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Durham, Durham County

Durham: Birkhead and Deberry lead unopposed sheriff and DA races in unofficial returns

With all 58 Durham precincts in, Sheriff Clarence F. Birkhead and District Attorney Satana Deberry each drew 100% in the State Board file. WRAL also reported both ran unopposed. Not certified.

UpdatedThis story has changed since it was first published.

By Alexandru Stanciu · Published

The downtown Durham skyline under an overcast sky

File photo: Discover Durham (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • Unofficial results from the North Carolina State Board of Elections for Durham County sheriff, with all 58 of 58 precincts reporting, listed Democrat Clarence F. Birkhead with 130,447 votes (100%).Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections unofficial Durham County results file, accessed Nov. 4, 2026
  • For District Attorney District 16, the same unofficial file listed Democrat Satana Deberry with 128,448 votes (100%), with all 58 of 58 precincts reporting.Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections unofficial Durham County results file, accessed Nov. 4, 2026
  • WRAL independently reported that District Attorney Satana Deberry and Sheriff Clarence F. Birkhead won reelection after running unopposed, that Birkhead has been in office since 2018, and that Deberry has served as district attorney since 2019.Confirmed by WRAL, Nov. 4, 2026

Still unknown

  • Final certified totals after provisional ballots and the county canvass

What this means for you

Instructions from North Carolina State Board of Elections

This site is not an elections office. Unofficial results are on the State Board's election-results site. Certified results come later from the county canvass. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

What happened

In Durham, Democrat Clarence F. Birkhead and Democrat Satana Deberry each ran without a ballot opponent for sheriff and District Attorney District 16 in unofficial returns after the Nov. 3 election.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections' unofficial Durham County file, with all 58 of 58 precincts reporting, listed Birkhead with 130,447 votes (100%) for sheriff. Deberry had 128,448 votes (100%) for district attorney. Those figures are not certified.

WRAL independently reported that both won reelection after running unopposed, that Birkhead has been sheriff since 2018, and that Deberry has been district attorney since 2019.

Wake County commissioner, sheriff and school-board results from the same election are covered in separate files on this site.

Certification follows the county canvass. This site is not an elections office. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Related coverage

Why it matters

Durham's sheriff and district attorney run the county's main local law-enforcement and prosecution offices. Readers need the unofficial unopposed tallies before certification.

Updates

  1. Nov 4, 2026, 9:58 AM

    First file from unofficial NCSBE Durham sheriff and District Attorney District 16 tallies (58 of 58 precincts) plus WRAL on the unopposed reelections.

Sources

  1. Durham County unofficial results file (NCSBE enr/20261103/data/results_32.txt: DURHAM COUNTY SHERIFF Clarence F. Birkhead DEM 130,447 / 100%; DISTRICT ATTORNEY DISTRICT 16 Satana Deberry DEM 128,448 / 100%; 58 of 58 precincts)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina State Board of Elections · Checked Nov 4, 2026, 9:55 AM

  2. Mayor, sheriffs, county commission and more: Triangle's local election results (WRAL / Elizabeth Holmes and Tom Santaniello, updated Nov. 4, 2026: Deberry and Birkhead won reelection after running unopposed; Birkhead in office since 2018; Deberry DA since 2019. Text-only; no WRAL photos used.)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Nov 4, 2026, 9:55 AM

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