Sylva voters faced a crowded ballot and a divided community, weighing seven candidates for three council seats amid ongoing cultural battles and financial strain.

To the Editor:

We are halfway through the 2025 municipal elections for Waynesville, Canton and Clyde, which will significantly influence the leadership of these towns. Unfortunately, low voter turnout continues to threaten these municipal elections.

In-person early voting ends Saturday, Nov. 1, but voters will have one last opportunity to cast their ballots on Election Day, Tuesday Nov. 4.

Same-day registration is only available during the early voting period. Voters cannot register to vote on Election Day. 

In-person early voting continues through Saturday, Nov. 1. Voters can vote in-person at their county board of elections and are able to register to vote the same day if necessary. 

Hours of operation can vary among polling places. Voters can find their polling place and the operating hours by checking voter registration at vt.ncsbe.gov. 

Waynesville isn’t just another mountain town still recovering from Hurricane Helene — it’s Haywood County’s economic, cultural and governmental hub. Nearly everything that happens in the largest municipality in the state’s western seven counties has ripple effects beyond its borders, from disaster recovery and infrastructure planning to affordable housing and fiscal stability.  

This cycle, Canton’s ballot carries the weight of five hard years. A global pandemic. Tropical Storm Fred in 2021. A mill closure in 2023 that upended municipal finance. Hurricane Helene in 2024. The next four years will test the town’s ability to finish flood recovery, modernize water and sewer, help redevelop the mill site and keep taxes predictable while still paving streets and paying bills. 

Clyde is a small town surrounded by bigger ambitions. Tucked between Canton and Waynesville, hemmed in by interstate lanes and the Pigeon River, it is both geographically and economically poised on the edge of growth — an edge that has never been sharper than it is now, in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s destruction and amid mounting pressure to plan for a future that’s already arriving. 

Municipal elections will soon take place across North Carolina, so now is a great time to check your voter registration status and register if necessary by Oct. 10.

Voters have many options for registration — in-person at your county’s board of elections office or the local DMV, alongside online registration with a valid North Carolina driver license. 

The small Jackson County town of Sylva faces challenges similar to other Western North Carolina communities — balancing quality of life with growth while struggling with a relatively slim tax base requiring tight annual budgets — but divisive social issues have left the town and the county more polarized than ever. 

The Village of Forest Hills, home to about 350 residents, faces an election that will decide who leads the small Jackson County municipality through the next several years of growth and uncertainty.