{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nAs of May 17, 2026, Melvin B. Poole is a candidate for the Stanly County Board of Commissioners At-Large seat in North Carolina [1]. He has filed to run in the upcoming general election for this position [5]. BallotReady lists him as a candidate for the November 2024 race, indicating his continued political activity in the jurisdiction [5].\n\nPoole previously sought the Stanly County Board of Education At-Large seat in the 2022 North Carolina Primary Election [2][5]. In that cycle, he participated in the Republican primary process for county-level office [4]. He also ran for the Stanly County Board of Commissioners At-Large position in the 2024 general election [1][3].\n\n## Career\n\nMelvin B. Poole graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and completed additional coursework in human development and learning at Pfeiffer University [7]. He served as a Military Police Officer during the Vietnam War, a service for which he is commemorated on the Wall of Faces registry of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund [6][7].\n\nProfessionally, Poole has worked as a Red Cross volunteer [5]. He self-describes his political affiliation as Libertarian and identifies himself as a candidate for Stanly County Commissioner At Large in the 2024 election [7].\n\n## Office history\n\nMelvin B. Poole ran for election to the Stanly County Board of Education At-Large in the 2022 North Carolina Primary Election [2]. He sought the Republican nomination but did not secure it, as he lost the primary race [4].\n\nPoole subsequently ran for election to the Stanly County Board of Commissioners At-Large in the 2024 North Carolina General Election [1]. He is listed as a candidate for this office in that cycle [5].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Melvin B. Poole (Stanly County Board of Commissioners At-Large ...](https://ballotpedia.org/Melvin_B._Poole_(Stanly_County_Board_of_Commissioners_At-Large,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2024))\n[2] [Melvin B. Poole (Stanly County Board of Education At-Large, North ...](https://ballotpedia.org/Melvin_B._Poole_(Stanly_County_Board_of_Education_At-Large,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2022))\n[3] [Stanly County, North Carolina, elections, 2024 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Stanly_County,_North_Carolina,_elections,_2024)\n[4] [Stanly County Republican primary election results - Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/WSPCWZKY/posts/election-results-brought-to-you-by-a-excellent-telecommunicationsas-of-this-repo/10158874259384077/)\n[5] [Melvin B. Poole | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/melvin-b-poole)\n[6] [THE WALL OF FACES - Vietnam Veterans Memorial ...](https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/41261/MELVIN-POOLE/)\n[7] [Melvin B. Poole platform & website | Stanly County Commissioner](https://www.branch.vote/races/2024-nc-general-election-nc-state-county-commissioner-nc-county-stanly/candidates/melvin-b-poole)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_at_large","county":"stanly","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Stanly County Board Of Commissioners At-Large"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Melvin","fullname":"Melvin B Poole","lastname":"Poole","middlename":"B","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_at_large","contest_title":"Stanly County Board Of Commissioners At-Large","county":"stanly","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"stanly","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"LIB","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"stanly","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_at_large","contest_title":"Stanly County Board Of Commissioners At-Large","county":"stanly","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"stanly","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"LIB","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"LIB","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Melvin B. Poole is a Libertarian candidate for Stanly County Commission At-Large in North Carolina, with prior service on the Board of Education.","terms":[],"token":"f6730ef9e37a2a09"}