Asheville, North Carolina

====Controversy====
In 2009, a group of Asheville citizens challenged the legitimacy of [[Cecil Bothwell]]'s election to the City Council,<ref name="Schrader091209">{{cite news |author1=Jordan Schrader |author2=Dale Neal |title=Critics of Cecil Bothwell cite N.C. bar to atheists |work=[[Asheville Citizen-Times]] |date=December 8, 2009 |url=http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20091208/NEWS01/912080327 |access-date=December 10, 2009 |archive-date=August 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20110807020225/http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20091208/NEWS01/912080327 |url-status=live}}</ref> citing the [[Constitution of North Carolina]], which does not permit [[Atheism|atheists]] to hold public office.<ref>{{cite web |title=Article VI: Suffrage and Eligibility to Office - Sec. 8. Disqualifications for office. |quote=The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God. |url=http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Legislation/constitution/ncconstitution.html |work=North Carolina State Constitution |publisher=State of North Carolina |access-date=February 15, 2014 |archive-date=February 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209114622/http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/legislation/constitution/ncconstitution.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Bothwell has described himself as a "[[Post-theism|post theist]]" rather than an atheist,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20091208/NEWS01/912080327?nclick_check=1 |title=Critics of Cecil Bothwell cite N.C. bar to atheists |work=The Asheville Citizen-Times |access-date=April 13, 2013 |archive-date=January 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130110214247/http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20091208/NEWS01/912080327?nclick_check=1 |url-status=live}}</ref> and is a member of a local [[Unitarian Universalist]] congregation. The opponents to his election never filed suit. In response to the charge, legal scholars explained that the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] held in ''[[Torcaso v. Watkins]]'' that religious tests for political office are unconstitutional.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20091214/NEWS01/312140021/Asheville-councilman-atheism-debate-goes-viral-Cecil-Bothwell-gets-wide-audience |title=Asheville councilman atheism debate goes viral: Cecil Bothwell gets wide audience |work=citizen-times.com}}</ref>

Bothwell served his four-year council term and was re-elected in 2013.<ref>{{cite news |title=Wisler, Smith, Bothwell win council seats |url=http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20131106/NEWS/311060047/Wisler-Smith-Bothwell-win-council-seats |access-date=February 15, 2014 |newspaper=Asheville Citizens-Times |date=November 5, 2013}}</ref> He was defeated in the primary when he ran for a third term in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2017/10/10/kapoor-manheimer-run-away-vote-bothwell-roney-battle-spot/752262001/ |title=Kapoor, Manheimer dominate Asheville primary; Bothwell loses |first=Joel Burgess, Mark Barrett, Alexandria Bordas and Jennifer |last=Bowman |website=The Asheville Citizen Times |access-date=April 29, 2018 |archive-date=November 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120164827/https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2017/10/10/kapoor-manheimer-run-away-vote-bothwell-roney-battle-spot/752262001/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

While the city council elections are non-partisan, party politics may enter into play, as Republican and Democratic party members back their registered members' candidacy. An effort by the council to return to partisan elections was defeated by voters in a referendum held in November 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McDaniel |first=Polly |date=2019-09-25 |title=Asheville City Council takes next step toward reinstating at-large elections and nonpartisan municipal primaries |url=https://www.ashevillenc.gov/news/asheville-city-council-takes-next-step-toward-reinstating-at-large-elections-and-nonpartisan-municipal-primaries/ |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=The City of Asheville |language=en-US |archive-date=November 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106155450/https://www.ashevillenc.gov/news/asheville-city-council-takes-next-step-toward-reinstating-at-large-elections-and-nonpartisan-municipal-primaries/ |url-status=live }}</ref>