherryville Specifics

While this may be the case for many seats as of January 13th, 2025, Cherryville Mayor H.L. Beam announced he will not be running for the 2025 election due to health concerns. There have been no official announcements of anyone planning on running for the position yet.

City council meeting, mayor and council members. — Mayor H.L. Beam opening the January Cherryville City Council Meeting. January. 13th. 2025 by Lauren Ramsey (WNN)

Otherwise, the ward one and three seats are coming up for reelection. Currently, these are occupied by Jill Puett (Ward 1) and Gary Freeman (Ward 3). Neither has announced their running plans for the upcoming voting cycle.

Like many of the other towns and cities scattered throughout Gaston County, Cherryville could be primed to see major political change. With a majority of its elected positions available, a team of locals could spell guaranteed voting for or vetoing of proposals. If unaffiliated individuals run, then we may see more debates between council members’ ideals during meetings.

How to Determine If You Are Eligible to Run

Firstly, for the position of Mayor, you must be 21 by the date of the general election. In this case, that means having your 21st birthday by November 4th, 2025. You also must be registered to vote within your municipality for at least 90 days. A notice of candidacy must be filed with your local board of elections, and a fee must be paid per the position you want to run for.

The members of the Gaston County Board of Elections. From the Gaston County Board of Elections page.

To go to the Gaston County Board of Elections page for 2025, click here.
The positions and associated fees can be seen by clicking here.

What if you still like the idea of running, but don’t see yourself as the mayor type? Running for city council only has one more requirement than running for mayor. You must live within the ward that you wish to represent. Wards are smaller divisions of municipalities that are formed for administrative and electoral purposes.

In the map above, you can see the ward divisions for Cherryville, NC. Each city and town should have one of these maps available. If one is not, contact your county board of elections, and they can make one available for you.

Dates to Remember For Gaston County Elections

Candidacy filing begins on July 7th, 2025, and ends on July 18th, 2025, in Gaston County. As stated above in 2025’s municipal cycle, all filings and forms must go to your local board of elections.

Absentee-by-mail voting begins on October 3rd, 2025, and ends on October 28th. Early In-person voting will begin on October 16th and end on November 1st at 3:00 PM. Election day will be on November 4th, and polls will open at 6:30 AM and end at 7:30 PM. However, October 10th, 2025, by 5:00 PM will be the final day to register to vote locally.

A line of voters readying themselves to vote in the 2024 presidential election. — Voters entering the polling location located at Second Baptist Church in Cherryville, NC. November 5th, 2024 by Mason Beam (WNN)

What will this election season hold for Gaston County? It is up to everyone to determine whether we will see a rush of new ideas or whether our current officials are already standing up to the task. If you’re interested in running, there are plenty of local resources and online guides to candidacy, so be sure to do your research!

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