The Ballot Brief
Rowan County, North Carolina

Rowan County Board of Commissioners

6 candidates are tracked for Rowan County Board of Commissioners on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Hannah Addair, Alissa Redmond, Ray Pope, Karla Foster Leonard, Daniel Lancaster and Jason Hinson. Candidate information follows official Rowan County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.

About this race

Rowan County elects 3 of its 5 commissioner seats in 2026; voters choose 3 of the 6 candidates below. None of the six is a sitting commissioner: incumbents Greg Edds (running for NC House instead), Judy Klusman and Jim Greene all declined to seek re-election, per the Salisbury Post. Karla Foster Leonard, Jason Hinson and Daniel Lancaster topped an 11-candidate Republican primary on March 3, 2026; Hannah Addair, Alissa Redmond and Ray Pope are unopposed on the Democratic side.

What this office does

County commissioner. The county board is the county's legislative and, in most states, executive body. Commissioners adopt the county budget and property tax rate, oversee roads, the jail, public health, planning and zoning in unincorporated areas, and appoint or confirm department heads. In counties with an elected county executive or judge, the board's role is mainly the budget and ordinances.

This race. Voters choose 3; the top 3 finishers win seats.

North Carolina › Rowan County › Rowan County Board of Commissioners

Hannah Addair

Democratic

Top priorities
  • Quality education and environmental health and resiliency
  • Sensible, careful development to keep Rowan's agriculture and natural places intact

Per the Salisbury Post candidate profile.

Biography

Hannah Addair appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Rowan County Board of Commissioners, per the county elections office's certified candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Hannah Addair.

Alissa Redmond

Democratic

Top priorities
  • Economic development along the I-85 corridor, outside data centers
  • Supporting Rowan-Salisbury Schools, including a school bond
  • Support for veterans, including mental health and housing assistance

Per the campaign site.

Biography

Alissa Redmond is a Rowan County resident and owner of South Main Book Company in Salisbury, North Carolina, per the campaign site.

Campaign site (opens in a new tab)

Ray Pope

Democratic

Top priorities
  • Fair compensation for public safety officers and teachers
  • Planning ahead of population growth and infrastructure needs

Per the Salisbury Post candidate forum coverage.

Biography

Ray Pope is a retired educator and scientist with 37 years of teaching experience, per the Salisbury Post. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Ray Pope.

Karla Foster Leonard

Republican

Top priorities
  • Compensating public safety officers to reduce turnover after training
  • Opening land near the I-85 exit that already has utilities, while protecting farmland

Per the Salisbury Post candidate forum coverage.

Biography

Karla Foster Leonard is the founder and owner of New Pointe Realty and previously worked as a Transition Specialist for Rowan County Youth Services, per the campaign site. Foster Leonard chairs the Rowan County Planning Board and serves as director of business advocacy for the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, and holds a criminal justice degree from Appalachian State University, per the campaign site.

Campaign site (opens in a new tab)

Daniel Lancaster

Republican

Top priorities
  • supporting law enforcement and building public trust in public safety
  • responsible growth that preserves community character

Per the campaign site.

Biography

Daniel Lancaster is a former law enforcement officer who now instructs Basic Law Enforcement Training courses and previously served as an interim Rowan County Commissioner, per the campaign site.

Campaign site (opens in a new tab)

Jason Hinson

Republican

Biography

Jason Hinson served on the China Grove planning and zoning board for seven years and serves on the Rowan County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, per the Salisbury Post. He is senior vice president of the Southern Piedmont Chapter of the Police Benevolent Association. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Jason Hinson.

Next on your ballotRowan-Salisbury Board of Education, Seat 1 (North)

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Questions about this race

Who is running for Rowan County Board of Commissioners in 2026?

6 candidates are tracked for Rowan County Board of Commissioners on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Hannah Addair, Alissa Redmond, Ray Pope, Karla Foster Leonard, Daniel Lancaster and Jason Hinson. Candidate information follows official Rowan County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.

When is the Rowan County Board of Commissioners election in North Carolina?

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for North Carolina are on the North Carolina election hub at theballotbrief.com.

How do I see my exact Rowan County ballot?

Enter your ZIP code in the lookup at theballotbrief.com for the statewide and congressional races, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location.

Verify this race

Candidate roster from official Rowan County and state election office filings, last verified October 1, 2026. Bios and priorities carry their attribution inline.

Cross-check with the official North Carolina election office, or see the full Rowan County sample ballot and your exact ballot by address.

The rest of your Rowan County ballot

20 tracked races in Rowan County, North Carolina. Landed here from another county's search? Look up your own ballot below.

Also on your ballot
Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education, Seat 2 (South)Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education, Seat 4 (West)Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education, Seat 6 (Special)See all 20 Rowan County races
Candidate profiles
Hannah Addair, full profileAlissa Redmond, full profileRay Pope, full profileKarla Foster Leonard, full profileDaniel Lancaster, full profileJason Hinson, full profileOfficial North Carolina election office