WAYNE COUNTY, N.C. — Wayne County voters headed to the polls Tuesday, November 3, for the 2026 midterm elections, with several closely contested judicial races highlighting election night results.
According to unofficial election night totals, Wayne County recorded a 50.04% voter turnout, with 38,788 ballots cast out of 77,521 registered voters.
One of the closest races in Wayne County was for the North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 1, where Democratic incumbent Anita Earls received 19,494 votes, or 50.78%, narrowly defeating Republican challenger Sarah Stevens, who received 18,897 votes, or 49.22%.
Earls led Stevens by just 597 votes in Wayne County.
Meanwhile, Republican candidates led all three North Carolina Court of Appeals races in Wayne County.
In the race for Court of Appeals Seat 1, Republican Michael C. Byrne received 19,585 votes, or 51.18%, compared to Democrat John S. Arrowood, who received 18,685 votes, or 48.82%.
For Court of Appeals Seat 2, Republican George Cooper Bell received 19,737 votes, or 51.55%, defeating Democrat Tobias “Toby” Hampson, who received 18,548 votes, or 48.45%.
In the contest for Court of Appeals Seat 3, Republican Craig Collins received 19,513 votes, or 51.08%, while Democrat Christine Marie Walczyk received 18,687 votes, or 48.92%.
The election night results reflect a closely divided Wayne County electorate, with Democrats holding a narrow advantage in the state Supreme Court contest while Republicans maintained leads in all three Court of Appeals races.
Despite the tight margins in several contests, voter participation reached just over half of Wayne County’s registered voters.
All election night results remain unofficial. The Wayne County Board of Elections is scheduled to conduct its official canvass on Friday, November 13, 2026, when election results will be reviewed and certified.
The figures reported reflect voting in Wayne County only and do not represent statewide results for the judicial contests.
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