Voters head to polls for local elections Tuesday. Why Raleigh is not on the ballot.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Early voting nearly tripled; Wake County cast over 20,000 ballots ahead of Tuesday.
- Cary recorded about 8,000 early votes across three contested council races with partisan matchups.
- Raleigh moved its elections to even years, shifting council terms to staggered four-year seats.
Early voting in Wake County’s municipal elections has nearly tripled compared to 2023.
More than 20,000 people vote cast their ballots for candidates in Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, Morrisville and other Wake County municipalities ahead of Tuesday’s election.
More than 8,000 of those ballots have been cast in the Cary Town Council elections. While most local elections are nonpartisan, including in Cary, each of the three races in Cary features a Republican and a Democrat that’s resulted in tense political campaigning as candidates have sought to distinguish themselves.
Long-time Cary Council member Jennifer Robinson, a Republican, is facing Democratic challenger Brittany Richard for the District A seat. Democratic Incumbent Carissa Johnson is facing off against Republican challenger Majorie K. Eastman for an at-large seat.
And long-time Cary Town Council member Jack Smith, who has represented District C since 1989, chose not to seek another term, setting up a contest between Democrat Bella Huang and Republican Renee Miller.
There are no local elections in unincorporated parts of Wake County and in the city of Raleigh, which has elections in even-numbered years.
When is Election Day?
Nov. 4, 2025. Polls are open 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Where do I vote?
People can find their polling place and review sample ballots online at vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup or wake.gov/elections.
Who is running?
A full list of candidates can be found online at newsobserver.com and wake.gov/elections.
Where’s the largest turnout so far?
Cary voters cast more than 8,000 ballots during early voting, followed by nearly 5,000 votes in Apex. More than 1,000 votes have been cast in Holly Springs, Morrisville and Garner.
Why isn’t there a Raleigh election?
Raleigh residents won’t cast their ballots for mayoral and City Council candidates until 2026. The council made the controversial decision to move its elections to even-numbered years and changed the method of its election.
Filing for the eight seats on the Raleigh City Council begins in December, and a nonpartisan primary will be held in March, if one is needed.
If the mayor’s race and the five district seats have more than two candidates, a primary will be needed to narrow the field to two for each race. There are also two at-large seats, and a primary will be needed if there are more than four candidates for those spots.
The term length is also changing in Raleigh. City leaders will go from a two-year term with all eight seats up on the ballot to four-year terms with the seats staggered.
This story was originally published November 3, 2025 at 1:08 PM.
