Introducing "The Buzz" by Ken May, HNRMC President, August 19, 2025

 Introducing “The Buzz”

For those of you who tolerated the Charlotte Observer until you just couldn’t anymore, you might remember one of their fun features that gave “everyday” citizens a chance to comment on the events of the day. It was on the Opinion Page, and it was called “The Buzz”. 

Subscribers were invited to email anonymous pithy statements of no more than 10-25 words that captured the fancy of readers regarding a current event or situation. 

The Buzz was discontinued around 2017, the same time they went from printing letters to the editor from seven days a week to five, then three and now one. Sunday only!! Back then it was a way to start the day off with a little humor. Topics ranged from local politics, to littering, road congestion, football or the crime of the day. Not all were humorous. Some took on more serious subjects. To give you an idea here are a few from those final days of The Buzz – Charlotte Observer version:

- Are you ready for some CTE, I mean, football?

- We have a streetcar no one desires!

- CMS can innovate all it wants, but it won’t replace good parenting

- If Meck County Commissioners were in Manhattan, they would sell Central Park to a developer.

- The Russians didn’t influence my vote, Hillary did!

- Scouting for Girls? Didn’t Boy Scouts always scout for Girls?

Ok, enough of that ancient fun. Hornet’s Nest is introducing “The Buzz” as our seasonal newsletter to keep you up to date on the political scene, especially around election time.

In this premier edition, I have asked Andrew Dunn, a proud Hornet’s Nest member and the publisher of an extraordinary “must read” website and newsletter, Longleaf Politics to give us his thoughts on the importance of Political Clubs to the election process. He is also the conservative guest opinion page contributor to the Charlotte Observer. I hope you enjoy it and subscribe to his newsletter. As a Hornet’s Nest member, you will get a special discount. One of the benefits of membership!! Click on THE BUZZ at the Top Page Menu for his contribution.

Now let’s play some fun with numbers!

Here are a few fun facts about voter trends in North Carolina, Mecklenburg and the upcoming municipal elections. 

Did you know:

There are 7,565, 918 registered voters in North Carolina as of this writing:

2,311,927 Democrats

2,295,542 Republicans

2,908,232 Unaffiliated 

4,082 Green Party

46,135 Libertarians

At the end of 2024, North Carolina also recognized: The Constitution Party, The Justice For All Party, the No Labels Party (a Pat McCrory creation), and the We The People Party.

Since these parties failed to meet the threshold of receiving 2% of the total vote for either governor or president in 2024, there were decertified, and all their members were automatically re-registered as unaffiliated, and it was up to them to remain unaffiliated or change their registration for 2025.

The Green party also failed to meet that threshold but since they had a candidate in 70% of the states for president in 2024, they remain certified for now.

We are projected to take the number two spot and out-register Democrats by the end of 2025. 

3,176,502 Male Voters

3,729,293 Female Voters – 

660,123 are either confused or refused to list their sex on their voter registration.

No matter how you do the math, the path to victory in a statewide race is dependent on the turnout and proclivity of the unaffiliated voter, as the two major parties are about dead even. And women, as always in North Carolina, will decide the ultimate outcomes.

Now let’s take a look at voter registration in Mecklenburg County. It is a very different picture!

317,187 Democrats

156,333 Republicans

327,461 Unaffiliated

5,389 Libertarians

571 Green Party

335,423 Male Voters

402,738 Female Voters

68,780 Confused, Genderless or Refused to answer

Total Voters in Mecklenburg: 806,941

Now let’s take a quick look at historical turnout in Municipal Elections in Mecklenburg:  

10 years ago, we lost the Charlotte Mayor race by less than 5 points. 10 short years ago!! The next one we lost by 18+ points. You can do the math after that.

Over a 50-point differential in two of the last three races.

And when you look at the voter registration numbers, the math just clearly does not work in our favor.

That last time we came within shouting distance of an at large seat was when John Powell lost by 300+ votes in 2015.

And as always it will be about turnout. On average, about 15% of eligible voters turn out for municipal elections. Look at the trends in the above chart. The 2019 turnout was driven by the last referendum for a Sales Tax Increase in Mecklenburg. That referendum called for a ¼ cent increase and it failed 57-43. Surely, a 1% increase request will drive turnout in 2025, and it still unlikely we will exceed 20%. Sad, but true. Also, an opportunity for us. Because, you know, math!

Why is 2025 different? Well, the odds are not in our favor for the Mayor race or an at large seat. It’s that math thing again.

But there is a different mood in our city right now.

The police chief scandal, the rising crime rate, a sheriff’s department rife with discontent, the disfunction of the Democrats on City Council to work together and the inability of our school board to impact any real improvement in student outcomes at all grade levels all work in our favor.

We may not win those seats but even if we get back to the 2015 differential we are sending a message that we are here to stay and we have solutions for our city that the Democrat party-controlled city leadership have not been able to accomplish.

Ed Driggs and Tariq Bokhari have represented us well in the past. Ed is unopposed and will get re-elected. The District 6 seat has a primary and a formidable Democrat for the general election. We must keep that seat!

We have one seat on the school board and if the sun, moon and stars align, we could take four seats in November. It’s a possibility. We have some really good candidates. And the Democrats have done us a favor in three districts by running two Democrats against our Republican candidate.

But you know what, I have to vote. You have to vote. And we have to get out the vote. Turnout will be slightly larger because of the 1% transportation tax referendum. But it won’t be 20%.

If 40% of registered Republicans turn out, we win. We defy all odds. Is it likely? Quite frankly, no, not unless we find a way to get everyone to the polls. The County party, Meck GOP, has a good plan to increase voter turnout. But if we are really going to make a difference each one of us must convince our friends, family and neighbors to go to the polls. There will be no crowds. Your civic duty will honestly take less than half an hour. I voted in the last one on the first day of early voting and I was in and out in less than ten minutes from car door to car door.

So, is it likely, um, no! Can we put some scare into them? You betcha! And maybe, just maybe, at the election party on November 4th, we might hear someone sounding like Al Michaels shout out in disbelief, “Do You Believe In Miracles”. It would ring even sweeter than it did on that magical 1980 night in Lake Placid!

That’s it for now. We will focus on some Union County races in our next edition. See you at the Judicial Palooza event on August 25 and our annual BBQ on Sept 18. Follow this website link for more information.

Conservatively yours,

Ken May

President, Hornet’s Nest Republican Men’s Club