Use The N&O Voter Guide to research candidates running in Wake County elections
Welcome to The News & Observer’s Voter Guide for the 2021 Wake County municipal elections.
We have reached out to all of the candidates running for mayor, town board and town council, and asked them to complete a candidate questionnaire.
This election features mayoral contests in several towns, including contested races in Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Morrisville, Wake Forest and Zebulon. In Apex, there are six candidates running to fill three seats on the town council, and in Wendell, seven candidates are competing to fill three seats.
The names of candidates who completed our questionnaire are hyperlinked below so that N&O subscribers can read their answers to our questions about local issues such as COVID-19, town growth, their top priorities, and what life skills and experience make them the best candidate.
The early voting period runs through Oct. 30. Registered voters can vote early at the Wake County Board of Elections Office, 1200 N. New Hope Road, Raleigh, John M. Brown Community Center, 53 Hunter St., Apex, and Avery Street Recreation Center, 125 Avery St., Garner.
If you’re voting by mail, you also have the option of returning your absentee ballot to the board of elections in person. Requests to vote by mail must be received by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26.
The last day to register to vote was Friday, Oct. 8, but if you live in one of the municipalities below that has an election this year, you can visit the board of elections during the early voting period and complete same-day registration.
More information about early voting, registration, polling places, and requesting an absentee ballot can be found at www.wakevotesearly.com. You can also contact the Board of Elections at 919-404-4040 or voter@wakegov.com.
If you have any questions or comments about this list, please contact reporter Anna Johnson at ajohnson@newsobserver.com.
The candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
APEX TOWN COUNCIL (Three seats)
Christine Hale
Tim Powell
Gordon Williford
* incumbent
FUQUAY-VARINA MAYOR (One seat)
Richard Bridgers
FUQUAY-VARINA BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS (Two seats)
* incumbent
GARNER TOWN COUNCIL (Two seats)
* incumbent
HOLLY SPRINGS MAYOR (One seat)
Sean Mayefskie
HOLLY SPRINGS TOWN COUNCIL (Three seats)
Carrie Randa
Susan Smith
* incumbent
KNIGHTDALE MAYOR (One seat)
* incumbent
KNIGHTDALE TOWN COUNCIL (Three seats)
* incumbent
MORRISVILLE MAYOR (One seat)
TJ Cawley*
Liz Johnson
* incumbent
MORRISVILLE TOWN COUNCIL, AT-LARGE (One seat)
Steve S. Rao*
James “Jim” Semmens
* incumbent
MORRISVILLE TOWN COUNCIL, DISTRICT 2 (One seat)
Donna Fender*
* incumbent
MORRISVILLE TOWN COUNCIL, DISTRICT 4 (One seat)
Patty Wei-Pei Cheng
Vicki Scroggins-Johnson*
* incumbent
ROLESVILLE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS (Three seats)
Dan Tyrone Alston
Steven D. Dieckhaus
April Sneed*
Paul Vilga*
Jacky Wilson*
* incumbent
WAKE FOREST MAYOR (One seat)
Vivian Jones*
Bridget Wall-Lennon
* incumbent
WAKE FOREST BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS (Two seats)
Patrick Griffin
Michael Molinaro
R. Keith Shackleford
Liz Simpers*
Nick Sliwinski
* incumbent
WENDELL BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS (Three seats)
Dean Eatman
Michael Firstbrook
Braxton Davis Honeycutt
Jason Joyner*
Jon Lutz*
Josh Sledge
Allison Yeargin
* incumbent
ZEBULON MAYOR(One seat)
Patrick Bolger
Glenn York
ZEBULON BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS (Two seats)
Beverly Wall Clark*
Kacie Germano
Quentin Miles
Annie Jean Moore*
* incumbent
