{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Shane E. Little","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Shane Eric Little is a registered voter in Ashe County, North Carolina, registered since 1988 (38 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Shane Eric Little's year of birth as 1970; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 7 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Shane Eric Little can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Shane","lastname":"Little","middlename":"Eric","suffix":null,"token":"0b169f6f250b28ad"},"token":"V-QFja8UXny-GdK0"},{"candidatename":"Jamie McNeill","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"James McNeill is a Democratic candidate for a seat on the Ashe County Board of Education in North Carolina. He appeared on the ballot in the general election held on November 5, 2024, seeking one of the two available seats on the board [1].\n\nBallotpedia does not provide biographical details such as his education, professional background, or prior public service, and the candidate has not completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey [1].\n\nNo campaign website or publicly listed contact information beyond an email address was found. The only contact listed is JMCNEILLJR2020@GMAIL.COM, which appears on the Ballotpedia page and can be used for outreach [1].\n\nBranch\u2019s candidate profile notes that as of June 2024 James McNeill did not have a website or publicly available contact information, and no policy statements or platform details were available at that time [9].\n\nBecause of the limited publicly available information, voters seeking more details about his positions or experience may need to contact the candidate directly via the provided email address.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [James McNeill (Ashe County Board of Education, North Carolina, candidate 2024) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/James_McNeill_(Ashe_County_Board_of_Education,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2024))\n- [9] [James McNeill platform & website | Ashe County Board of Education Member](https://www.branch.vote/races/2024-nc-general-election-nc-state-county-board-of-education-member-nc-county-ashe/candidates/james-mcneill)","firstname":"James","lastname":"Mcneill","middlename":"Robert","suffix":"JR","token":"0425e67d08c765fb"},"token":"2yoI4pfNdnvDeHAV"},{"candidatename":"Dianne Eldreth","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Dianne Eldreth currently serves as a member and Vice Chair of the Ashe County Board of Education in North Carolina and is a candidate for the same board in the 2026 election cycle. The Ashe County Board of Education oversees the operation of public schools in the county, sets policy, adopts budgets, and hires the superintendent, among other duties required of a local education governing body. \n\nPublic records do not detail Eldreth\u2019s formal education or professional background beyond her service on the school board. Her contact information, including a campaign email address (dianneeldreth73@gmail.com), is listed on her Ballotpedia profile.\n\nEldreth was first on the ballot for the Ashe County Board of Education in the November 8, 2022 general election, where she ran as a nonpartisan candidate and was re\u2011elected with the highest vote total among the nine candidates, receiving 6,093 votes (22.01%)\u30109\u2020L1-L9\u3011. Following that election she continued her service, and by February 2022 she was identified as the Vice Chair of the board, participating in meetings that addressed staffing, facilities, and contract negotiations for a new middle\u2011school project\u301010\u2020L1-L7\u3011. In that meeting she moved to extend discussion time on applications for a newly created board member position and later motioned to begin negotiations for an owner\u2011representative for the middle\u2011school construction, demonstrating involvement in both governance and operational decisions for the district\u301010\u2020L13-L23\u3011. \n\nDuring the 2022 campaign, Eldreth expressed gratitude to voters for re\u2011electing her, emphasizing a commitment to \u201cwork hard for the kids and families of Ashe County\u201d and to represent all community members without partisan bias\u30109\u2020L24-L30\u3011. Her public statements and board actions indicate a focus on transparency in board appointments, fiscal responsibility for school construction projects, and responsiveness to community concerns.\n\nEldreth\u2019s continued candidacy for the 2026 Ashe County Board of Education reflects her ongoing engagement with local education issues and her desire to maintain a role in shaping policy and oversight for Ashe County schools.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Dianne Eldreth (Ashe County Board of Education, North Carolina, candidate 2022) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Dianne_Eldreth_(Ashe_County_Board_of_Education,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2022))\n- [9] [Unofficial election results: McNeill, Olive re-elected as county commissioners | News | ashepostandtimes.com](https://www.ashepostandtimes.com/news/unofficial-election-results-mcneill-olive-re-elected-as-county-commissioners/article_5c00211e-5fd9-11ed-aaa6-23afcf4c684b.html)\n- [10] [Board of Education votes to further discuss the position of new board member, negotiations to begin for owner representative for new middle school | Community | ashepostandtimes.com](https://www.ashepostandtimes.com/community/board-of-education-votes-to-further-discuss-the-position-of-new-board-member-negotiations-to/article_82da2852-329d-5e87-965c-c9dbeccf7102.html)","firstname":"Dianne","lastname":"Eldreth","middlename":"Blevins","suffix":null,"token":"542bdf28c1f67481"},"token":"9tnF5r0pK_5K6_CW"},{"candidatename":"Janet Ward","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Janet Ward is a candidate seeking a seat on the Ashe County Board of Education in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 election. She previously ran for the same board in 2022, appearing on the general\u2011election ballot on November\u202f8,\u202f2022 [1]. The Ashe County Board of Education is a three\u2011member body that governs the county\u2019s public schools, as indicated by the 2022 election listing for three seats [1].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Janet Ward (Ashe County Board of Education, North Carolina, candidate 2022) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Janet_Ward_(Ashe_County_Board_of_Education,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2022))","firstname":"Janet","lastname":"Ward","middlename":"Dolores","suffix":null,"token":"916bfe4d704961e5"},"token":"aTTh8LpevtdgDlU7"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"school_board","o.office":"county_school_board","office":"county_school_board","officedescription":"A school board member serves on the elected body that governs a public school district. The board sets district policy and budget priorities and hires and evaluates the superintendent, while leaving day-to-day management to the administration.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment for a public school district \u2014 setting direction while leaving day-to-day management to the superintendent.\n- Budget literacy for operating and capital budgets, in coordination with the county commission (which appropriates) and the state.\n- Ability to hire, evaluate, and when necessary replace the superintendent \u2014 the board's highest-stakes recurring decision.\n- Constituent relations with parents, teachers, principals, and community members.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required annual training through the Tennessee School Boards Association.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County School Board Member","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":3,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Ashe County Board Of Education"}