Who’s running—and what to know before you vote Nov. 3.
Election season is officially upon us—and this time, Raleigh’s ballot carries some serious weight.
The rules are shifting, the terms are changing, and the outcomes will stick. So to cut through the noise of yard signs and campaign mailers flooding your mailbox, inbox and phone, we’re breaking down who’s running, what’s changing and why it actually matters.
On Nov. 3, voters will choose a mayor and City Council members who will help steer a rapidly growing Raleigh through some of its biggest questions: housing and development, public safety, transit, Downtown’s future, and more.
And some of those choices will stick around longer than Raleigh voters are used to: Raleigh is moving to four-year staggered terms for mayor and City Council (see sidebar), with half of the council seats expiring every two years. Also vying for your vote: $203 million in proposed housing and transportation bonds. Voters will weigh two $101.5 million measures—which the city says can be issued without an additional property-tax increase—putting even more of the city’s future directly in voters’ hands.
So, yes, local elections matter—a lot. Before you head to the polls, we’re making the homework easy. Here’s your district-by-district snapshot of who’s running—and everything else you need to know to cast your ballot. See you at the polls, Raleigh.
Election day: Tue., Nov. 3, 6:30am—7:30pm, at your assigned polling place
New Ballot, New Terms 4-year terms: Mayor, Districts A & B and the top-finishing at-large candidate
2-year terms: Districts C, D & E and the second-finishing at-large candidate, before moving to four-year terms in 2028
Show Face:
Accepted photo ID: driver’s license, student ID, state ID card, passport, tribal enrollment card or government ID. The address on the ID doesn’t have to match voter registration records.
You can still vote by filling out an ID Exception Form or taking valid photo ID to WCBE by noon on the third business day following Election Day.
Voting by mail? That too—a photocopy + the Absentee Photo ID Exception Form provided with your absentee ballot materials.
Find My District: Not sure which district you live in? We’ve got you covered. Type in your address here, where it says “Find Your Council Member and District.”
Ballot Preview: Want to preview your ballot? Registered voters can enter name/birth year here to search voter details, including jurisdictions, polling place, sample ballot when available, absentee ballot information and voter history. See the sample ballot for District E below.
There are bartenders—and then there are craftspeople. The ones who know why your martini is served colder, your garnish is there on purpose, and that balanced cocktail somehow tastes effortless.
Now in its fifth year, Raleigh Mag’s Bartender of the Year Award is celebrating the pioneers who’ve helped shape the city’s cocktail culture. As owners and founders of some of our city’s finest institutions, this year’s cast cut their teeth behind the stick before opening concepts of their own, mentoring the next gen and redefining what it means to drink well in Raleigh.
They may no longer all be pouring your whiskey on any given Tuesday—but their fingerprints are all over that glass.
Voting opens Oct. 1, so dive in, drink up and cast your vote. And for extra credit, catch this year’s nominees in action at RM’s annual The Cocktail Classic, Saturday, Nov. 14, at The Exchange Raleigh, where this year’s noms will step back behind the bar for an evening of unlimited cocktails, mic’d-up demos, elevated bites, DJ sets and indulgent experiences. Trust, we’re raising the bar.
🍸 The Cocktail Classic When: Saturday, Nov. 14 Early-bird tickets: On sale TK Tickets:cocktailclassicraleigh.com
Meet Your 2026 Bartender of the Year Nominees
Josh Gagne|Killjoy When it comes to bars, Gagne gets it. That sense of belonging is precisely what drew him to build his own. Knowing he wanted to own a business since his sandbox days, the Killjoy co-owner had his “aha” moment in college. Because bars aren’t just a place to grab a drink—they’re a stage where every element (lighting, music, aromas, flavors) has a role to play. After earning his stripes at Zinda, helping open Haymaker and consulting on bars across the Triangle, Gagne is still driven by one simple purpose: “making people feel comfortable.”
Katie O’Kane|Gussie’s+The Hippo Wine Bar After falling for the craft while working between theater jobs at Manhattan’s Raines Law Room, Gussie’s resident impresario didn’t just move to Raleigh for the hell of it—but because she believed in its budding bar scene. Together with husband Clayton and business partner Vance Daniels, she’s helped shape that community by building lived-in bars like Gussie’s and The Hippo that feel like “new versions of an old idea.” But for the sommelier, success isn’t measured solely in perfect pours—but whether, at last call, she can say: “I think we made a lot of people happy tonight.”
Kevin Barrett|Dram & Draught If you know Barrett, then you know he was “born this way.” Serving drinks since Seinfeld was on TV, the spirits steward made his way through such Raleigh institutions as Foundation, C. Grace and Fox Liquor Bar before rolling up the garage door on Dram & Draught’s flagship. The vision? Take the best parts of those bars and blend them into one welcoming neighborhood bar vibe. Six Drams—and a spirits brand—later, it’s safe to say he nailed it. And it all comes back to his philosophy: “Service is what you do for someone. Hospitality is how you make them feel.”
Kyle Hankin|Foundation “Hospitality over everything.” That’s the MO for the man now steering the bar that laid the foundation (pun fully intended) for DTR’s cocktail culture. But before taking the reins at Foundation from OG owners Will Alphin and Vince Whitehurst, Hankin ran the Raleigh circuit—P.F. Chang’s, PieBird, Rye Bar at the Marriott Hotel, Fox Liquor Bar. Turns out, they picked the right guy. “People have a million reasons to go out to a bar, it is our responsibility to meet guests where they are and try to make their decision a good one.”
Lewis Norton |Bittersweet Belly up at his bar and throw Norton a Norm-like “Lewis!” The Cheers-loving brains behind Bittersweet learned early bars can be more than watering holes—they can be a community. After finding his footing at Foundation—and “an outlet for my inner nerd through food science and cocktail chemistry”—he knew there was no turning back. Not long after, wife & business partner Kim Hammer recruited him to help open Bittersweet—and the rest is sweet history. Having added Yacht Club and Bitter Social to the mix, his approach remains: fostering the next gen of bar pros while keeping Raleigh social—one bar at a time.
Lily Ballance|William & Company If you’ve been around Raleigh bars, you’ve been around Ballance. Breaking onto the scene at City Limits 23 years ago slinging Buds—and soaked in beer-tub water—a few-night favor became an industry love affair. With OGs Mosquito Nightclub, White Collar Crime and Five Star under her belt, Ballance has built a Mexican spirits empire with Willco and La Veladora—plus the Five Star reboot—that has shaped Raleigh nightlife one pour at a time. “I love making a birthday special or buying a round of shots to get a night going. Hospitality’s always been something I value and admire when it’s done right.”
Marshall Davis |Peyote Mini-Bar Dollar beers may be cheap—but that doesn’t mean they can’t be meaningful. Davis got his start pouring $1 beers and wells at The Keg while wrapping his design degree at NC State. Fifteen-plus years later, the Peyote pourmaster has made the Raleigh rounds from Bida Manda to Centro, Gallo Pelón, Locals Oyster Bar, Mala Pata and Big Cat. The linchpin? A 2012 pour of mezcal-turned-obsession—not with drinking, but with tasting, learning and sharing. After helping open NC’s first mezcaleria in 2015, Davis brought that ethos to Peyote: “Give me something simple, done with intention, using quality spirits. Four touches is enough.”
Matt Bettinger|Mr. Henry “Welcome to my home, enjoy the party! Can I get you a drink?” So goes the playbook for Bettinger. Before masterminding Mr. Henry—or lording the lounge at C. Grace, Hank’s and SideBar—he cut his teeth as a 21-year-old at South, followed by stops at Fayetteville Street Tavern, Martin Street Pizza (“Oh, the drama!”), Porter’s, Duck & Dumpling, Foundation and Capital Club 16, plus East Coast guest shifts. Along the way, he honed the lived-in style that’s become his calling card. Because to him, the bartender has always been the hub of the room—and “I just happened to be really good at throwing a party.”
Matt Coleman|The Davie With two decades behind the stick, the “hospitality first, cocktails second” Davie frontman has spent his career honing his hosting skills—from storied Raleigh staples like Alibi and Bogart’s to The Oxford and Fox Liquor Bar. And it all started because he couldn’t stop peppering ’tenders with questions until someone finally handed him a shift. Determined to build a lasting “home” for career bartenders and the guests who love them, Coleman believes the best bars are built on connection, not cocktails. “We want you to remember the night, not just the old-fashioned.”
Zack Medford |Tap Yard If the bar scene had a mayor, it’d be Medford. Long before he became synonymous with Isaac Hunter’s, Coglin’s, Parliament, Tap Yard and many, many more, he was perfecting the art of the party as NCSU’s self-appointed Keg Master—pouring cheap beer with finesse and making friends one red Solo cup at a time. That knack carried him from Sam Snead’s to Buckhead Saloon and Old Bar before building some of DTR’s most recognizable bars. Two-plus decades later, the mission hasn’t changed: “When you’re working at a bar you have one job—throw a party where everyone can have fun.”
Headshot photographer credits: Bettinger, Hankin & O’Kane: Sean Junqueira; Lily Ballance: Mike Noe; Davis: Baxter Miller
Today, Oct. 20, marks the start of the 17-day early voting period running through Nov. 5 at 3pm. And, before you dismiss this midterm election, “The Next Presidential Election Is Happening Right Now in the States.” So, since this election is so important, we rounded up some answers to a few FAQs so you can aptly prep for the polls… because being an informed voter is so in. See you at the polls!
Here’s a perk of early voting. … You can cast your ballot at any early voting site in Wake County! Not registered yet? No problem. You can register and vote on the same day, which is different from Election Day, where registered voters have to vote at their assigned location. For voting sites and schedules around the city, click here.
What do you need to bring?
If you’ve previously voted in NC, you don’t need to bring your ID; if you’re a first-timer, make sure you’ve got a form of identification on hand. Acceptable forms of ID include a driver’s license or another state-issued identification, a U.S. passport, employee ID, student ID, military ID, a copy of a utility bill, a bank statement or a paycheck.
Are there any COVID-19 protocols in place?
To help protect North Carolina’s 7 million+ voters, the State Board strongly encourages wearing masks when inside, keeping social distancing requirements in mind and following sanitation protocols. For more information, visit this site.
We may not head to the polls to cast our votes until Tuesday, Nov. 8, for the statewide general election and municipal election, but the race is heating up in Raleigh. The filing period is officially closed, and now the candidates have been set. And before you flippantly close the tab, we implore you to get to know the field. Dig the local development? Hate it? Guess what—it’s the very people below who will be making those decisions for us over the next several years. And in our last municipal election in 2019, an abysmal 13% showed up to vote. Read that again: 13% of our residents are responsible for how our city has been managed and developed over the last three years. Wouldn’t you like to have a say? If you’re registered, please vote. And if you’re not, there’s still time. You have until 25 days prior to Election Day to register. In the meantime, start knowing the field and what’s at stake. We’ll see you at the polls, Raleigh.
The Race Is On
Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, incumbent DaQuanta Copeland Terrance (Truth) Ruth
At-Large James Bledsoe Joshua Bradley Stormie Forte Anne Franklin Jonathan Melton, incumbent John Odom Portia Rochelle
District A Mary Black-Branch Whitney Hill Catherine (Cat) Lawson
District B Zainab (ZB) Baloch Minu Lee Jakob Lorberblatt Megan Patton Frank Pierce
District C Corey Branch, incumbent Frank Fields Wanda Hunter
District D Rob Baumgart Jane Harrison Todd Kennedy Jennifer Truman
District E Christina Jones David Knight, incumbent
We may not head to the polls to cast our votes until Tuesday, Nov. 8, for the statewide general election and municipal election, but the race is heating up in Raleigh. While the filing period doesn’t open until July (July 1–15), here is who has thrown their hat in the ring so far in races for mayor and city council. And before you flippantly flip the page, we implore you to get to know the field. Dig the local development? Hate it? Guess what—it’s the very people on these pages who will be making those decisions for us over the next several years. And in our last municipal election in 2019, an abysmal 13% showed up to vote. Read that again: 13% of our residents are responsible for how our city has been managed and developed over the last three years. Wouldn’t you like to have a say? If you’re registered, please vote. And if you’re not, there’s still time. You have until 25 days prior to Election Day to register. In the meantime, start knowing the field and what’s at stake. We’ll see you at the polls, Raleigh.
Here’s the way the Raleigh race is shaping up as of press time.
