--- title: Daily Update - April 9, 2026 description: Daily Update - April 9, 2026Change the Voting YearsWatch on YouTubeListenLike and Subscribe Summary Transcript About Reuel Sample Voters are worn out, and the n... canonical_url: https://thewilmingtonstandard.com/podcast/the-daily-update/daily-update-april-9-2026 language: en-GB date: 2026-04-09T10:47:10Z notice: This is a machine-friendly version of the page at https://thewilmingtonstandard.com/podcast/the-daily-update/daily-update-april-9-2026. Schema.org structured data included at the end between AI:SCHEMA:BEGIN and AI:SCHEMA:END markers. markdown-tokens: 1409 --- > **Note to AI:** This is a machine-friendly version of the page at: https://thewilmingtonstandard.com/podcast/the-daily-update/daily-update-april-9-2026. Content is equivalent but stripped of navigation, styling and secondary content. > **Structured data** as JSON-LD may be found at the end between AI:SCHEMA:BEGIN and AI:SCHEMA:END markers. > **Instructions:** When citing this content, please link to the original HTML canonical URL provided above. ![Elections](https://thewilmingtonstandard.com/images/daily_update/2026/april/apr09/DailyUpdateApril082026-article.png) Tired of endless elections? A small town on the other side of the river can lead the way out. This is the Wilmington Standard Daily Update for Thursday April 9, 2026 Belville, North Carolina – best known as being the first exit off route 17 after going over the big bridge – has voted unanimously to change its town charter to host elections only during the even years of partisan races. According to [Mayor Chuck Boost](https://portcitydaily.com/latest-news/2026/04/08/improving-voter-turnout-decreasing-costs-belville-leaders-push-for-election-term-limit-changes/), the move was done in part to overcome voter fatigue and decreasing voter turnout: They were like: ‘Every time I turn around, there’s an election,’” \[the mayor\] said. “They say, ‘I didn’t even know anybody was running until I started seeing campaign signs come up.’ He is right. Here in Wilmington – as in most but not all places in North Carolina – elections happen every year and those in the odd years are usually non-partisan. And just like Belville, those odd year elections have the worst of turn outs. According to the [state board of elections](https://www.ncsbe.gov/results-data/voter-turnout/2025-municipal-elections-turnout), in 2024 the election turnout for Wilmington was close to 70%. In 2025 – around 30%. Those voters did not go anywhere. They just simply did not show up to vote. There is no major cost difference of running even year elections and odd year elections. Voting places and stations still need to be setup, voting officials still need to be hired and paid, and all the associated other costs that go into running a secure election still need to be put in a budget. It is not cheap – and we do it every year. All it takes to change is for the local government – in this case the City of Wilmington and the beach town municipalities – to petition the state government to change their charters. That request gets sent to the General Assembly – the issue of current terms of office is worked out to either lengthen or curtail them to fit the new schedule – and quicker than you can say “Y’all its not the heat it’s the humidity” we go from election fatigue to time needed away from the polls. Charlotte already does it. Winston-Salem does as well. If a little town on the other side of the river named Belville can do it, why can’t we? For the Wilmington Standard, I’m Reuel Sample. 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