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The Decent Ballot  /  Wake County  /  Raleigh  /  Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Raleigh, NC

Who on your ballot seems like good people, in a sentence or two each, with sources. Fill out your ballot in ten minutes.

best choice in the race Seems like good people Compromised Not good people Not enough info

Who is running in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2026

Raleigh Mayor
Janet Cowell and Ashleigh Heath Armstrong
Raleigh City Council, At-Large
Sana Siddiqui, Joshua Bradley, Stormie Denise Forte and Clark Rinehart
Raleigh City Council, District A
Mitchell Silver and Whitney Hill
Raleigh City Council, District C
Corey Branch and Jared S. Ollison
Raleigh City Council, District D
Jevon Smith-Cook and Jane Harrison
Raleigh City Council, District E
Christina Jones and Marc Scruggs

Raleigh elections

Raleigh's city races are nonpartisan and now held in even years. District B (Megan Patton) is unopposed. Raleigh voters also decide $101.5 million housing and $101.5 million transportation bonds (see Propositions). Cary, Apex and Wake Forest elect their councils in odd years, so they have no town races this fall.

Mayor

Vote for one

Armstrong has no campaign site or public platform, so there is little to compare.

Janet Cowell

Compromised (best choice in this race) Democrat

Mayor since 2024; state treasurer 2009 to 2017; state senator and Raleigh council member before that

Voted to put the housing and transportation bonds on this ballot. Endorsed by the NC AFL-CIO and the Sierra Club, and also by the Raleigh Realtors and the Triangle Apartment Association PAC.

Sources: PlayPOTUS, NC AFL-CIO, Campaign Facebook

Ashleigh Heath Armstrong

Not enough info

Unaffiliated; longtime Wake County resident

Has no campaign website or public social media, and missed a September candidate forum for health reasons.

Sources: INDY Week, Enlace Latino NC

City Council, At-Large

Vote for two

Vote for two. Forte and Siddiqui led the primary. Forte and Rinehart have the home builders' backing; Siddiqui and Bradley are backed by residents' and labor groups.

Sana Siddiqui

Seems like good people (best choice in this race) Progressive

Small business owner; has served on the city's Environmental Advisory Board, Human Relations Commission and Hispanic and Immigrant Affairs Board

Wants a more affordable Raleigh, more community say in city decisions and better pay for first responders and city staff. Endorsed by The News & Observer, the Raleigh firefighters' union, the Progressive Democrats of Wake County and Livable Raleigh.

Sources: INDY Week, Enlace Latino NC, Livable Raleigh, Campaign site

Joshua Bradley

Seems like good people (best choice in this race) Socialist

Hospitality accounting manager; ran for council in 2019, 2022 and 2024

Co-chairs a local of the Socialist Party USA and wants a community-led public safety model in place of the police department and city-built social housing. Endorsed by the NC AFL-CIO, the Triangle Labor Council and Livable Raleigh.

Sources: Green Party US, INDY Week, Livable Raleigh, NC AFL-CIO

Stormie Denise Forte

Compromised Democrat

Council member since 2020, at-large since 2022, former mayor pro tem; attorney and licensed real estate agent

Lists homelessness, aging infrastructure and police and fire staffing as priorities. Endorsed by the NC AFL-CIO, and also by the Home Builders Association and the Triangle Apartment Association PAC.

Sources: Wikipedia, INDY Week, NC AFL-CIO, HBA of Raleigh-Wake

Clark Rinehart

Compromised Democrat

Business consultant; former North Raleigh pastor; served on the city's working group for the old DMV site

Has not held office. Endorsed by the Home Builders Association and the state Democratic Party's Progressive Caucus.

Sources: INDY Week, HBA of Raleigh-Wake, NC Democratic Party Progressive Caucus

City Council, District A

Vote for one

Mitchell Silver

Seems like good people (best choice in this race) Democrat

Council member since 2024; Raleigh planning director 2005 to 2014; New York City parks commissioner 2014 to 2021

Wants more "missing middle" housing like duplexes and townhomes near transit, and faster permits. Endorsed by the Wake County Democratic Party, the Raleigh firefighters, the Sierra Club, Teamsters Local 391 and Equality NC.

Sources: City of Raleigh, Raleigh Forward, INDY Week

Whitney Hill

Not good people Conservative

Web consulting business owner since 1996; chairs the Raleigh North Citizens Advisory Council; ran for this seat in 2022 and 2024

Says "growth should pay for growth" and wants higher police pay. Endorsed by the Wake County Republican Party and the Raleigh Republican Club in this nonpartisan race, as well as Livable Raleigh.

Sources: Campaign site, Campaign site, Livable Raleigh

City Council, District C

Vote for one

No pick. Both candidates carry ties our rubric flags: Branch to the home builders and apartment landlords, Ollison to the police union.

Corey Branch

Compromised Democrat

Council member since 2015; former mayor pro tem; associate director at Kyndryl

Pushed for bus rapid transit on New Bern Avenue and for limits on building in floodways. Endorsed by the area AFL-CIO labor council, and also by the Home Builders Association and the Triangle Apartment Association PAC.

Sources: INDY Week, NC AFL-CIO, HBA of Raleigh-Wake

Jared S. Ollison

Compromised

Air Force veteran; retired State Capitol Police officer; former director of detention services at the Sheriff's Office

Opposed the January rezoning for 37-story North Hills towers and backs housing bonds. Endorsed by the NC Police Benevolent Association and Livable Raleigh.

Sources: PlayPOTUS

City Council, District D

Vote for one

Harrison has a solid progressive record, but she also has the home builders' and apartment landlords' endorsements. Smith-Cook is a regular resident with no such ties, so he gets our pick.

Jevon Smith-Cook

Seems like good people (best choice in this race)

Research computing manager at NC State; first run for office

Wants better pay and resources for city workers, and would press the state to let Raleigh require affordable units in new development.

Sources: Branch, Campaign site

Jane Harrison

Compromised Progressive

Council member since 2022; mayor pro tem since December 2025

Wants affordable housing through community benefit agreements, more transit and a bigger tree canopy. Endorsed by the Progressive Democrats of Wake, the NC AFL-CIO and Equality NC, and also by the Home Builders Association and the Triangle Apartment Association PAC.

Sources: INDY Week, Progressive Democrats of Wake, HBA of Raleigh-Wake

City Council, District E

Vote for one

Christina Jones

Seems like good people (best choice in this race) Democrat

Council member since 2022; former chair of the Raleigh Citizens Advisory Council and Parks Board member

In 2024 she won a vote to restore the city's Citizen Advisory Councils. Endorsed by the Wake County Democratic Party, the NC AFL-CIO, the Raleigh firefighters and Livable Raleigh.

Sources: Enlace Latino NC, Livable Raleigh, NC AFL-CIO

Marc Scruggs

Not good people Conservative

Funeral director; council member for this district 1995 to 1999; former Broughton teacher and soccer coach

In August his Facebook account sent taunting messages, including "am at your door," to a state Democratic Party official. Endorsed by the Wake County Republican Party in this nonpartisan race.

Sources: Hoodline, Wake GOP

Also on your ballot

Every Wake County voter also picks in these races. Full write-ups on the Wake County page.

When and where to vote

Register by
Friday, October 9, at 5 p.m. Missed it? You can register and vote the same day at any early voting site; bring proof of where you live. Check your registration with the state voter lookup.
Early voting
Thursday, October 15 to Saturday, October 31, at 18 sites; any Wake voter can use any site. Weekdays 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturdays 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sundays (October 18 and 25) 1 to 6 p.m. Sites include the Cary Senior Center, John M. Brown Community Center in Apex, Joyner Park Community Center in Wake Forest, Chavis Park and Laurel Hills in Raleigh, and the Wake County Commons Building. Full list.
Election Day
Tuesday, November 3, 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., at your assigned polling place. Find yours.
Mail ballot
Any voter can vote by mail, no reason needed. Request it by 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 20, on the state's request portal or the county form. Put a photocopy of your photo ID in with the ballot and complete the witness section. It must arrive at the Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day; a postmark doesn't count. You can also hand it in at any early voting site or at the board office (1200 N. New Hope Road, Raleigh), but not at a polling place on Election Day. Details.
Drop boxes
None. North Carolina law doesn't allow them.
Bring
A valid photo ID, such as a North Carolina driver's license or state ID; the state list has every accepted ID. If you don't have one you can still vote by filling out an ID exception form, or vote and bring your ID to the board by noon on the third business day after the election. Free voter IDs are available from the county board through the end of early voting.
Your ballot
Wake has 171 ballot styles. See yours through the state voter lookup, or browse the county's combined sample ballots (PDF) and candidate list (PDF).

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Last updated October 4, 2026.