The story: Lakeland has a real mayor’s race this year. On Tuesday, Nov. 3, incumbent Mayor Josh Roman faces Commissioner Connie McCarter. Two seats on the Board of Commissioners and three seats on the Lakeland School Board are on the ballot too.
Who’s on your ballot (per the Shelby County Election Commission’s official sample ballot):
- Mayor (vote for one): Connie McCarter, Josh Roman
- Commissioner (vote for two): Jeremy Burnett, Heather Ann Long, Lindsey Reap
- Lakeland School Board (vote for three): Keith Acton, Sara Castellaw, Laura Harrison. All three are listed as Republican Party nominees.
There’s a write-in line for each race.
Wait, two people from the same board? Yep. Roman and McCarter both sit on the current five-member Board of Commissioners. The other members are Vice Mayor Michele Dial and Commissioners Jim Atkinson and Derek Johnston, per the city’s Oct. 1 meeting minutes.
The math on the other races: Three people are running for two commission seats, so one of them won’t win. The school board race has exactly three candidates for three seats.
Need a refresher? The city’s Community Advisory Board held a mayoral debate and commission candidate forum on Oct. 19 at Lakeland Preparatory School. The city posted the full recording on its website. The city says it doesn’t endorse any candidate.
How to vote:
- When: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Where: On Election Day you have to vote at your assigned polling place. Look it up at GoVoteTN.gov or on the Election Commission’s site.
- Bring: A photo ID. Poll workers ask for one at check-in.
- Early voting ran Oct. 14–29, so that window has closed.
What’s next: Results post on the Election Commission’s site after polls close. Count is unofficial until certified. We’ll have the results here.
Sources: Shelby County Election Commission official sample ballot, Nov. 3, 2026; SCEC voting information; City of Lakeland: 2026 Mayoral Debate and Candidate Forum; City of Lakeland BOC minutes, Oct. 1, 2026.
Photo: Funknendai / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
