Several statewide races will be on the ballot in 2026, including U.S. Senate and several judiciary roles. All of the state's 14 U.S. Congressional seats are up for election, along with the 50 Senate seats and 120 House seats in the North Carolina General Assembly.
Not all 170 state House and Senate races will be competitive. Some races don’t have candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties. Local races include county commissioners, sheriffs and school boards.
The primary is crucial for many local races where all candidates are of the same party.
What about unaffiliated candidates?
Unaffiliated candidates - those who are not part of an official state party - must get a specified number signatures from voters on a petition in order to be put on the ballot in the General election in November.
The number of signatures is proportional to the population of the area where they are trying to run. For example, to run for a local office like county commissioner, a candidate needs 4% of all registered N.C. voters within the county or district to sign the petition.
The petition is due at noon on the day of the primary election, March 3, to the County Board of Elections.
There is also a filing fee for unaffiliated candidates. It is based on the annual salary of the elected office.
Here’s the full list of requirements for unaffiliated candidates.
If you are working to be an unaffiliated candidate in Western North Carolina please let us know by sending an email.
Who is running in Western North Carolina?
In Western North Carolina, no Republican candidates filed for NC House District 114, currently represented by Rep. Eric Ager or NC House District 116, currently represented by Rep. Brian Turner. Both are running for re-election unopposed.
These races are outliers at the state level. All of the other state House and Senate races in the region are competitive. See all the races below.
Locally, candidates have already been campaigning and getting involved in local politics. During the Dec. 9, Jackson County Board of Elections meeting, two candidates spoke against the closure of the WCU polling site during early voting:
Democrat Tom Downing of Jackson County, filed to run for Senate District 50 against incumbent Republican Kevin Corbin of Macon County on Dec. 9. (Thanks to Chris Cooper for the flag!)
The district covers Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon, Swain, Jackson and Haywood counties. Corbin filed for re-election on the first day, Dec. 1.
Democrat John Herrera of Sylva also spoke during the meeting. He is running for Jackson County Commissioner in District 1 alongside German (Worm) Vivas (D), Casey Walawender(D), Julie Extine Painter (D), Steven J. Sutton (R) and Anthony Sequoyah (R).
Six candidates have filed for County Commission Chairman: David J. Rogers(R), Jarrett Crowe(R), Marcia Almond (D), Jon Brown (R), Bobbi Hopp(D), and incumbent Mark Letson (R). There are three candidates for District 2: Sean Bridgers(D), incumbent John W. Smith (R) and Frances Owens (D).
Here’s all of the candidates for the 2026 election. Use the search bar to find the candidates in your county.
What's next
The State Board of Elections randomly determined the order of candidates on the ballot with a drawing and coin flip on Friday. In 2026, candidates whose last names begin with the letter “F” will appear first on the ballot.
The State Board approved the early voting plans for 87 counties that submitted unanimous plans at their meeting on Dec. 22.
The non-unanimous plans, including the plan for Jackson County, will be considered in January.
Check your voter registration status here.
Need to register? Find out how.
