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Government of Durham County, North Carolina
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| Seat: Durham |
| Population (2020): 324,833 |
| County Commissioners: 5 |
| County Website: Official website |
The county government of Durham County is located in Durham, North Carolina. The county covers a total of 286 square miles in northern North Carolina.[1]
Elections
2026
Durham County, North Carolina, is holding general elections for clerk of superior court, district attorney, sheriff, soil and water district board, district court judges, and superior court judges on November 3, 2026. A primary is scheduled for March 3, 2026. A primary runoff will be held on May 12, 2026, if necessary. The filing deadline for this election was December 19, 2025, and the filing deadline for the soil and water conservation district is July 6, 2026.
2024
Durham County, North Carolina, held general elections for register of deeds, board of commissioners, soil and water conservation district, district court judges, and superior court judges on November 5, 2024. A primary was scheduled for March 5, 2024. The filing deadline for the primary was December 15, 2023, and the filing deadline for the soil and water conservation district was July 5, 2024.
2022
Durham County, North Carolina, held general elections for district attorney, sheriff, soil and water district board, clerk of superior court, district court judges, and superior court judge on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for May 17, 2022. The filing deadline for this election was March 4, 2022.
2020
Durham County, North Carolina, held general elections for county board of commissioners, county register of deeds, a superior court judgeship, a district court judgeship, and soil and water conservation districts supervisor on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for March 3, 2020. The filing deadline for candidates running to represent the soil and water conservation district was July 3, 2020.
2018
Durham County, North Carolina, held general elections for clerk of court, county sheriff, district attorney, soil and water conservation district supervisor, and local judicial positions on November 6, 2018. If a race had multiple candidates for a party nomination, a primary was held on May 8, 2018.
Elected officials
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If any officeholder information below is no longer accurate, please contact us with any updates. |
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Board of Commissioners
- See also: County commission
The board of commissioners functions as the county's primary legislative and policy-making body. Most county boards also control county land usage, oversee environmental issues, and possess executive powers, meaning they have the authority to appoint or remove departmental heads. In Durham County, there are five commissioners who are elected at large to four-year terms.[2]
The table below provides information on each of the commissioners:[3]
| Office | Name | Date assumed office |
|---|---|---|
| Durham County Board of Commissioners | Nida Allam | December 7, 2020 |
| Durham County Board of Commissioners | Michelle Burton | December 2, 2024 |
| Durham County Board of Commissioners | Wendy Jacobs | 2012 |
| Durham County Board of Commissioners | Michael Lee | December 2, 2024 |
| Durham County Board of Commissioners | Stephen J. Valentine | December 2, 2024 |
The widget below automatically displays information about their meetings. The topic list contains a sampling of keywords that Voterheads, a local government monitoring service, found in each meeting agenda. Click the meeting link to see more info and the full agenda:
Other elected officials
Durham County residents also elect the following public officials:
| Office | Name | Date assumed office |
|---|---|---|
| Durham County Clerk of Superior Court | Aminah Thompson | December 5, 2022 |
| Durham County Register of Deeds | Sharon Davis | 2016 |
| Durham County Sheriff | Clarence Birkhead | 2018 |
Special districts
- See also: Special districts
Special districts are a form of local government that exist to fulfill a specific purpose within a certain geographic area. This region can be as large as a county or smaller than a city block. Special districts have the power to tax their local residents in order to fund operational expenditures. Although a special district may be formed for any stated purpose, the most common examples include library, hospital, transportation, airport, utility, conservation, sanitation, fire control, and flood control districts.
Durham Soil and Water Conservation District
Durham County residents elect three of five board members of the Durham Soil & Water Conservation District. The other two board members are appointed. Elected board members serve staggered four-year terms and are selected through nonpartisan elections.[4]
The Durham Soil & Water Conservation District is an agency designed to "conserve, enhance and promote the natural resources of Durham County by providing technical assistance, environmental education information and economic incentives to County citizens and by exhibiting a diversified program to meet its changing needs."[4]
The table below provides information on the elected Durham Soil & Water Conservation District board members:
| Office | Name | Date assumed office |
|---|---|---|
| Durham Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor | David Harris | December 3, 2018 |
| Durham Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor | Janell Henry | December 2, 2024 |
| Durham Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor | Mark Waller | December 5, 2022 |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Durham County North Carolina. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Durham County, North Carolina | North Carolina | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Durham County, North Carolina," accessed September 21, 2017
- ↑ Durham County, North Carolina, "Board of Commissioners," accessed September 21, 2017
- ↑ Durham County, North Carolina, "Contact the Board of Commissioners," accessed September 26, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Durham County Government, "Durham Soil and Water Conservation District," accessed February 12, 2019
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