- By Sidney Shank, Staff Writer -
On Tue., May 8, primary elections in North Carolina occur for November’s general election. The ballot includes candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, the N.C. Senate, the N.C. House, the N.C. Supreme Court, the intermediate appellate courts, local judges, local school boards, and local municipal government.
As a reminder, primary elections are elections between candidates of the same political party to determine the final candidates for the general election ballot in November. Voters registered as either Democrat, Republican, or Libertarian will have access to the ballot for their registered party. Voters registered as unaffiliated (also known as independent) will be allowed to choose between the Democratic, Republican, and Libertarian ballots. Unaffiliated voters may select any ballot without changing their status as unaffiliated. You can find the list of candidates on the ballots for your registered address on the State Board of Elections website.
Early voting began Thur., April 19 and will end Sat., May 5. During early voting, unregistered voters will be allowed to register and vote on the same day, provided they can provide documentation proving their proof of residence in North Carolina. Proof of residence includes driver’s licenses, government-issued identification, bank statements, and government documents including both name and address. College photo IDs are acceptable if the student can prove that she currently lives on campus. If you vote early, you may vote at any polling place in your county.
All voters in N.C. are entitled to an absentee ballot, making this your best option to vote if you cannot make it to a physical polling place. Requests for absentee ballots must be received by the county board of elections in the county you are registered in by 5 p.m. on May 1. The completed ballot must be received by the county elections office by 5 p.m. on May 7.
If you are registered to vote in Wake County with Meredith as your registered address, your polling place is the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh (3313 Wade Avenue). If you are registered elsewhere in the state, check your polling place at the State Board of Elections website. If you vote on May 8, you must vote at your designated polling place.
You DO NOT need a photo identification card or any other form of identification to vote. Polling places will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters in line at 7:30 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
If a runoff election must occur to determine a candidate after the primary, it will be held on July 17. The general election is Nov. 6.