An Overview of North Carolina’s 2025 Elections

Most municipalities in North Carolina hold elections in odd-numbered years, where voters elect the governing officials (mayor, council members, etc.) for their city, town, or village. The specific method of election varies by municipality. For example, some municipalities may hold primaries, and others may not. 

Most local elections in North Carolina are non-partisan. If the number of candidates running for a position is more than twice the number of seats to be elected, a non-partisan primary will eliminate the additional candidates. For example, if 6 candidates are running for 2 seats in the city council, the top 4 vote-getters in the primary would advance to the general election.

However, some notable exceptions exist, like the city of Charlotte which holds partisan elections.

Here are the most important election dates to note:

1. September 9, 2025—Few municipalities may hold primaries on this date, including Charlotte.

2. October 7th, 2025—Primary Election date for some municipalities, including Durham. Primaries may or may not take place depending on the number of candidates who file for a position. 

3. November 4th, 2025—General Election date for most municipal elections.

Sources: North Carolina State Board of Elections

Municipalities holding elections on Nov 4

In Wake County 

1. Angier (two commissioners)

2. Apex (three town council seats)

3. Cary (three town council seats)

4. Durham (mayor, three council seats)

1. Durham holds primary elections on 10/7/2025

5. Fuquay-Varina (mayor, two commissioners)

6. Garner (two town council seats)

7. Holly Springs (mayor, three town council seats)

8. Knightdale (three town council seats)

9. Morrisville (mayor, three town council seats)

10. Rolesville (three commissioners)

11. Wake Forest (mayor, two commissioners)

12. Wendell (three commissioners)

13. Zebulon (mayor, two commissioners)

In Mecklenburg County

1. Charlotte (mayor, 11 city council seats, three board of education members)

1. Charlotte holds primary elections on 9/9/2025

2. Cornelius (mayor, five commissioners)

3. Davidson (mayor, two commissioners)

4. Huntersville (mayor, six commissioners)

5. Matthews (mayor, six commissioners)

6. Mint Hill (mayor, four commissioners)

7. Pineville (mayor, two town council seats)

8. Stallings (mayor, four town council seats)

In Guilford County

1. Burlington (mayor, two city council seats)

2. Gibsonville (two alderman)

3. Greensboro (mayor, six city council seats)

1. Greensboro holds primary elections on 10/7/2025

4. Jamestown (mayor, four town council seats)

5. Kernersville (mayor, five aldermen)

6. Oak Ridge (two town council seats)

7. Pleasant Garden (mayor, two council seats)

8. Sedalia (three town council seats)

9. Stokesdale (mayor, town council seat)

10. Summerfield (mayor, two town council seats)

This list is not an exhaustive list of counties. All counties across the state will be holding elections for municipalities within their jurisdiction. We predict there will be about 28,000 municipal races across the whole state in 2025. 

Curious about another county not listed here? Send us an email at walter@branch.chat.

Sources: Wake County, North Carolina State Board of Elections

Other important dates to note: 

1. Filing period for candidates: July 7th - July 18th  

2. Primary election early voting: September 18th - October 4th

3. General election early voting: October 16th - November 1st

Sources: Durham County Board of Elections, Wake County