Early-in person voting starts today. Who's on the primary election ballot?
Early voting begins today and the primary election is March 5.
In-person early voting for the 2024 primary election began this morning, Thursday, February 15, and runs through Saturday, March 2, at early voting locations across North Carolina. Statewide, more than 340 early voting sites will be open for early voting ahead of the March 5 primary election.
Early voting has become a popular voting method in North Carolina. In the 2020 presidential primary, 36% of voters chose early voting to cast their ballot. In the 2022 primary, 39% voted early in-person. Early voting is the most popular form of voting for general elections.
“In-person early voting is one of the ways voters can cast ballots securely in North Carolina,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “The bipartisan election officials who work at each early voting site are prepared for a smooth voting process and to ensure the ballots of eligible voters are counted.”
Multiple people have filed for federal, state, and local offices, including seats for the U.S. House of Representatives, NC Governor, the Council of State, NC House, NC Senate, county commissioners, and local boards of education. The primary election will be held in North Carolina on March 5. As I previously reported, below is a breakdown of dates to expect ahead of the primary election, per state election officials.
Feb. 15, 2024: In-person early voting begins.
Feb. 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.).*
(*Voter registration and absentee voting deadlines are different for military and overseas citizen voters.)
Don’t forget your photo ID: North Carolina voters will be asked to show a photo ID when they check in to vote. Learn more: Voter ID.
Click here if you vote in Rutherford County to view who has filed to run in 2024.
Click here to view candidate lists for every office in NC.
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. Anyone running unopposed in the primary will be automatically included on the official election ballot in November. Recently, the NCSBE voted unanimously to finalize the list of presidential preference primary candidates for 2024 and approved temporary administrative rules regarding procedures related to election observers.
Click here to view your county’s early voting locations.
Who can vote in the primary?
Voters affiliated with any political party may vote on the ballot of candidates for their party only. For example, a registered Republican may vote on the Republican primary ballot only. Some recognized political parties in North Carolina may not have primary ballots. Unaffiliated voters may choose to vote on any one political party’s ballot. A voter cannot vote in more than one party’s primary.
It’s important to remember that your voting record is a public record. Anyone can look up your voting history. Here’s mine below (I am registered as an unaffiliated voter.)
How are winners determined?
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, divided by the number of nominations to be filled.
Could there be a 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. The NCSBE will determine if any contests will have second primaries.
For information about registering to vote or updating your voter registration, visit ncsbe.gov.
Editor’s Note: This is the second primary I’ve covered in NC and the third election season! Learn more about this newsletter and my background.
Cops & Congress by Annie Dance is a service journalism newsletter, focusing on police, policy, and public records in the Lake Lure, NC area. I published over sixty stories since launching Cops & Congress in April 2023 and more briefs on Meta (Facebook) and X (Twitter). They’ve all been free to read.
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