The Ballot Brief
28762

Who is on the ballot in 28762?

Mcdowell County, NC

Reported by The Ballot Brief Editorial Team. Updated as public election and video sources change.

Fields below reflect the November 3, 2026 general election ballot as races are certified.

We use AI to research and write election information. Errors are possible. Verify important details with official sources.

10 races and 3 ballot questions in your ZIP preview.

About this preview
County and municipal contests depend on your exact address: use the address lookup below for the full slate. Every race links to official sources on the North Carolina voter hub.

28762 sample ballot preview

U.S. House, North Carolina District 11
3 candidates
Federal ▾
Jennifer Capps Balkcom portrait
JC
Jennifer Capps Balkcom
REP
Biography
Jennifer Capps Balkcom is an eighth-generation Western North Carolinian raised on her family's apple farm in Henderson County, per her campaign site. She began her career in banking and finance in 1998 and now works as a Mortgage Loan Officer and small-business owner, per the campaign site. She currently represents Henderson County in the North Carolina House and is running for Congress in North Carolina's 11th District, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From other published sources
  • Hurricane Helene recovery, per WFAE
  • Housing affordability, per WFAE
  • Rural health care, per WFAE
Campaign siteFull profile
JA
Jamie Ager
DEM
Biography
Ager is a fifth-generation farmer who owns a sustainable meat company employing 25 people and holds degrees in environmental studies and history from Warren Wilson College, per the campaign site. He farms in Fairview in Western North Carolina, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Cutting red tape to deliver Hurricane Helene recovery funding
  • Making healthcare more affordable and accessible
  • Restricting insider stock trading by members of Congress
Campaign siteFull profile
TG
Travis Groo
Biography
Travis Groo is a trucking safety specialist, per press coverage of the race. No campaign website was found as of October 20, 2026.
Full profile
About this race
North Carolina fields are from the State Board of Elections' certified general candidate list. NC redrew its congressional map in October 2025 (Session Law 2025-95), and this site's ZIP districts follow that 2025 map; enter your street address with the official lookup to confirm your district. OPEN RACE: Rep. Chuck Edwards withdrew from the race in August 2026 and serves out his term; the district Republican committee nominated state Rep. Jennifer Capps Balkcom, certified August 11, per NC Newsline and WFAE.
U.S. Senate
4 candidates
Federal ▾
RC
Roy Cooper
DEM
Biography
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.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Lower the cost of food and groceries
  • Make health care affordable
  • Lower energy and utility costs
Campaign Finance
$26,822,373 raised · top industries: Large donors giving $2,000+ (49% of receipts), Small-dollar donors under $200 (21% of receipts)
Record in office
Signed North Carolina's Medicaid expansion (House Bill 76) into law in 2023.
Campaign siteFull profile
MW
Michael Whatley
REP
Biography
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.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Enact the Trump agenda
  • Make North Carolina safe again
  • Fight illegal immigration
Campaign Finance
$8,410,252 raised · top industries: Large donors giving $2,000+ (62% of receipts), Small-dollar donors under $200 (23% of receipts)
Campaign siteFull profile
Shannon W. Bray portrait
SW
Shannon W. Bray
Biography
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.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Economy and taxes: lower costs, simpler taxes
  • Monetary policy and inflation
  • Jobs, innovation and technology
Campaign siteFull profile
MD
Michael Dublin
Biography
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.
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
Campaign siteFull profile
Supreme Court Associate Justice, Seat 01
2 candidates
Statewide ▾
AE
Anita Earls
DEM
Biography
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.
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
Campaign siteFull profile
SS
Sarah Stevens
REP
Biography
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.
Campaign siteFull profile
Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 01
2 candidates
Statewide ▾
JS
John S. Arrowood
DEM
Biography
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.
Full profile
MC
Michael C. Byrne
REP
Biography
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.
Full profile
Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 02
2 candidates
Statewide ▾
T(
Tobias (Toby) Hampson
DEM
Biography
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.
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
Full profile
GC
George Cooper Bell
REP
Biography
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.
Full profile
Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 03
2 candidates
Statewide ▾
CM
Christine Marie Walczyk
DEM
Biography
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.
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
Full profile
CC
Craig Collins
REP
Biography
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.
Full profile

Countywide races in Mcdowell County

ZIP 28762 sits in Mcdowell County, per the Census crosswalk. These seats are voted countywide; district seats, city races and school boards need a street address. All Mcdowell County races (6).

North Carolina District Court Judge, District 41, Seat 1
1 candidate
County ▾
RK
Robert K. Martelle
REP INCUMBENT
Biography
Robert K. Martelle is the Chief District Court Judge for the district covering McDowell and Rutherford counties, originally appointed to the bench by Governor Pat McCrory in February 2013 and re-elected in 2014, per the North Carolina Judicial Branch. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and his J.D. from the Campbell University School of Law, and was a partner at the firm of Williams & Martelle from 1995 to 2013. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Full profile
Why only one name?
Only one name is on the ballot for this office: no other candidate qualified. An unopposed candidate is elected unless a write-in outpolls them where write-ins are allowed, so this line still counts as a vote.
About this race
Robert K. Martelle (Republican) is unopposed on the November 3, 2026 ballot for North Carolina District Court Judge, District 41, Seat 1. Voters across McDowell and Rutherford counties vote on this seat, per North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 7A. North Carolina judicial races have been partisan since the 2018 court reorganization. The field is the State Board of Elections' certified general-election candidate list (read September 7, 2026).
North Carolina District Court Judge, District 41, Seat 2
1 candidate
County ▾
MM
Michelle McEntire
REP
Biography
Michelle McEntire was appointed District Court Judge for the judicial district serving McDowell and Rutherford counties by Governor Roy Cooper in July 2020, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Randy Pool, per a North Carolina Judicial Branch news release. McEntire was a sole practitioner at McEntire Law, PLLC and previously worked in the District Attorney's Office and as a clinical social worker, per the same release. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Full profile
Why only one name?
Only one name is on the ballot for this office: no other candidate qualified. An unopposed candidate is elected unless a write-in outpolls them where write-ins are allowed, so this line still counts as a vote.
About this race
Michelle McEntire (Republican) is unopposed on the November 3, 2026 ballot for North Carolina District Court Judge, District 41, Seat 2. Voters across McDowell and Rutherford counties vote on this seat, per North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 7A. North Carolina judicial races have been partisan since the 2018 court reorganization. The field is the State Board of Elections' certified general-election candidate list (read September 7, 2026).
North Carolina District Court Judge, District 41, Seat 3
1 candidate
County ▾
EM
Ellen M. Shelley
REP INCUMBENT
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.
Full profile
Why only one name?
Only one name is on the ballot for this office: no other candidate qualified. An unopposed candidate is elected unless a write-in outpolls them where write-ins are allowed, so this line still counts as a vote.
About this race
Ellen M. Shelley (Republican) is unopposed on the November 3, 2026 ballot for North Carolina District Court Judge, District 41, Seat 3. Voters across McDowell and Rutherford counties vote on this seat, per North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 7A. North Carolina judicial races have been partisan since the 2018 court reorganization. The field is the State Board of Elections' certified general-election candidate list (read September 7, 2026).
North Carolina Senate District 46
2 candidates
County ▾
Warren Daniel portrait
WD
Warren Daniel
REP INCUMBENT
Biography
Warren Daniel graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1991 and served six years in the U.S. Army Field Artillery, per the campaign site. Daniel earned a law degree with honors from UNC Law School in 2000 and practices law in Morganton, and was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007, per the campaign site.
Campaign siteFull profile
KW
Kyle Whisnant
DEM
Biography
Kyle Whisnant is a local business owner in Morganton who filed on December 18, 2025, to run for NC Senate District 46, per The Paper and the North Carolina State Board of Elections. No campaign website was found as of September 7, 2026.
Top Priorities
From other published sources
  • Address economic, health, and infrastructure issues affecting working families, per The Paper
Full profile
About this race
Warren Daniel (Republican), Kyle Whisnant (Democratic) meet on the November 3 ballot; Warren Daniel is the sitting member, per the General Assembly's roster. Party nominees were chosen at the March 3 primary (a second primary is held only when no one reaches 30 percent plus one); unaffiliated candidates qualified by petition. The field is the State Board of Elections' certified general-election candidate list (read September 7, 2026). This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot. Every address in Mcdowell County is in this district, per the certified district list.

Statewide, North Carolina voters also decide 3 ballot questions. See the North Carolina ballot measures guide.

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Ballot Info Lookup

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Ballot info questions for 28762
Who is running for mayor in 28762?

Mayor races depend on the city tied to your address. Use the full-address lookup, then confirm with your city or county election office.

When is the primary election in this state?

Primary dates vary by state. Use this page's official election links to confirm the next primary deadline for your address.

Can I vote early in 28762?

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Data sources

Where does The Ballot Brief verify ballot info for 28762?

Vote.gov Official federal voter registration and voting information gateway.State election offices Official directory for state election deadlines, ballot rules, and voter resources.Federal Election Commission Federal candidate filings and campaign finance data.Congress.gov members Official congressional member records and identifiers.