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This is a reproduction of the front of the ballot used by voters with a UNC Asheville address. There are different ballots for other precincts within the state.
FRONT
President
Head of the executive branch of the U.S. federal government; commander in chief of U.S. armed forces. Term: four years.
Vice President
First in the presidential line of succession, becoming president upon the death, resignation, incapacity or removal of the president. No executive powers. Presides over the U.S. Senate. Term: four years.
U.S. Senate
Two per state. Proposes and votes on new U.S. laws; votes on confirming members of the U.S. Cabinet (Secretary of State, Secretary of War, etc.) as well as the heads of most federal executive agencies, ambassadors, justices of the Supreme Court and other federal judges. Term: six years.
U.S. House of Representatives
More than 450 members, elected by district within each state. Initiates revenue bills, impeaches officials and elects the president in Electoral College deadlocks. Term: two years.
Governor
Mirrors the office of the president, but on a state level. Chief executive officer of the state, responsible for running the state government and commanding its armed forces. Signs bills into law or vetoes them. Term: four years.
Lieutenant Governor
Mirrors the office of the vice president, but on a state level. First in the gubernatorial line of succession. Oversees the spending of tax dollars, conducts business on behalf of the state government, serves on several state boards. Term: four years.
Attorney General
Provides legal representation and advice to all state government departments, agencies and commissions. Provides legal opinions to public officials and handles all criminal appeals from state trial courts. Term: four years.
Auditor
State accountant and financial controller. Audits and supervises accounting and financial reporting within the state. Term: four years.
Commissioner of Agriculture.
Head of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; chairman of the state Board of Agriculture. Term: four years.
Commissioner of Insurance
Licenses insurance professionals in the state, educates consumers about different types of insurance, handles consumer complaints and oversees the office of the state Fire Marshal. Term: four years.
Commissioner of Labor
Administrative head of the Department of Labor. Charged with promoting the health, safety and general well-being of the state's working people. Term: four years.
Secretary of State
Works to ensure uniform compliance with the statutes governing the creation of corporations, limited partnerships and limited liability companies in the state. Records the information required to be kept as a public record, and provides that information to the public. Term: four years.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Administrative head of the Department of Public Instruction. Oversees the state's public school system. Term: four years.
Treasurer
The state's banker and chief investment officer. Supervises state banking system and retirement account investments. Administers the state's unclaimed property database. Term: four years.
NC State Senate
Mirrors U.S. Senate, but on the state level (51 per state). Districts 48, 49, 114, 115 and 116 represent Buncombe County. Enacts general and local laws that promote the interests of the state; establishes rules and regulations governing the conduct of the people. Term: two years.
NC House of Representatives
Mirrors U.S. House of Representatives, but on the state level (120 per state). Duties are much as the state Senate, but members of the House represent a smaller district. Term: two years.
County Commissioner Chairman
Presides over the meetings of the commissioner but has one vote like the other four commissioners. Represents the board and the county at community events; serves on the board of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce. Term: Four years.
BACK
County Commissioner
One of five commissioners total, the governing body of the county. Enacts county policies such as the establishment of the property tax rate and the adoption of the budget. Adopts ordinances or local laws concerning issues like development, noise, animal control and the environment. Term: four years.
Register of Deeds
Maintains a record of real estate ownership, as well as other deeds that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over that property. Oversees the office that records land transactions, births, deaths and marriages in the county. Term: four years.
Supreme Court Associate Justice
Mirrors the U.S. Supreme Court, but on a state level; there is no further appeal in the state from a Supreme Court decision. With a chief justice, six associate justices sit together as a panel in Raleigh. Considers error in legal procedures or in judicial interpretation of the law. Term: eight years.
Court of Appeals Judge
Judges serve on an intermediate court between Superior and District courts and the state's Supreme Court. Fifteen judges sit in rotating panels of three, deciding questions of law on every case appealed from the state Superior and District courts except death penalty cases. Term: eight years.
District Court Judge
Serves in the county seat of Asheville hearing civil cases such as divorce, custody, child support, cases involving less than $10,000 and criminal cases involving misdemeanors and infractions. Also hears juvenile cases involving children under the age of 16 who are delinquent and children under the age of 18 who are undisciplined, dependent, neglected or abused. Term: four years.
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor
Oversees an office that works to conserve the soil, water, and related natural resources of the county by providing education, information, technical assistance and economic incentives to county citizens and by establishing new programs in concert with other agencies and organizations. Term: four years.
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