The deadline for election day registration and party changes for the March 5th, 2024 Presidential Preference Primary is Friday, February 9th, 2024 by 5:00 pm. Voter registration applications must be received by the Board of Elections by this date. If an application is received after the deadline, the application may still be timely if it was mailed and it is postmarked on or before the voter registration deadline; otherwise, the application will not be processed until after the election. Persons who register at the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles or another voter registration agency will be considered registered as of the date the application is given to the agency. As long as this date is on or before the voter registration deadline, then the application will be deemed timely for an upcoming election.
Political Parties
North Carolina recognizes five political parties: The Democratic Party, the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, the No Labels Party, and the Republican Party. A voter may choose one political party or can decide not to register with a political party. If a voter does not register with a political party, the voter will be registered as unaffiliated.
In a partisan primary, voters affiliated with a political party may only vote their party’s ballot and may not vote in another party’s primary. For example, a registered Republican may only vote in the Republican Party primary. This remains true even if the party you are affiliated with does not have a primary, such as the No Labels Party and the Green Party in 2024.
Unaffiliated voters may choose any one political party’s ballot in a primary election.
In a general election, voters may vote for the candidate(s) of their choice, regardless of party. North Carolina does not allow straight-ticket voting (also called straight-party voting).