October 11, 2023

Durham voters selected candidates for mayor and three at-large city council seats on October 10 in the municipal primary election.

Eight mayoral candidates were on the ballot and 12 council candidates. Leonardo Williams and Mike Woodard will advance to the general election on November 7 to replace Mayor Elaine O’Neal, who announced her retirement earlier this year. Williams currently holds a seat on the Durham City Council while Woodard serves as a NC Senator. The at-large city council candidates who will advance to the election in November include Nate Baker, Javiera Caballero (incumbent), Carl Rist, Khalilah Karim, Shelia Ann Huggins, and Monique Holsey-Hyman (incumbent).

Cary also held its general election on October 10 for mayor, two town council districts and one at-large council seat. Current Mayor Harold Weinbrecht was re-elected and ran unopposed. Lori Bush (incumbent) won the at-large council seat, Michelle Craig won in District B and Sarika Bansal won in District D. Elections will occur this November in other municipalities in Wake County and Orange County. Angier, Apex, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Hillsborough, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Morrisville, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Wendell, and Zebulon will all hold elections on November 7.

Early voting for the November 7 election runs from Thursday, October 19 through Saturday, November 4. During the early voting period, voters can cast their ballot at any polling location in the county where they are registered but must vote at their assigned polling place on Election Day. The voter registration deadline for the November general election is Friday, October 13. Same-day voter registration is available during the early voting period and voters also have the opportunity to update their registration if needed.

As a reminder, all North Carolina voters will be asked to provide photo identification when voting in-person or by absentee ballot beginning with elections this fall. Acceptable forms of ID include:

  • North Carolina driver’s license
  • State ID from the NCDMV for NC residents (also called “non-operator ID”)
  • Driver’s license or non-driver ID from another state, District of Columbia or U.S. territory (only if voter registered in North Carolina within 90 days of the election)
  • U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport card
  • North Carolina voter photo ID card issued by a county board of elections
  • College or university student ID approved by the State Board of Elections
  • State or local government or charter school employee ID approved by the State Board of Elections

The NC Board of Elections recently approved Duke University’s Student Voter ID Card as a valid form of identification when voting. The Duke Student Voter ID Card is a physical card, separate from the DukeCard, and will be provided to Duke students for free upon request. Additional information on registering to vote, voting, and voter ID requirements can be found on the NC Board of Elections website or vote.duke.edu.