Who won the Orange County commissioners, school board, Register of Deeds races?
Update: The Orange County Board of Elections held a recount on March 18 in the District 2 commissioners primary race between Beth Bronson and incumbent Earl McKee. Bronson won the primary race with an official 25-vote lead over McKee.
Voters re-elected one incumbent and chose this fall’s Democratic contenders for two seats on the Orange County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, while also choosing a new Register of Deeds and county school board members.
The Orange County Board of Elections reported that 32,096 of 111,300 voters cast ballots during the primary election this year.
District 1
In District 1, Incumbent Jamezetta Bedford bested challenger Maria Palmer in the Democratic primary election, 57% to 43%. All 23 precincts had reported results as of 9:38 p.m.
With no challenger in the Nov. 3 general election, Bedford will retain the seat representing Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
Bedford has been a commissioner since 2018, serving as the board’s chair and vice chair, and is a former member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools board and a certified public accountant. Palmer is a former Chapel Hill Town Council member and a minister, educator, and organ-donation specialist.
The results of Tuesday’s primary won’t be official until the March 13 canvas at the Board of Elections office in Hillsborough.
District 2
Democratic incumbent Earl McKee lost by a narrow margin to his Democratic challenger Beth Bronson in a tight race Tuesday night. Only 32 votes separated the candidates in the District 2 race, with all 18 of the district’s precincts reporting as of 9:38 p.m.
A March 18 recount narrowed Bronson’s lead to 25 votes and secured her Democratic primary victory.
McKee was first elected in 2010 and is a farmer and an inspector with Summit Engineering. Bronson is a clinical researcher at Duke Hospital and serves on the Orange County Board of Adjustment and Orange County Planning Board.
Bronson will face Republican challenger Louis D. Capitanio for the opportunity to represent Hillsborough and the county’s rural communities in a countywide November race.
She did not expect the primary race to be that close, Bronson said, but she’s looking forward to learning as much as she can over the next year. She invited Orange County residents to join her at commissioner meetings and in the conversation about “what the road ahead looks like.”
Bronson also acknowledged McKee’s tenure, saying he alreadyhad reached out to congratulate her.
“He is a very fine man, and I am very excited to continue working with him throughout the rest of this year and moving forward,” Bronson said. “His constituents are my constituents and that’s really all that matters. It’s about figuring out how to make … the best Orange County that we really can.”
McKee said he was disappointed by the outcome, but his “name is not attached to any of those seats.” He will take the opportunity for a recount if the final vote allows that possibility, he said.
Candidates can seek a recount if the difference between two candidates’ votes is 1% or less of the total votes cast. The deadline for requesting a recount in Tuesday’s primary election is 5 p.m. March 16.
Regardless, “I will be on the board for another year ... and I will attempt to do things that I think are good for the citizens of Orange County,” McKee said, “and then somebody else will be taking care of it, and I’m sure Orange County will be just fine.”
His focus will be completing the broadband internet expansion and “finding some sort of tax relief for folks over 70 years old who have lived in their homes 20 years and make less than 50% of median income,” he said.
At-large race
In the at-large district, Democrat Karen Stegman led Democratic newcomer Adam Beeman throughout the night, ending with 77% of the vote to Beeman’s 23%. All 40 of the county’s precincts had reported their results by 9:38 p.m.
Stegman will face a Republican challenge from Jeffrey Hoagland in November.
She left the Chapel Hill Town Council last year after eight years in office and is a consultant in nonprofit strategy and resource development. Beeman is the owner and operator of Beeman Electric Co. and has served on the county Planning Board and Board of Adjustment.
Commissioners set the county budget and property tax rates, allocate money to schools, social services and public safety, and make policies affecting services, the local economy and more for years to come.
The Democratic candidates are heavily favored to win November’s races in left-leaning Orange County.
The races for district attorney, Clerk of Superior Court, and to fill a District Court judge seat are uncontested on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
Orange County Register of Deeds
Amy McLamb won her race against Penny Rich to replace outgoing Register of Deeds Mark Chilton in the Hillsborough office.
With all 40 precincts reporting as of 9:38 p.m. McLamb defeated Rich, 56% to 44%. She will not face a Republican challenger in November.
McLamb is Chilton’s assistant Register of Deeds and has worked in the office for 26 years. Rich is a former Chapel Hill Town Council and Orange County Board of Commissioners member who currently works for the Orange County Clerk of Superior Court’s office.
The Register of Deeds office handles real estate and vital records, such as marriages and birth and death certificates. It also processes passport applications and administers notary public services, business filings, and public notices.
Orange County Schools Board of Education
County voters also chose four members of the Orange County Schools Board of Education in a nonpartisan race Tuesday.
The board reviews and sets district priorities, policies and budgets, advocating with county commissioners for school funding needs. The board also hires and/or fires the superintendent and approves contracts.
With all 17 precincts reporting as of 9:38 p.m. the four top vote-getters were:
- Sarah Smylie: Board member since 2018 and a former teacher and nonprofit talent management adviser
- Anne Purcell: Board member since 2022, who is a retired teacher and principal
- Lori Russell: An attorney
- Will Atherton: Board member since 2018 and an information technology professional
Candidates Saru Salvi, retired from clinical drug studies and managing consulting businesses with U.S. and European pharmaceutical companies, and Brian Edwards, a former public safety officer who works at Walmart, were in fifth and sixth places, respectively.
The winners will take their seats in July.
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 9:10 PM.
