Burke County, North Carolina ballot, Nov 3, 2026

Contested races

Source: N.C. State Board of Elections, 2026 general election candidate list grouped by contest (all counties; report run Oct 13, 2026) (accessed Oct 19, 2026). Names are shown as listed by the source. Which district races you see depends on where you live; check yours at N.C. Voter Search (State Board of Elections; shows your sample ballot).

Office	Candidates
County offices
Burke County Board of Commissioners Vote for 2	Randy Burns (R), Phil Smith (R), Pam Genant (D)
Schools, colleges & special districts
Burke County Board of Education Central District	Tiana Beachler (R) vs. Mark Smith (D)
City & town offices
Town of Hildebran Mayor	Vicky A. Carpenter vs. Karen Robinson
Town of Hildebran Council Member Vote for 3	Chris M. Bailey, Roy D. Cooke, Travis E. Foster, Ben Honeycutt, Michael Smith, Candice Withers, Jody York

Also on every Burke County ballot: U.S. Senate, your U.S. House district, the N.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals seats, your N.C. Senate and House districts and any statewide referendums.

Party labels as listed by the State Board of Elections (D = Democratic, R = Republican, L = Libertarian, G = Green, U = unaffiliated, petition candidate). Judicial, district attorney and clerk of court races are partisan in North Carolina; school board, soil and water and most municipal races are nonpartisan unless a label is shown.

District court, superior court, district attorney, school board, soil and water and city races depend on where you live in the county; "Vote for N" is from the board's candidate file. U.S. Senate, U.S. House, the N.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, and the General Assembly are on the state page.

Your exact ballot: N.C. Voter Search (State Board of Elections; shows your sample ballot).

Unopposed

One candidate per seat on the list (write-ins may still be possible).

County offices

Burke County Sheriff: Banks Hinceman (R)

Courts & justices of the peace

N.C. Superior Court Judge District 36 Seat 1: Tim Rooks (R)
N.C. District Court Judge District 36 Seat 1 (Burke-Caldwell-Catawba Seat): David W. Aycock (R)
N.C. District Court Judge District 36 Seat 2 (Burke-Caldwell-Catawba Seat): Wes W. Barkley (R)
N.C. District Court Judge District 36 Seat 3 (Burke-Caldwell-Catawba Seat): Matthew D. Cabe (R)
N.C. District Court Judge District 36 Seat 4 (Burke-Caldwell-Catawba Seat): Robert A. Mullinax, Jr. (R)
N.C. District Court Judge District 36 Seat 5 (Burke-Caldwell-Catawba Seat): Gregory R. (Greg) Hayes (R)
N.C. District Court Judge District 36 Seat 6 (Burke-Caldwell-Catawba Seat): Scott M. Lippert (R)
N.C. District Court Judge District 36 Seat 7 (Burke-Caldwell-Catawba Seat): Mark L. Killian (R)
N.C. District Court Judge District 36 Seat 9 (unexpired term): Michelle Markham Lippert (R)
District Attorney District 36: Mitch Walker (R)
Burke County Clerk of Superior Court: Crystal R. Carpenter (R)

Schools, colleges & special districts

Burke County Board of Education Eastern District: Leslie Ritchie Taylor (R)
Burke County Board of Education Western District: Aaron Johnson (R)
Burke Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor: Ryan Sparks, Joshua Pless

City & town offices

Town of Rutherford College Mayor: Yates Jensen, Jr.
Town of Rutherford College Council Member: Kress Berry, Starr-Nell Bowman, Darel Malcolm

Candidate bios and positions for these local races are not on Vote Book yet. Spot an error? Tell us · All North Carolina counties