Rowan County voters had five judicial seats on their ballots, all five of which currently stand as Republican victories. However, the election for the Supreme Court is likely to end in a recount.

The largest election on the ballot was the race for Seat 6 on the North Carolina Supreme Court, with incumbent Democrat Allison Riggs and Republican Jefferson Griffin as the two candidates. Griffin led the election by a slim margin, with 2,749,073 votes to Riggs’ 2,739,222, or 50.09 percent to 49.91 percent, respectively. As the difference is below 10,000, the election is within the margins for Riggs to request a recount.

Rowan County’s residents voted more strongly in Griffin’s favor, with Griffin receiving 65.91 percent of the Rowan County vote to Riggs’ 34.09 percent.

If the results stand, the Republicans would increase their margin on the Supreme Court to six to one, with Justice Anita Earls the lone Democrat standing. Democrats held control of the court as recently as the 2020 election with five Democrats and two Republicans, however Republicans swept the elections that year and entered 2021 with the five-to-two majority.

The election was for an eight-year term on the highest court in the state. Riggs had served on the Supreme Court since being appointed by Governor Roy Cooper in September of 2023.

Republicans also won the three N.C. Court of Appeals elections by slim margins, however none were close enough to potentially trigger recounts. For Seat 12, Republican Tom Murry defeated incumbent Democrat Carolyn Jennings Thompson, with Murry receiving 2,788,556 votes statewide to Thompson’ 2,680,061, or 50.99 percent to 49.01 percent, respectively.

Thompson has served on the state Court of Appeals since being appointed by Cooper in September of 2023. She filled the seat vacated by Riggs’ appointment to the Supreme Court.

In the election for Seat 14 on the Court of Appeals, incumbent Republican Valerie Zachary successfully defended against a challenge from Democrat Ed Eldred, with Zachary receiving 2,857,089 votes to Edlred’s 2,598,872, or 52.37 percent to 47.63 percent.

Zachary was appointed to the court by former Governor Pat McCrory in 2015, before winning the next election in 2016.

The final election for the Court of Appeals was for Seat 15, was contested between two newcomers in Republican Chris Freeman and Democrat Martin Moore. Freeman, who defeated incumbent Hunter Murphy in the Republican primary, won with 2,822,964 votes to Moore’s 2,624,698, or 51.82 percent to 48.18.

In each case, Rowan County again leaned more in favor of the Republican candidates than the overall statewide vote. Republicans Murry, Zachary and Freeman each received approximately 68 percent of the local vote while the three Democratic candidates each received approximately 32 percent.

Each recently-elected Court of Appeals candidate will serve on the bench for eight years.

The final judicial seat on Rowan County ballots was a District Court seat, where incumbent Republican Ashley Andrews ran unopposed for Seat 5 in District 27. Andrews was recently appointed to the position in August by Cooper, marking the first time that Rowan County had more female district court judges than male.

Andrews will serve a four-year term.

Election results are unofficial tallies until confirmed by the board of elections.