County guides: Wake · Mecklenburg · Guilford · Forsyth · Buncombe
North Carolina · Tuesday, November 3, 2026 general · Independent editorial
Look up a ZIP or pick a county to narrow the races. Statewide offices load for every North Carolina ZIP. Your real ballot is by full address / precinct — NCSBE. Registration for the regular deadline closed October 9. Same-day registration is available during early voting, October 15 through 3 p.m. October 31, at an early-voting site in your county (NCSBE).
Callouts
Vote your values — All North Carolina counties
A guide for North Carolinians who put faith, family, and freedom first. Scores prioritize the Christian score, then the Constitution score (liberty & limited government under the U.S. Constitution), then the GOP score. Tap the ⓘ next to each score bar for what counts. Enter your ZIP above to narrow races — then confirm on your county sample ballot. The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
1 Christian score (45 pts)
2 Constitution score (35 pts)
3 GOP score (20 pts)
Statewide on this ballot
On this page: U.S. Senate Michael Whatley (R), Roy Cooper (D), Shannon W. Bray (L), Michael Dublin (G); NC Supreme Court Seat 01 Anita Earls (D), Sarah Stevens (R); plus three Court of Appeals seats. No governor this midterm. County and district races are not invented on this page. Confirm every oval on your sample ballot.
Static identity list for browsers without JavaScript. Interactive cards replace this list when the North Carolina guide loads. Scores on this page. Confirm every oval on your county sample ballot.
U.S. Senate (North Carolina)
November 3, 2026 general. Printed nominees: Michael Whatley (R), Roy Cooper (D), Shannon W. Bray (L), Michael Dublin (G). Scores coming soon.
Michael Whatley
On the November 3, 2026 general ballot
Not scored yet. No letter.
Roy Cooper
On the November 3, 2026 general ballot
Not scored yet. No letter.
Shannon W. Bray
On the November 3, 2026 general ballot
Not scored yet. No letter.
Michael Dublin
On the November 3, 2026 general ballot
Not scored yet. No letter.
NC Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 01
November 3, 2026 general. Printed nominees: Anita Earls (D), Sarah Stevens (R). Scores coming soon.
Anita Earls
On the November 3, 2026 general ballot
★ Incumbent
Not scored yet. No letter.
Sarah Stevens
On the November 3, 2026 general ballot
Not scored yet. No letter.
NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 01
November 3, 2026 general. Printed nominees: Michael C. Byrne (R), John S. Arrowood (D). Scores coming soon.
Michael C. Byrne
On the November 3, 2026 general ballot
Not scored yet. No letter.
John S. Arrowood
On the November 3, 2026 general ballot
Not scored yet. No letter.
NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 02
November 3, 2026 general. Printed nominees: George Cooper Bell (R), Tobias (Toby) Hampson (D). Scores coming soon.
George Cooper Bell
On the November 3, 2026 general ballot
Not scored yet. No letter.
Tobias (Toby) Hampson
On the November 3, 2026 general ballot
Not scored yet. No letter.
NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 03
November 3, 2026 general. Printed nominees: Craig Collins (R), Christine Marie Walczyk (D). Scores coming soon.
Craig Collins
On the November 3, 2026 general ballot
Not scored yet. No letter.
Christine Marie Walczyk
On the November 3, 2026 general ballot
Not scored yet. No letter.
Pull up a chair. Here’s what we actually think.
Same honesty as the cards: we don’t invent winners, and a win doesn’t raise a number. Pick a state in the header for that state’s ZIP lookup and candidate list.
North Carolina’s primary (March 3) and runoff (May 12) 2026 are over. This page is the November 3 general — no governor this midterm. A stamp is not a score. Numbers live on the card once research lands.
2026 races
North Carolina values voter guide
U.S. Senate, Supreme Court, and Court of Appeals races on this page. County races are not all on this page yet.
Texas values voter guide
Open the live Texas guide for scored statewide and metro races.
Open Texas guide →Florida values voter guide
Open the live Florida guide.
Open Florida guide →How we score
Christian 45, Constitution 35, GOP 20. The letter is the 100-point total.
Read more →Ballot measures
Only measures with posted ballot language belong here. Confirm any North Carolina ballot measures on November 3, 2026 — confirm on ncsbe.gov and your county sample ballot. This guide does not invent YES/NO cards.
No scored North Carolina measure cards on this guide. Check NCSBE and your county election office.
Policy tracker
Same published rubric as Florida and Texas: Christian 45 · Constitution 35 · GOP 20. The letter on a card is the 100-point total (80 A · 60 B · 40 C · 20 D · 19-under F). The letter comes only from the 100-point total.
North Carolina’s primary was March 3, 2026 and runoff May 12, 2026 (over). This page is the November 3, 2026 general. No governor this midterm. North Carolina is not a Florida closed primary.
North Carolina timeline on file for this general. Scores on this page.
2026-03-03
North Carolina primary already held
Elections
March 3, 2026 primary and May 12 runoff nominated party candidates now on the November general. Primary/runoff losers are not on this guide.
Impact: November 3 is the live ballot this guide will score.
2026-10-09
Voter registration deadline
Elections
Registration for the regular deadline closed October 9. Same-day registration is available during early voting, October 15 through 3 p.m. October 31, at an early-voting site in your county.
Impact: Start at NCSBE. Same-day registration is not available for most voters on Election Day.
2026-11-03
General election
Elections
U.S. Senate, U.S. House, NC Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, General Assembly seats on the ballot, plus any posted amendments or locals on your county sample ballot.
Impact: U.S. Senate, Supreme Court, and Court of Appeals are on this page.
How to vote
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration for the regular deadline closed October 9. Early voting: October 15 through 3 p.m. October 31, 2026. You can register and vote at an early-voting site in your county during that period.
Your real ballot is by full address and precinct, not ZIP. Official starting points: NCSBE · Upcoming election · County boards of elections.
This is a values guide, not the county election office. Always
confirm names on your sample ballot. Confirm every name on your county sample ballot.
How scoring works
Same method in every live state. Higher weight means more influence on the 0–100 values score. The letter on a card is that total: 80–100 A · 60–79 B · 40–59 C · 20–39 D · 0–19 F. Callouts for Trump, Musk, and MAHA are badges, not extra points — so you can filter them without double-counting party loyalty. The DeSantis callout is Florida-only and does not appear on North Carolina cards.
Christian score 45 pts
Highest priority · faith & family policy
- Explicit public faith in Jesus Christ (weighted heaviest)
- Campaign/public life that centers Christ, Scripture & church
- Pro-life / protection of the unborn
- Religious liberty & conscience rights
- Parental rights in education
- Traditional marriage & family policy
- Opposition to gender ideology in schools/sports
- Conduct: not quarrelsome; correct opponents with gentleness (2 Timothy 2:24–25). Destroy arguments against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5) — that is not a license to be mean. Opened mean campaigning is a slight dock (−1 to −3), never a zero
- Legislative votes help — but outspoken Christian identity beats quiet institutional conservatism
Constitution score 35 pts
Second priority · U.S. Constitution & liberty
(formerly labeled “paleo-conservative” — same ideas, clearer name)
- Limited federal government & local control
- Secure borders / immigration enforcement
- Skepticism of endless foreign wars
- Free enterprise; caution on globalist trade deals
- Reading the Constitution as written
- Protecting American culture & institutions from radical ideology
- Fiscal restraint / low taxes
- Health freedom / MAHA — live free of coercive government health & food policy; your family chooses
GOP score 20 pts
Third priority · Republican Party alignment
- Republican Party registration / nomination
- GOP platform & party organization alignment
- Conservative legislative voting record
- Support from mainstream Republican institutions
🦅 Trump callout
Shown when a candidate has a formal Trump endorsement, explicit MAGA / Trump-agenda campaigning, or a clear Trump-world alliance. Use the filter chip to show only these candidates. Does not add score points on its own.
🍊 DeSantis callout
Shown for candidates who preserve or advance Governor Ron DeSantis’s Florida agenda (parental rights, anti-DEI, free speech, free-state legislation) or who served as DeSantis-era partners. Badge only — does not add to the 100-point total. The DeSantis filter chip is on the Florida guide only.
🚀 Musk callout
Shown when a candidate is positive toward Elon Musk and/or his companies (Tesla, SpaceX, X free-speech ethos, DOGE-style efficiency). Trump-aligned alone is not enough (they have publicly clashed). Badge only — no automatic score points.
🥗 MAHA callout
Make America Healthy Again — clear MAHA Institute / MAHA Commission leadership, Stand for Health Freedom–style medical freedom, or campaign food-system integrity. Counts twice: 🥗 badge for filtering and raises the Constitution score (liberty from coercive health/food policy).
Important: This guide is editorial and values-based — not
neutral journalism and not an official election authority. Scores use public
records, Ballotpedia, campaign statements, and voting history where available.
Always verify with your sample ballot and county elections office.
How current is this guide?
Candidate lists, scores, and notes are reviewed against public sources (Ballotpedia, campaign materials, county elections offices, and news reporting). Last content review: August 2026. Ballots can change — always confirm with your official sample ballot before voting.
ZIP codes & sample ballots
ZIP lookup estimates your county so statewide races load. Your ZIP can cover more than one city or school district — confirm on your sample ballot. Official ballots are by full address. Confirm names at NCSBE and your county election office.
North Carolina coverage map
This page lists U.S. Senate, Supreme Court, and Court of Appeals races for every North Carolina ZIP (Census-primary map, 100 counties). No invented locals.
ZIP is a helper. Your official ballot comes from your county election office
with your full home address. Open
NCSBE
or the How to Vote tab.