The Ballot Brief

Kinston, North Carolina sample ballot 2026

Kinston voters (Lenoir County, North Carolina) see U.S. Senate, Supreme Court Associate Justice, Seat 01, Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 01, Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 02 plus 1 Lenoir County race on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Your U.S. House district and any precinct-level races depend on your street address.

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By address

These seats are elected by district; only the district covering your address is on your ballot.

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North Carolina District Court Judge, District 9, Seat 1Roy A. Dawson (R) · Sonya Davis (D)

Roy A. Dawson

Republican

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Make the courtroom a place where people are heard and treated with dignity
  • Prioritize preparation, fairness and humility in judicial decision-making
  • Improve court accessibility and consistency in proceedings
About Roy A. Dawson

Roy A. Dawson is a trial attorney who has practiced in the 9th Judicial District since 2014, splitting his caseload between criminal and family law, and opened his own Kinston practice, the Law Offices of Roy A. Dawson, P.A., in 2021, per his campaign site. Before law school he worked in manufacturing, die casting, restaurants and food distribution; he earned an associate degree from Alamance Community College and his law degree from UNC School of Law, where he volunteered with the Innocence Project.

Sonya Davis

Democratic

Sonya Davis was appointed to the District 9 (Greene, Lenoir, Wayne) district court bench by Governor Josh Stein in 2025, filling the vacancy left by Judge Beth Heath's retirement, per the Office of the Governor. She previously operated her own law practice in Kinston focused on domestic law, real estate transactions and criminal defense, after earning her bachelor's and law degrees from North Carolina Central University. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

Full candidate profiles, priorities and campaign sites are on the Lenoir County page.

Statewide races

U.S. SenateRoy Cooper (D) · Michael Whatley (R) · Shannon W. Bray (Libertarian) · Michael Dublin (Green)

Roy Cooper

Democrat

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

Republican

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

Shannon W. Bray

Libertarian

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

Green

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

Democrat

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

Republican

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

Democrat

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

Republican

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

Democrat

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

Republican

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

Democrat

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

Republican

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.

Your address is only used to match your districts.

Voting info and more

Voting info and more
Sample ballot by ZIP code in Kinston2 ZIP codes
Lenoir County sample ballotNorth Carolina statewide races

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.