By: Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
Raleigh voters are heading into a mayoral election that will look different from previous city elections, with a two-candidate contest, longer terms for city leaders and a new staggered election system reshaping how City Hall will operate for years to come.
Incumbent Mayor Janet Cowell is seeking another term, facing Ashleigh Heath Armstrong in the general election. Because only two candidates filed for mayor, the race did not require Raleigh’s newly adopted nonpartisan primary to narrow the field.
The mayoral contest is the first test of major changes Raleigh City Council approved in 2024.
Under the new rules, the city moved away from two-year terms for the mayor and council members and began transitioning to four-year terms. The changes also established staggered elections, meaning roughly half of the council will face voters every two years rather than the entire council being up for election on the same cycle. City officials said the changes were intended to give elected officials more time to govern, reduce the frequency of campaigns and provide greater continuity.
The 2026 election is a transition year: voters will elect the mayor, District A, District B and the at-large candidate who receives the highest number of votes to four-year terms running through 2030.
Districts C, D and E and the at-large candidate receiving the second-highest vote total will initially receive two-year terms and return to the ballot in 2028. After that transition, all Raleigh council seats will operate on four-year terms with elections staggered every two years.
Raleigh is also using a new nonpartisan primary system.
Under the city's rules, district races with more than two candidates are narrowed to two candidates for the November election. For the two at-large seats, a primary is triggered when more than four candidates file, with the field narrowed accordingly. The mayoral race did not meet that threshold, leaving Cowell and Armstrong to advance directly to November.
For Cowell, the campaign comes as Raleigh continues to grapple with the effects of rapid population growth.
During her 2026 State of the City address, Cowell highlighted housing affordability, transportation, public safety, environmental concerns, and quality of life as major areas of focus. She also pointed to continued development of affordable housing, Bus Rapid Transit, water and sewer infrastructure, the new City Hall and the planned Smoky Hollow park as pieces of Raleigh's broader growth strategy.
Public safety has taken on particular importance during the election year following violence surrounding Fourth of July celebrations. Raleigh police reported large gatherings of young people in Brier Creek and Glenwood South, with approximately 3,000 young people estimated at Brier Creek and more than 5,000 in Glenwood South. Police reported nine people shot across several locations and 29 arrests. The incidents prompted city leaders to consider a citywide curfew for people under 18.
The debate over public safety is unfolding alongside broader questions about how Raleigh should manage growth. The city's current priorities include community safety, housing, transportation, environmental resilience, economic development, quality of life and city services. Housing costs have become an especially prominent issue as Raleigh's population has expanded, while transportation advocates and city officials continue to debate transit investment, pedestrian safety and infrastructure needed to accommodate future growth.
North Carolina's 2026 general-election voting period is now underway, with absentee ballots beginning to be distributed last Friday. The voter-registration deadline is Oct. 9, in-person early voting runs from Oct. 15 through Oct. 31, and Election Day is Nov. 3. Absentee ballots must be received by the county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day under the current rules.
Despite the NC State Board of Elections' updated guidance concerning absentee-ballot handling, statewide voting changes are separate from Raleigh's municipal election reforms.
Ashleigh Heath Armstrong, Cowell’s sole challenger, does not have a campaign website or public social media presence. She is unaffiliated and a Wake County resident since at least 2004, according to state voting records.
