Party nominations still missing for Alamance County special commissioner race

Alamance County election officials were still waiting on party nominees for the special two-year county commissioner race on April 24, leaving the November ballot incomplete even as absentee voting draws closer.

The missing names center on the seat left vacant by the death of John Paisley Jr., who died on Feb. 19 after serving on the Alamance County Board of Commissioners since his election in 2020 and reelection in 2024. Paisley had also filled a partial term in 2014 and stepped aside as board chairman in December 2025, when Kelly Allen took over.

Under North Carolina General Statutes, vacancies on county boards are filled by the remaining commissioners after consulting the relevant county party committee. Because Paisley was serving a four-year term and died more than 60 days before the general election after the first two years of that term, the November contest will decide who finishes the unexpired seat rather than launching a full new term.

The Alamance County Republican Executive Committee selected Sam Powell, a 73-year-old Burlington businessman, during a closed meeting on March 14. Powell was sworn in three days later, on March 17, to serve temporarily on the five-member board, which is elected at large to staggered four-year terms. Powell previously served on the county commission from 1998 to 2002, spent 12 years on Burlington’s city council, and also served as a trustee for Alamance Community College and on the North Carolina state board of community colleges.

But the ballot itself was still unfinished. Dawn Hurdle, director of the Alamance County Board of Elections, said she had not been notified by either party about the names they wanted on the ballot for the special race. The Democratic side had not yet met to name a challenger, and the elections office had not received formal submissions from either party for that two-year seat.

The delay matters because the special race will be decided on a compressed calendar. Absentee voting for North Carolina’s 2026 general election begins Sept. 4, early voting runs Oct. 15 through Oct. 31, and Election Day is Nov. 3. That leaves voters with a shorter window to learn who is running for a seat that helps shape the county budget, tax decisions, schools and services across Alamance County, from Burlington to Graham.