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Five Things to Know About Voting in North Carolina’s 2024 Primary Election

 

 

North Carolina’s 2024 Primary Election season is underway. Ann Webb of Common Cause North Carolina looks at five things to know about voting in the primary.

Number one: This year’s primary includes races to decide the Democratic and Republican nominations for North Carolina governor, along with other statewide, congressional, legislative, and local contests.

In North Carolina, voters registered with a particular party can vote only in their own party’s primary. So, voters registered as Democrats can vote in only the Democratic primary, and Republicans can vote only in the Republican primary.

But what about unaffiliated voters, the largest group of voters in North Carolina? Voters registered as unaffiliated can choose which party’s primary they want to vote in. However, they can vote only in one primary.

Number two: Voters will be asked to show photo ID when voting in North Carolina this year. For most North Carolina voters, that will likely mean simply showing their NC driver’s license. But there are other acceptable photo IDs for voting, including a U.S. passport, a military or veteran ID, a tribal enrollment card, or a student ID approved by the State Board of Elections, among others.

To find a list of acceptable IDs for voting, visit the State Board of Elections’ website at BringItNC.com.

If a voter doesn’t have an acceptable photo ID, they can get one for free from their county board of elections or from the DMV.

It’s important to know that all voters will be allowed to vote with or without a photo ID. If a voter cannot show photo ID when voting in person, they can still vote by filling out an ID Exception Form and voting a provisional ballot. If absentee-by-mail voters are unable to include a copy of their photo ID with their ballot return envelope, they can also fill out an ID Exception Form with their ballot.

Again, learn more about voter ID at BringItNC.com or by calling the nonpartisan Voter Protection Hotline at 888-OUR-VOTE.

Number three: If you’re already registered to vote at your current address, you don’t need to re-register before each election.

But if you’re not yet registered to vote, or if you’ve moved to a new address, here are some important things to know. The regular voter registration deadline for North Carolina’s primary election was February 9th. There is still plenty of time to register for the fall general election. But for the primary, there is good news if you missed that deadline: you can still register to vote and cast a ballot during the early voting period from February 15th through March 2nd.

Note that same-day voter registration isn’t available on the March 5th Primary Election Day. So if you’re not yet registered to vote, you’ll want to use same-day registration during the early voting period by going to any early voting site in your county from February 15th through March 2nd. And be sure to double check that you use a current mailing address for registration.

Check your registration status and find early voting locations at NCVoterGuide.org or by calling the nonpartisan Voter Protection Hotline at 888-OUR-VOTE.

Number four: If you want to vote absentee by mail this primary election, you can request an absentee ballot right now from your county board of elections. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is February 27th.

Completed absentee ballots must be received by county boards of elections no later than 7:30 p.m. on the March 5th Primary Election Day.

If voting by mail, it’s a good idea to mail back your completed absentee ballot as soon as possible in case there are delays in mail delivery.

Number five: If you prefer to vote in person on the March 5th Primary Election Day itself, then you’ll go to your assigned polling place on March 5th.

Polls will be open on the March 5th Primary Election Day from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.

Find your election day polling place and see more information about this year’s primary at NCVoterGuide.org or call the nonpartisan Voter Protection Hotline at 888-OUR-VOTE.

NORTH CAROLINA VOTER TOOLS:

 

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