2026 Watauga County Meet the Candidates Forum

The annual Watauga County Meet the Candidates Forum is scheduled for Thursday, October 1, from 5:30 to 8:30 PM and will be broadcast live from the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country in Boone. This event is free and open to the public. To maintain decorum, political literature and signage will not be allowed in the room.

For those unable to attend in person, this event will be broadcast live, in its entirety, on YouTube, WATA (1450 AM / 96.5 FM), and the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce website. Archives of the forum will be made available on Boone Area Chamber of Commerce platforms following the event. 

CANDIDATE SCHEDULE

Candidates appearing in bold in the schedule below have been confirmed for the event.

5:15 PM

Venue & Seating Area Open to the Public

5:30 PM

Welcome, Review of Procedures, & Announcements

Candidates for Watauga County Board of Education

6:30 PM

Candidates for NC House & Senate Races

7:30 PM

Candidates for Watauga County Board of Commissioners

ADDITIONAL CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS

Due to the number of races on the ballot, and in consideration of the timing of our in-person event, the following candidates will be interviewed for a special series of the Mind Your Business podcast.

Each candidate for a specific office will be interviewed individually and asked the same questions. Each interview will be made available to the public on Thursday, October 1st, at 5:30 PM on the Mind Your Business Podcast Channel as well as on the boonechamber.com main page.

Subscribe to Mind Your Business wherever you get your podcasts, and you will be alerted when these interviews are available.

Candidates appearing in bold on the list below have accepted an invitation to be interviewed for the podcast.

EVENT FORMAT

 
Questions and focus areas will allow candidates to inform the local business community about their platform, goals, and objectives.

Questions will be asked of all the candidates within key focus areas in a ‘round robin’ format; each having an opportunity to answer first, but all answering the same question. A set list of topics will come from suggestions from the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Task Force and the Blowing Rock Chamber Government Affairs Committee, as well as submissions from audience members. Members of the community are encouraged to submit questions in advance by clicking on the link below.

Click Here to Submit a Question/Topic

All questions will be asked by a moderator.  Each response will have a 90-second time limit, and each candidate will have a two-minute opening and closing statement. 

This forum is an opportunity for the citizenry to hear each candidate’s position on topics related to economic and community development. 

Please contact David Jackson, President/CEO, at 828-264-2225 with any further questions.