The following is a summary of the unofficial results for the Cumberland County Primary Election held on May 5, 2026.

Voter Participation and Turnout

Out of 49,068 registered voters, 7,327 ballots were cast, resulting in a voter turnout of 14.93%. Participation was nearly evenly split between Election Day voting (3,501) and early walk-in voting (3,692), with paper absentee ballots (134) making up a small remainder. All 23 precincts have reported their results.

County-Wide Executive Races

In the Republican Primary for County Mayor, incumbent Allen Foster secured a decisive victory with 79.36% (5,088 votes) against Michael Findley, who received 20.51%. On the Democratic side, no candidate qualified, leaving the race to 16 write-in votes. For County Trustee, Kim Tollett Wyatt won the Republican nomination with 64.90% of the vote over Jill Ritzman’s 35.04%. The Register of Deeds Republican primary saw Trey Kerley defeat Steve Powell with 69.38% of the vote.

Uncontested Republican Primaries

Several Republican incumbents and candidates ran effectively unopposed for county-wide positions:

• Sheriff: Casey D. Cox (99.55%)

• Circuit Court Clerk: Jessica R. Burgess (99.92%)

• County Clerk: Jule Bryson (99.87%)

• Road Superintendent: Kevin D. Music (96.71%)

County Commission Highlights

The Republican primaries for County Commission saw several competitive races. In District 5, Terry Lowe led a three-way race with 38.95%, followed by Jack Davis at 36.25%. In District 9, Colleen K. Mall (39.14%) and John L. Patterson, Jr. (33.56%) took the top two spots. Other districts saw narrower margins, such as District 1, where Wiley Potter and Sue Ann York were separated by less than 3%, and District 3, where Karen B. Shanks slightly led Craig Clark. On the Democratic side, James Janecek (District 9) and Deborah Holbrook (District 8) were among the few qualified candidates to appear on the ballot.

School Board Primaries

The Republican School Board races were largely uncontested. Sheryl L. Nichols (District 3), Chris Seals (District 5), Blair Woodcock (District 7), and Dan Schlafer (District 9) all secured their nominations with over 99% of the vote. District 1 saw no qualified candidates for either party, resulting in a race decided entirely by write-in votes.

More detailed results are in the document below:

Final Unofficial Summary