Ballot question
Wake County School Bonds Referendum
- On the ballot in
- Wake County
- Vote
- Yes or no
- Election
- Nov 3, 2026
The question, as printed on the ballot
Additional property taxes may be levied on property located in the County of Wake, North Carolina in an amount sufficient to pay the principal and interest on school bonds if approved by the following ballot question. Shall the order adopted on July 6, 2026, authorizing $680,000,000 SCHOOL BONDS of the County of Wake, North Carolina, plus interest, for the purpose of providing funds to construct, renovate, expand, improve and equip school buildings and other school facilities for the Wake County Public School System, and providing that additional taxes may be levied in an amount sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on said bonds be approved, in light of the following: (1) The estimated cumulative cost over the life of said bonds, using the highest interest rate charged for similar debt over the last 20 years, would be $1,043,387,458, consisting of the $680,000,000 principal amount of said bonds plus $363,387,458 of estimated interest. (2) The estimated amount of property tax liability increase for each one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) of property tax value to service the cumulative cost over the life of said bonds would be $4.10 per year.
A “Yes” vote means
Authorizes Wake County to borrow up to $680 million in bonds to build, renovate, expand and equip public school facilities; the ballot estimates $4.10 a year in property tax per $100,000 of value.
A “No” vote means
Wake County could not issue these $680 million in school bonds; the county commissioners would still decide how to pay for school building needs.
Wake County would pair the bonds with $152.3 million in pay-as-you-go cash for school construction and renovation in fiscal years 2028 and 2029 (Wake County Public School System).
Sources
- Referendum Choices List Grouped by Referendum, all counties (November 3, 2026) · North Carolina State Board of Elections
- November 3, 2026 General Election Sample Ballot Key & Combined Sample Ballots (Wake County) · Wake County Board of Elections
- School Bond 2026 · Wake County Public School System
The question and plain English statement are copied word for word from official election materials. The Gist does not take a side on ballot questions.