On every Gastonia ballot
Board of Commissioners Dallas TownshipCathy Cloninger (R) · Matt Buchanan (D)
Cathy Cloninger
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- Fiscal responsibility, including prudent budget management and keeping tax rates low
- Public safety and transparent county operations
About Cathy Cloninger
Cathy Cloninger is the incumbent Dallas Township Commissioner, first elected in 2022. She spent 34 years in Gaston County domestic violence services before retiring as a county employee in 2017, per local press, and holds a Social Work degree from Mars Hill College.
Matt Buchanan
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- a healthcare informed, community focused approach to county governance
About Matt Buchanan
Matt Buchanan is a nursing student pursuing an Associate Degree in Nursing while working in critical care, per the campaign site. Buchanan has previously worked in food service, retail, manufacturing and the automotive industry, per the campaign site.
Board of Commissioners Gastonia TownshipJessica Maria Moreno (D) · Tom Keigher (R)
Jessica Maria Moreno
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- Expanding access to safe and stable housing
- Supporting workforce and economic opportunity for working families
- A more responsive and accessible county government
About Jessica Maria Moreno
Moreno is a housing advocate who has worked to help residents understand their rights and access information, and has lived in Gaston County since 2017 after her family was displaced from a Mecklenburg County mobile home park during redevelopment, per the campaign site.
Tom Keigher
Tom Keigher is the incumbent Gastonia Township Commissioner seeking re-election, per the county's official commissioners page. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Board of Commissioners Riverbend TownshipChad Brown (R)
Chad Brown
Chad Brown is the incumbent Riverbend Township Commissioner and current Chairman of the Gaston County Board of Commissioners, per the county's official commissioners page. He is unopposed on the November 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Board of Education At-LargeBrenda Eskridge (D) · Dot Cherry (R)
Brenda Eskridge
Top priorities
From other published sources
- Teacher retention through competitive pay, per Future Education Magazine
- Equitable resource allocation across schools and expanded mental health services, per Future Education Magazine
About Brenda Eskridge
Brenda Eskridge appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Gaston County Board of Education At-Large, 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 Brenda Eskridge.
Dot Cherry
Dot Cherry is the incumbent At-Large Board of Education member and current Vice Chairman, per the district's official board page. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Board of Education Dallas TownshipJosh Crisp (R) · Debra Gunnings-Johnson (D)
Josh Crisp
Josh Crisp serves as Chairman of the Gaston County Board of Education, representing Dallas Township, per the Gaston County Schools website. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Debra Gunnings-Johnson
Debra Gunnings-Johnson appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Gaston County Board of Education Dallas Township, 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 Debra Gunnings-Johnson.
Board of Education Gastonia TownshipChe'z (Shea) Adams (D) · Tim Taylor (R)
Che'z (Shea) Adams
Top priorities
From other published sources
- Teacher compensation and facility improvements, per Future Education Magazine
- Expanded teaching resources, per Future Education Magazine
About Che'z (Shea) Adams
Che'z (Shea) Adams is a former social worker and current educator, per Future Education Magazine. No campaign website was found for the race. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Tim Taylor
Top priorities
From other published sources
- Teacher retention and student safety, per Future Education Magazine
- Expanding STEAM program offerings, per Future Education Magazine
About Tim Taylor
Tim Taylor is a telecommunications manager and a parent in the district, per Future Education Magazine. No campaign website was found for the race. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Board of Education Riverbend TownshipBarbara Walls (D) · A.M. Stephens III (R)
Barbara Walls
Barbara Walls appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Gaston County Board of Education Riverbend Township, 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 Barbara Walls.
A.M. Stephens III
A.M. Stephens III is the incumbent Riverbend Township Board of Education member, per the district's official board page. He describes himself on his campaign site as a product of Gaston County public schools.
Board of Education South Point TownshipDavid Gain-Tang Chee (D) · Tod Kinlaw (R)
David Gain-Tang Chee
David Gain-Tang Chee appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Gaston County Board of Education South Point Township, 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 David Gain-Tang Chee.
Tod Kinlaw
Top priorities
From other published sources
- Ensuring a safe and secure learning environment for students and teachers, per local press
- Timely, competitive teacher compensation, per local press
- Curriculum transparency for parents, per local press
About Tod Kinlaw
Tod Kinlaw serves on the Gaston County Board of Education, representing South Point Township, per the Gaston County Schools website. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Clerk of Superior CourtThomas Brown (R)
Thomas Brown
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- Upholding high standards of public service and improving access to justice
- Modernizing office operations using the state's eCourts program
About Thomas Brown
Thomas Brown is a Magistrate Judge with more than 13 years of experience in the North Carolina court system, per his campaign site. Born and raised in Gastonia, he is unopposed for Clerk of Superior Court, a position his father, Larry Brown, held from 2006 to 2020.
SheriffChad E. Hawkins (R)
Chad E. Hawkins
Chad E. Hawkins is the incumbent Gaston County Sheriff, first elected in 2022, per the Sheriff's Office's official site. He has more than 34 years of experience in fire and law enforcement, including as Police Chief in Cherryville and Belmont, and holds degrees from Gaston College, Gardner-Webb University and Methodist University.
By address
These seats are elected by district; only the district covering your address is on your ballot.
Find your districts by addressDistrict Attorney District 38Travis Page (R)
Travis Page
Travis Page serves as District Attorney for Prosecutorial District 38, per the North Carolina Judicial Branch's judicial directory. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Soil and Water Conservation District SupervisorNonpartisan race · Dan Brandon · Colby Watts · Bill Ward
Dan Brandon
Dan Brandon is the sitting Vice Chair of the Gaston County Soil & Water Conservation District Board, per the county's staff directory. He is a retired forester who also worked as a firefighter and studied forestry at N.C. State University, per The Election Hub. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Colby Watts
Colby Watts works as a parks and recreation sports turf manager for the City of Gastonia and previously interned in groundskeeping for the Carolina Panthers, per The Election Hub. He holds associate's degrees from N.C. State University and Gaston College. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Bill Ward
Bill Ward chairs the Gaston Soil and Water Conservation District Board, with a term that runs through December 2026, per the county's staff directory. He lives in Stanley and has owned a STEM-education business since 1999 and a photography business since 2005, per the statement he gave the Gaston Gazette in 2022. No campaign website was found as of September 29, 2026.
North Carolina Superior Court Judge, District 38, Seat 1David A. Phillips (R)
David A. Phillips
David A. Phillips is a sitting Gaston County Superior Court judge, listed in the county's 2025 Public Officials Directory with a term ending November 2026. Governor Roy Cooper appointed him to the District 38 bench in April 2018 after 28 years in private practice as a criminal defense attorney in Gastonia, and he served 12 years on the Gaston County Board of Education, per NC Newsline. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
North Carolina District Court Judge, District 38, Seat 1Cameron (Chip) Harrison (R)
Cameron (Chip) Harrison
Cameron "Chip" Harrison is a sitting Gaston County District Court judge (Seat 1), listed in the county's 2025 Public Officials Directory with a term ending November 2026. Governor Josh Stein appointed him to the District 38 bench in March 2025 to fill the seat vacated when Judge Craig Collins was elected to Superior Court; he had been an assistant public defender in the Gaston County Public Defender's Office and earlier practiced law privately and taught business law at Alamance Community College, per the Governor's Office announcement. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
North Carolina District Court Judge, District 38, Seat 2William (Gus) Anthony (R)
William (Gus) Anthony
William (Gus) Anthony is a native of Gaston County who has practiced law since 1996, per the Gaston County Republican Party. He began his legal career as a public defender before entering private practice, after serving in the U.S. Navy, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Full candidate profiles, priorities and campaign sites are on the Gaston County page.
Statewide races
U.S. SenateRoy Cooper (D) · Michael Whatley (R) · Shannon W. Bray (Libertarian) · Michael Dublin (Green)
Roy Cooper
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- Lower the cost of food and groceries
- Make health care affordable
- Lower energy and utility costs
About Roy Cooper
Roy Cooper is a former North Carolina governor and attorney general, per the campaign site. He was born and raised in Nash County, earned undergraduate and law degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and practiced law in Rocky Mount, per the campaign site. The campaign site says he served four consecutive terms as attorney general and, as governor, reached a Medicaid expansion deal covering about 650,000 people.
Michael Whatley
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- Enact the Trump agenda
- Make North Carolina safe again
- Fight illegal immigration
About Michael Whatley
Michael Whatley was raised in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Wake Forest University and the University of Notre Dame, per the campaign site. He began his public service as a federal law clerk in Charlotte and later served as Sen. Elizabeth Dole's chief of staff, per the campaign site. He served as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party and, at President Trump's request, as chairman of the Republican National Committee, per the campaign site.
Shannon W. Bray
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- Economy and taxes: lower costs, simpler taxes
- Monetary policy and inflation
- Jobs, innovation and technology
About Shannon W. Bray
Shannon W. Bray is a Navy veteran and cybersecurity professional, per the campaign site. He says he is running for the U.S. Senate because North Carolina deserves leadership that understands modern threats without sacrificing fundamental freedoms, per the campaign site.
Michael Dublin
Top priorities
From the campaign site
- Democracy: get big money out of politics
- Environmental justice: a Green New Deal for North Carolina
- Social and racial equity
About Michael Dublin
Michael Dublin is a native North Carolinian, a public school educator who recently retired from teaching, and a lifelong community activist, per the campaign site. The campaign site says he has led a prison ministry for more than two decades. He filed as the North Carolina Green Party's U.S. Senate candidate on June 15, 2026, per the state Green Party.
Supreme Court Associate Justice, Seat 01Anita Earls (D) · Sarah Stevens (R)
Anita Earls
Top priorities
From other published sources
- Upholding the state constitution, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
- Protecting access to healthcare, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
- Defending the right to a sound basic public education and voting rights, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
About Anita Earls
Earls is an attorney who currently serves as an Associate Justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court, per the campaign site. Her campaign focuses on protecting constitutional rights for North Carolinians, per the campaign site.
Sarah Stevens
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.
Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 01John S. Arrowood (D) · Michael C. Byrne (R)
John S. Arrowood
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
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.
Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 02Tobias (Toby) Hampson (D) · George Cooper Bell (R)
Tobias (Toby) Hampson
Top priorities
From other published sources
- Keeping judges with Court of Appeals experience on the bench, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
- Defending the rule of law, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
About Tobias (Toby) Hampson
Tobias (Toby) Hampson 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
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.
Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 03Christine Marie Walczyk (D) · Craig Collins (R)
Christine Marie Walczyk
Top priorities
From other published sources
- Protecting individual liberties and equal access to justice, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
- Maintaining an independent judiciary, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
About Christine Marie Walczyk
Christine Marie Walczyk 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
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.
North Carolina voters also decide 3 statewide ballot measures.
Voting info and more
Voting info and more
City boundaries and ZIP codes from the U.S. Census Bureau (2024 Gazetteer, 2020 ZCTA relationships). Candidate fields follow official election office filings; confirm with the North Carolina election office before voting.
