From the good folks over at the North Carolina State Board of Elections
Early in-person Voting begins today in North Carolina and extends to March 2 at 3:00 p.m. This year, North Carolina holds its Primary Election on March 5 (a.k.a. “Super Tuesday”) and our General Election on November 5.
2024 Offices up for Election
Offices up for election in 2024 include the following:
- U.S. President
- U.S. House of Representatives
- Governor
- Lieutenant Governor
- Secretary of State
- State Auditor
- State Treasurer
- Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Attorney General
- Agriculture Commissioner
- Labor Commissioner
- Insurance Commissioner
- State Senator
- State Representative
- N.C. Supreme Court Justice
- N.C. Court of Appeals Judge
- Superior Court Judge
- District Court Judge
- District Attorney
- County Commissioner
- Clerk of Superior Court
- Register of Deeds
In 2024, many counties have elections for boards of commissioners and boards of education. A number of municipalities also have elections for mayor and seats on the municipal governing board.
2024 Primary Election
The 2024 Primary Election, including the presidential preference primary, is Tuesday, March 5, 2024. During this election, voters choose which candidates should be the party nominees to appear on the general election ballot. The 2024 General Election is Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
In-person early voting for the 2024 Primary Election began on Thursday, February 15, and ends at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 2. Early voting sites and schedules are available at the Early Voting Site Search. Locations and voting hours are also available at Early Voting Sites for the March 5, 2024 Primary Election (PDF).
Judicial Voter Guide
In the 2024 primary election, there will be one Democratic and one Republican contest for the North Carolina appellate courts. Visit the Judicial Voter Guide for more information on the courts and candidates.
Dates and Deadlines
Here are voter dates and deadlines for the 2024 Primary Election in North Carolina:
- January 19, 2024: County boards of elections begin mailing absentee ballots to eligible voters who submitted an absentee ballot request form
- February 9, 2024: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.)*
- February 15, 2024: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration available
- February 27, 2024: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.)*
- March 2, 2024: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.)
- March 5, 2024: Primary Election Day
- March 5, 2024: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.)*
Find important dates for the 2024 General Election on our web calendar: Voter Dates & Deadlines.
*Voter registration and absentee voting deadlines are different for military and overseas citizen voters.
Who Can Vote in the Primary?
Voters affiliated with any political party may vote the ballot of candidates for their party only. For example, a registered Republican may vote the Republican primary ballot only. Some recognized political parties in North Carolina may not have primary ballots.
Unaffiliated voters may choose to vote any one political party’s ballot or a nonpartisan ballot (if available). A voter cannot vote in more than one party’s primary.
How to Determine Winners
Candidates who win in each contest on their party’s ballot will become their party’s nominees. The nominee will appear on the ballot in the general election contest. To become the party’s nominee, the candidate must win by at least 30% of the vote plus one. For multi-seat primary contests (for example, at-large county commissioners), primary candidates win if they earn 30% of the total number of votes cast in the contest, divided by the number of nominations to be filled.
Second Primary?
If no candidate reaches the vote percentage necessary to become the nominee in a contest on the ballot, a runner-up can request a second primary to be held on May 14, 2024. Voters can revisit this page after the primary to see if any contests will have second primaries.
Presidential Preference Primary
Under state law, each recognized political party in the state submits to the State Board of Elections a list of its presidential candidates for the presidential preference primary ballot, no later than 90 days before the primary.
The State Board then meets to nominate candidates submitted by the political parties. Additionally, the State Board, by a majority vote, may nominate as a presidential primary candidate any other person affiliated with a political party that it finds is generally advocated and recognized in the news media throughout the United States or in North Carolina.
Also, a candidate may seek a spot on the presidential primary ballot through a petition, as addressed in Nomination by petition. N.C.G.S. § 163-213.5.
The following are the lists provided by the political parties for the 2024 primary, which will be held March 5, 2024. The State Board approved these names for 2024 primary ballots at its meeting on December 19, 2023.
Democratic Party: Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Green Party: Did not submit candidates
Libertarian Party:
- Toad Anderson
- Charles Ballay
- David (TrimeTaveler) Dunlap
- Jacob Hornberger
- Beau Lindsey
- Lars Mapstead
- Chase Oliver
- Michael Rectenwald
- Joshua Smith
- Mike ter Maat
Republican Party:
- Ryan Binkley
- Chris Christie
- Ron DeSantis
- Nikki Haley
- Asa Hutchinson
- Vivek Ramaswamy
- Donald J. Trump
Important Tips for Voters
- Need to register or update your registration? See How to Register or Updating Registration.
- Check your registration: Voters can check to make sure their registration information is accurate and up to date using the Voter Search tool. There, you can also find your polling place, absentee ballot information, and more.
- Find your sample ballot: All eligible, registered voters will find their sample ballot(s) in the “Your Sample Ballot” section of their Voter Search profile when they become available. For even-year elections, sample ballots are typically available 50 days before Election Day.
- Don’t forget your photo ID: North Carolina voters will be asked to show photo ID when they check in to vote. Learn more: Voter ID.
- Three ways to vote: Follow the links below to learn about the voting methods available to voters.
