Open letter requesting support from North Carolina’s parties

April 11, 2026

From: Gunnar R. Wieboldt
Petitioner to be an Unaffiliated Candidate for NC House, District 54, 2026
30138 Village Park Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27517
(919) 943-2405 · info@gunnar4nc.com · gunnar4nc.com

Subject: Request for Support of Unaffiliated Candidate Petition for NC House of Representatives, District 54, Pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 163-122

By mail and email to party leadership statewide and in Chatham / Randolph counties, and to the District 54 incumbent.

Dear Party Representative or Incumbent:

I need your help to uphold the principle that elections in North Carolina need a choice. The voters in District 54 in the upcoming election for North Carolina’s House of Representatives deserve at least two candidates on the ballot. It goes without saying that an election without a choice is no election at all.

This is not a request for endorsement.

I recently petitioned to be added to the ballot for this election as an unaffiliated candidate motivated by the fact that no party was putting up opposition to the incumbent. This seemed wrong. If incumbents are not forced to defend their record in a competitive election every election, then our democracy will begin to look like the so-called “democracies” of authoritarian regimes abroad. Despite having only three months (vs. the normal five), further reduced by two weeks of weather emergencies, I secured nearly 4,000 signatures. However, in an unprecedented use of taxpayer-funded discretion to invalidate these signatures, including grounds not supported by the statute (e.g., DOB, address change, wrong county but correct district, etc.), only about 2,000 were accepted by the Chatham and Randolph County Boards of Elections (≈3% of registered voters), falling short of the ≈2,800 required (4% of registered voters). I will, of course, challenge these results both at the Board of Elections and in state court if I must. If my challenge fails, however, then the incumbent will run unopposed.

When incumbents are allowed to run unopposed then the very nature of our republic is threatened. The spirit of N.C.G.S. § 163-122 is to permit more choice in elections. But here, in the seemingly partisan or bureaucratic claim to be following the statute, the consequence is to deny any choice at all.

This is not a partisan matter. All parties profess to uphold democracy. Ensuring a choice in every election is the bare minimum proof of this commitment. All I ask is a letter, email, or even a text message, that I may use in my upcoming challenge that states something to the effect of:

[INSERT YOUR ORGANIZATION’S NAME] supports Gunnar Wieboldt’s challenge to the rejection of his petition to be added as an unaffiliated candidate for the 2026 election for NC House of Representatives, District 54. It is our understanding that if Mr. Wieboldt is not on the ballot, the incumbent will run unopposed. This is not a desirable outcome.

Your timely response is requested as it will be used in support of my challenge and every day that I am not a candidate is one less day that the voters of District 54 are denied a choice.

Respectfully,

Gunnar R. Wieboldt

P.S. This letter, and any responses (or non-responses), will be shared with the press for readers to infer what they will regarding your organization’s commitment to free and fair elections.