ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — In what has been shaping up to be a presidential election filled with sharp contrasts, other differences were evident Wednesday during visits to local party headquarters.
The parking lot at the Buncombe County Democratic Party headquarters on Old Fairview Road was crowded about 10:30 a.m. Inside, a man was gathering T-shirts and chairs for an event at UNC Asheville, another man was signing up to volunteer, workers in Rep. Lindsey Prather’s office were gathered in front of a computer and a member of the Harris Walz team was answering questions.
On the other side of Asheville, it was a different scene. Shortly after noon, the parking spaces in front of the Buncombe County Republican Party headquarters in Regent Park were empty. A lone man wearing a Trump hat manned the desk in the front office.
He declined to discuss the upcoming race between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, referring all questions to the party chairman who was on vacation. An email asking the Buncombe County GOP for comment had not been returned by the time this story was published.
With absentee ballots hitting the mail Friday and a debate set for Tuesday, business is picking up as the election inches closer.
“We’re seeing a whole lot of increased activity,” Buncombe County Democratic Party Chair Kathie Kline said. “We have new field organizers showing up daily.”
She said energy at headquarters had surged in recent weeks.
“We had an exponential increase in volunteers since the change in the party nominee,” Kline said.
President Joe Biden stepped away from the 2024 Democratic ticket in July and endorsed Harris. Harris, who last month named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate, officially accepted the Democratic nomination on Aug. 22.
Kline said the atmosphere was exciting.
“Exuberant, that’s how I feel. I don’t want it to sound too drastic, but that’s how I feel. But that is tempered by an awareness that some will stay home,” she said. “We don’t want any kind of complacency. We can’t let up on our efforts. Our goal is to win decisively so there’s no attempt on the Republicans to claim something wasn’t fair.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VOTING IN THE GENERAL ELECTION
The next presidential debate is slated for 9 p.m. Tuesday and will be hosted by ABC News.
The 2024 General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Here are some important dates and deadlines:
- Sept. 6, 2024: Absentee ballots in the mail
- Sept. 17, 2024: National Voter Registration Day
- Oct. 11, 2024: Voter Registration Deadline (5 p.m.)
- Oct. 17, 2024: In-person Early Voting begins (same-day registration available)
- Oct 29, 2024: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.)
- Nov. 2, 2024: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.)
- Nov. 5, 2024: Election Day (6:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.)
- Nov. 5, 2024: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.)