Charlotte, North Carolina sample ballot 2026

Elisa Chinn Gary has been Mecklenburg County's clerk of superior court since 2014, following 13 years as Juvenile and Family Court administrator for the 26th Judicial District, per the state courts' judicial directory.

Leigh Altman is a sitting at-large commissioner and board vice chair, serving since 2020, per the county's official commission roster. She is an attorney who previously served as lead attorney in the Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs and as a Council for Children's Rights staff attorney, per her official county biography.

Arthur Griffin, Jr. is a sitting at-large commissioner, serving since 2022, per the county's official commission roster. He is a retired McGraw-Hill Education senior vice president, served 17 years on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board including as chairman, and is a retired Army lieutenant colonel, per his official county biography.

Aaron R. Marin announced in March 2026 that he was ending his campaign and moving out of District 1, per WBTV and WSOC, but remains on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list and prints on the November ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

George Dunlap has represented District 3 since 2008 and has served six terms as board chair, per the county's official commission roster. He is a retired law enforcement officer with 27 years of service, a former Marine, served 13 years on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board, and is the current National Association of Counties president, per his official county biography.

Mark Jerrell has represented District 4 since 2018 and is the current board chair, per the county's official commission roster. He is an entrepreneur and Army Reserve veteran, per his official county biography.

Charles DeLoach is a civil litigation attorney with Villmer Caudill and a south Charlotte community organizer, per his campaign site.

Susan Rodriguez-McDowell has represented District 6 since 2018 and chairs the board's Economic Development Committee, per the county's official commission roster.

Kimberly Y. Best was appointed to the District Court for Judicial District 26, serving Mecklenburg County, filling the vacancy created after Judge Tyyawdi Hands retired, per the Governor's Office. Best has worked as a principal at The Best Law Firm, PLLC, and previously served as a judge in both Superior and District Court in District 26, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

Roderick G. Davis is a judge for the Mecklenburg County District Court, elected to the bench in 2022 and taking office in January 2023, per his campaign site. Before joining the bench, Davis was in private practice in Mecklenburg County for over 17 years, focusing on state and federal criminal defense, civil litigation and business law, and he currently serves as the DWI STEP Court judge.

Alyssa M. Levine is a sitting District Court Judge for District 26, Mecklenburg County, per the North Carolina Judicial Branch's judicial directory. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

Jennifer L. Fleet has served Mecklenburg County as a District Court Judge for three years, presiding over civil, criminal and domestic violence courts, per her campaign site. She currently serves as Lead Judge for Mecklenburg's District Civil Division and became a member of the North Carolina State Bar in 2014, having practiced as a family law litigator before her election, per the same source.

Matt Newton is a District Court Judge in Mecklenburg County who is running for a second term, per his campaign site. He previously served two terms on City Council and brings over fifteen years of trial court experience to the bench.

Paige McThenia is a District Court Judge for District 26, Seat 17, in Mecklenburg County, appointed to the bench by Governor Mike Easley in March 2008 and re-elected in November 2022, per North Carolina Digital Collections. She earned a B.A. from Evergreen State College in 1989 and a J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 2000, and worked as an assistant district attorney in Mecklenburg County from 2004 to 2008, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

Habekah Cannon is the Democratic nominee and unopposed on the November 3, 2026 ballot for North Carolina District Court Judge, District 26, Seat 18, per the North Carolina State Board of Elections' certified general-election candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

Samantha C. Mobley has served Mecklenburg County as a district court judge since being elected in 2022, per her campaign site. She previously served as a magistrate judge in Mecklenburg County for nine years, and graduated cum laude from Ursuline College before attending the Charlotte School of Law, per the same source.

Karen D. McCallum currently serves as a District Court Judge in Mecklenburg County, per the North Carolina Judicial Branch directory. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

Rhonda L. Patterson-Wrighten is a District Court Judge for District 26, Seat 21, in Mecklenburg County, appointed in 2022 by Governor Roy Cooper to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Rickye McKoy-Mitchell, per rrspin.com. She was previously the managing attorney at The Patterson Law Office and earlier an adjunct instructor at Johnson C. Smith University's Metropolitan College and an associate at K&L Gates, and she received her B.A. and J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, per the same source.

Sarah Stevens is an attorney with more than 30 years in private practice and president of the Surry County Bar Association, per her campaign site. She has served as Republican Leader and Speaker Pro Tempore of the North Carolina House, chairing the House Elections Law and Judiciary Committees, and holds a law degree from Campbell University School of Law, per her campaign site.

John S. Arrowood is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

Michael C. Byrne is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

George Cooper Bell is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

Craig Collins is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.