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Democratic Party primaries in North Carolina, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 12
- Early voting: Oct. 17 - Nov. 3
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: No
- Poll times: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
| Democratic Party primaries, 2018 |
 |
| Primary Date |
| May 8, 2018 |
| Federal elections |
| Democratic primaries for U.S. House |
| State elections |
| Democratic primaries for North Carolina legislature |
| State party |
| Democratic Party of North Carolina |
| State political party revenue |
Primary elections—in which registered voters select a candidate whom they believe should run on their party's ticket in the general election—can reflect internal conflict over the direction of a party.
Heading into the 2018 election, the Democratic Party sought to increase its power at the state and federal levels under the Trump administration. Its membership, however, disagreed on several major policy areas, including healthcare, free trade, education funding, a federal job guarantee, and a proposal to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).[1][2]
Candidates endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee won 31 of 33 primaries in 2018.[3] Democratic Socialists of America member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D) primary victory over incumbent Joseph Crowley (D) in New York's 14th Congressional District was a notable victory for progressive activists.[4][5][6]
Democrats also won a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama for the first time in 30 years and flipped longtime Republican seats in the Wisconsin state Senate and Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District. A record number of Republican congressional retirements also led to large Democratic fields for typically non-competitive seats.[7]
This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that took place in North Carolina on May 8, 2018. In addition, the page provides context for understanding the state party apparatus.
Battleground primaries
Battleground elections are those that Ballotpedia expected would either be more competitive than other races or attract significant national attention.
Federal elections
U.S. House
District 1
Democratic primary candidates- G.K. Butterfield (Incumbent) ✔
District 2
Democratic primary candidatesDistrict 3
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
District 4
Democratic primary candidates- David Price (Incumbent) ✔
- Michelle Laws
- Richard Watkins
District 5
Democratic primary candidates
District 6
Democratic primary candidates
District 7
Democratic primary candidates
District 8
Democratic primary candidatesDistrict 9
Democratic primary candidatesDistrict 10
Democratic primary candidatesDistrict 11
Democratic primary candidatesDistrict 12
Democratic primary candidates- Alma Adams (Incumbent) ✔
- Gabe Ortiz
- Patrick Register
- Keith Young
District 13
Democratic primary candidatesState elections
North Carolina Party Control: 1992-2025
Fourteen years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
State party overview
- See also: Democratic Party of North Carolina
State political party revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws. The following table displays the Democratic Party of North Carolina's revenue over a six-year period from 2011 to 2016. Revenue totals are broken down by account type and year. The data was compiled through publicly available state and federal campaign finance reports.
| Democratic Party of North Carolina revenue, 2011 to 2016[8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Federal account | State account(s) | Total |
| 2011 | $1,338,036.27 | $1,070,523.43 | $2,408,559.70 |
| 2012 | $14,448,248.87 | $5,560,176.62 | $20,008,425.49 |
| 2013 | $1,332,048.50 | $793,140.44 | $2,125,188.94 |
| 2014 | $2,035,845.31 | $4,106,576.52 | $6,142,421.83 |
| 2015 | $780,966.40 | $1,135,951.85 | $1,916,918.25 |
| 2016 | $19,622,883.46 | $10,840,836.21 | $30,463,719.67 |
North Carolina compared to other states
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following maps display total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic and Republican state party affiliates from 2011 to 2016. The blue map displays Democratic state parties and the red map displays Republican state parties. Click on a state below to view the state party's revenue per capita totals:
Total Democratic and Republican state political party revenue per capita in the United States, 2011-2016
Primary election scheduling
North Carolina was one of four states to hold a primary election on May 8, 2018.
Voter information
How the primary works
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. North Carolina utilizes a semi-closed primary system. Parties decide who may vote in their respective primaries. Voters may choose a primary ballot without impacting their unaffiliated status.[10][11]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times
In North Carolina, polling places are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Any voter who is standing in line at the time polls close must be permitted to vote.[12]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in North Carolina, each applicant must be a United States citizen, a resident of the county in which they are registering to vote for at least 30 days before the election, be at least 16 years old at the time of application and at least 18 years old by the time of the subsequent general election, and not be serving a felony sentence, including probation and parole [13][14] The North Carolina voter registration application is available online.
Voter registration applications can be completed online or submitted to the appropriate county board of elections. Applications must be submitted at least 25 days before the election, but voters can also register and vote on the same day during the early voting period, but not on Election Day.[15]
Voter registration services are also provided by the following agencies:[16]
- Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
- Division of Services for the Blind
- Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Division of Health Benefits
- Division of Child and Family Well-Being/WIC
- Division of Social Services
- Division of Rehabilitation Services
- Division of Employment Security (DES)
- Division of State Operated Healthcare Facilities
Automatic registration
North Carolina does not practice automatic voter registration.[17]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
North Carolina has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.[17]
Same-day registration
North Carolina allows same-day voter registration during the early voting period only.[18][19]
Residency requirements
Prospective voters must reside in the county in which they are registering to vote for at least 30 days before the election.
Verification of citizenship
North Carolina does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who fraudulently or falsely registers is guilty of a "Class I felony under Chapter 163 of the NC General Statutes."[20]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[21] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The North Carolina State Board of Elections allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Voter ID requirements
North Carolina requires voters to present photo ID when voting.[22]
Note: According to the Board of Elections website, "On April 28, 2023, the North Carolina Supreme Court reversed an injunction against implementation of photo ID legislation. As a result, photo ID laws enacted in 2018 and 2019 will be implemented moving forward, starting with the municipal elections in September, October, and November 2023. A separate federal case challenging the same laws is pending, but no injunction against the laws exists in that case." The injunction was issued on December 16, 2022.[22]
The following documents were acceptable forms of identification as of May 2024:[23]
| “ | Any of the following that is unexpired, or expired for one year or less:
Note: A voter 65 or older may use an expired form of acceptable ID if the ID was unexpired on their 65th birthday. Any of the following, regardless of whether the ID contains an expiration or issuance date:
|
” |
For a list of acceptable student and public employee IDs, click here.
Early voting
North Carolina permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
All voters are eligible to vote absentee in North Carolina. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[25]
An absentee ballot request form must either be submitted online or by mail before 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before Election Day. Completed ballots must be returned either in person or by mail and received no later than 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.[25][26]
See also
| Federal primaries in North Carolina | State primaries in North Carolina | North Carolina state party apparatus | North Carolina voter information |
|---|---|---|---|
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Footnotes
- ↑ CNN, "Why a 'federal jobs guarantee' is gaining steam with Democrats," April 26, 2018
- ↑ The Atlantic, "What ‘Abolish ICE’ Actually Means," July 11, 2018
- ↑ CNBC, "Despite Ocasio-Cortez upset, Democratic primaries have not gone as far left as some argue," June 28, 2018
- ↑ New York Times, "There Is a Revolution on the Left. Democrats Are Bracing." July 21, 2018
- ↑ New York Times, "Democrats Are Moving Left. Don’t Panic," July 23, 2018
- ↑ Time, "How Democrats in Congress Responded to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Surprise Win," June 28, 2018
- ↑ CNN, "9 Democratic primaries to watch in 2018," October 26, 2017
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance," accessed May 2016 (Search terms NC REC and NC DEC)
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Candidate and Committee Viewer," accessed May 2016 (Search terms North Carolina Republican Party and North Carolina Democratic Party - Federal)
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Election Information," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ Justia, "NC Gen Stat § 163-166.01 (2022) Hours for voting," accessed May 1, 2023
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, “Registering to Vote,” accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, “Who Can Register,” accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, “Register in Person During Early Voting,” accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, “National Voter Registration Act (NVRA),” accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 NCSL, "State Profiles: Elections," accessed August 30, 2024
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, “Register in Person During Early Voting,” accessed May 1, 2023
- ↑ Justia, “NC Gen Stat § 163-227.2 (2022),” accessed May 1, 2023
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "North Carolina Voter Registration Application," accessed November 2, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Voter ID," accessed May 1, 2023
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, “Voter ID,” accessed May 23, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "FAQ: Voting By Mail," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "North Carolina Absentee Ballot Request Form," accessed October 7, 2024
