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Rutherford County voter guide: Meet the candidates on the Nov. 3 ballot
From Congress to town hall, voters will choose federal, state, county and municipal officials.
Rutherford County voters will head to the polls to elect officials responsible for public safety, education, taxation, infrastructure and government spending.
The election comes more than two years after Hurricane Helene, as local governments continue overseeing disaster recovery, infrastructure repairs and rebuilding projects.
WCAB News reviewed official sample ballots for Rutherford County, including Bostic, Chimney Rock Village, Ellenboro, Forest City, Green Hill, Lake Lure, Rutherfordton and Spindale.
Readers can view the sample ballots for each of these areas in our Rutherford County 2026 General Election Sample Ballot Collection on DocumentCloud.
Candidates in this guide are listed alphabetically by last name within each race for readability. That is not necessarily the order printed on the official ballot. The North Carolina State Board of Elections determined its 2026 ballot order months before Election Day.
Federal elections
U.S. Senate — Vote for one
Shannon Bray — Libertarian
Roy Cooper — Democrat
Michael Dublin — Green
Michael Whatley — Republican
U.S. House — District 14 — Vote for one
Tim Moore — Republican
Lakesha Womack — Democrat
North Carolina General Assembly
N.C. Senate — District 48
Doyle Brown, Jr. — Democrat
Tim Moffitt — Republican
N.C. House — District 111
Jerry Blake — Democrat
Paul Scott — Republican
N.C. House — District 113
Jake Johnson — Republican
John Morgan — Democrat
Voters will see only the legislative contests assigned to their residential address.
State judicial elections
N.C. Supreme Court — Associate Justice, Seat 1
Anita Earls — Democrat
Sarah Stevens — Republican
N.C. Court of Appeals — Seat 1
John Arrowood — Democrat
Michael Byrne — Republican
N.C. Court of Appeals — Seat 2
George Bell — Republican
Toby Hampson — Democrat
N.C. Court of Appeals — Seat 3
Craig Collins — Republican
Christine Walczyk — Democrat
District judicial and prosecutor elections
District Attorney — District 41
David Norris — Republican
District Court Judge — District 41, Seat 1
Robert Martelle — Republican
District Court Judge — District 41, Seat 2
Michelle McEntire — Republican
District Court Judge — District 41, Seat 3
Ellen Shelley — Republican
Rutherford County government
Board of Commissioners — District 1
Allen Hardin — Republican
Board of Commissioners — District 4
Adam Yelton — Republican
Board of Commissioners — District 5
Phil Burney — Democrat
Scott Haynes — Republican
Sheriff
Aaron Ellenburg — Republican
Clerk of Superior Court
Steve Owens — Republican
Rutherford County Board of Education
District 1
Erica Carson Davenport — Democrat
Joshua Millwood — Republican
District 2
Kisha McDowell — Democrat
Kala Suttle — Republican
District 3
April Mayse — Republican
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor
Nonpartisan — Vote for two
Mortellus Amorello
Shannon Buckley
Cathy Darnell
Clint Green
Reggie Hines
The official ballot also provides two write-in spaces.
Municipal elections
Municipal elections are nonpartisan, meaning political party affiliations do not appear beside candidates' names on the ballot.
Town of Bostic
Mayor — Vote for one: Mitch Harrill.
Commissioners — Vote for two: Mike Hollifield; Billy Lattimore.
Chimney Rock Village
Village Council — Vote for two: Richard Duffy; W. Bennett Phillips; Nicholas Sottile.
Town of Ellenboro
Board of Aldermen — Vote for three: Lee Allen; Allan "Bunt" Black; Rachel Lawson; Pamela Padgett; Warren C. Smith; Perry Whisnant.
Town of Forest City
Mayor — Vote for one: Steve Holland; Kimberly "SunShine" McCurry.
Commissioners — Vote for two: John Mark Bennett; Marc Duncan; Anastasia Haulk; Carl Ramsey.
Town of Lake Lure
Mayor — Vote for one
Printed ballot candidate:
Carol Pritchett — Incumbent
Announced write-in candidates:
John Edmonds Kozma
Kathy Tanner
Commissioners — Vote for two
Friedrich Jaeger-Faber
Dave Lusk
Jim Proctor
Richard Sayles
Town of Rutherfordton
Mayor — Vote for one
Printed ballot candidate:
Jimmy Dancy
Reported write-in candidate:
Clark Poole
Town Council — Vote for two
Stan Clements
Doris Crute
Ricky Gilbert
Christy Freeman Houser
Bobby Ray Miller Jr.
Jeff Wells
Town of Spindale
Mayor — Vote for one
Jonathan Bland
Charlie Brooks
Wyvern Mason
Commissioners — Regular terms — Vote for two
Rosaleen Francis
Todd Hines
Andrew Kegley
Ricky Ledbetter
Commissioner — Unexpired term — Vote for one
Jonah Creech
Paige Hines
Nancy Walker
Nonpartisan details
A nonpartisan election does not necessarily mean candidates are unaffiliated with a political party.
Candidates may be registered Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians or unaffiliated voters.
Their party affiliations simply are not printed on the ballot.
North Carolina voter registration information is generally public. Voters can use the state Board of Elections' website to review publicly available registration information, including political party affiliation and participation in previous elections.
Voting history does not reveal whom someone voted for.
Voter registration lookup: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/reglkup
Three constitutional amendments
North Carolina voters will also decide three proposed constitutional amendments:
Voter identification: Requiring photo identification for all voters, including those voting by mail.
State income tax: Reducing the maximum constitutional state income tax rate from 7% to 3.5%.
Property taxes: Requiring the General Assembly to establish limits on local government property tax increases.
Each proposal appears separately with For and Against choices.
Important election dates
Early voting continues through Saturday, Oct. 31, ending at 3 p.m.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polling places will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
Voters in line by 7:30 p.m. may still cast ballots.
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