The Ballot Brief
North Carolina
Candidate profile

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Ellen M. Shelley

Republican · North Carolina · 2026 · Incumbent

On the November 3 ballot for North Carolina District Court Judge, District 41, Seat 3, North Carolina

Was Ellen M. Shelley elected? The official answer comes November 24.

North Carolina makes results final in three steps.
✓
Done · Nov 3
Votes were cast and counted
Election night totals are a first count, not the final one.
2
Happening now · by Nov 13
Counties double-check their counts
The county reviews mail ballots, provisional ballots and any recount, then sends official totals to the state.
3
Next · Nov 24
North Carolina makes it official
The State Board of Elections certifies the result. The winner appears on this page that day.

What local news is reporting

Not official yetUpdated November 5, 2026

This report is cited to the outlet that published it. We do not call races. Official running count: North Carolina official results.

North Carolina District Court Judge, District 41, Seat 3
No report found yet

Reports are checked daily until North Carolina certifies on November 24; a certified winner replaces the report on that day.

Biography

Ellen M. Shelley currently serves as a District Court Judge for District 41, covering Rutherford and McDowell counties, appointed by Governor Roy Cooper on April 1, 2019, per the North Carolina Judicial Branch directory. Shelley earned a bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina and a J.D. from Samford University's Cumberland School of Law before becoming a partner at Evans & Shelley, and she was re-elected to the bench in 2022. Her judgeellenshelley.com site still shows a 2022 primary countdown and copyright date, so it is not linked. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

On the ballot

North Carolina District Court Judge, District 41, Seat 3North Carolina · 2026Mcdowell County sample ballot

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How we source this

Profile facts follow official election office filings and the sources cited in each biography. Official sources are the final word on who appears on your ballot.

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