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Primary elections in North Carolina
 in North Carolina |
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Primary elections allow voters to determine which candidates compete in the general election and can be nonpartisan or partisan. In partisan primaries, voters choose the candidates they prefer for a political party to nominate in the general election.
The laws governing primary elections vary from state to state and can even vary within states by locality and political party. For example, only registered party members are allowed to vote in closed primaries, while registered party members and unaffiliated voters are allowed to vote in semi-closed primaries, and all voters are allowed to vote in open primaries.
Primary elections also vary by the way their outcomes are determined. Majority systems require the winning candidate to receive at least fifty percent of the votes cast, while plurality systems do not. In top-two primaries, top-four primaries, and blanket primaries, all candidates are listed on the same ballot, regardless of partisan affiliation.
See the sections below for general information on the use of primary elections in the United States and specific information on the types of primaries held in North Carolina:
- BackgroundThe different types of primary election participation models used in the United States, and details about methods to determine the outcomes of primaries.
- Primary election systems used in North CarolinaPrimary election systems used in North Carolina, including primaries for congressional and state-level offices.
- State legislation and ballot measuresState legislation and ballot measures relevant to primary election policy in North Carolina.
Background
In general, there are two broad criteria by which primary elections can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction:
1. Rules of participation: In jurisdictions that conduct partisan primaries, who can vote in a party's primary? Is participation limited to registered party members, or can other eligible voters (such as unaffiliated voters or voters belonging to other parties) participate? In general, there are three basic types of primary election participation models: open primaries, closed primaries, and semi-closed primaries. Several states also use a top-two primary or a variant of that system.
- In closed primaries only registered party members are allowed to vote.
- In semi-closed primaries, registered party members and unaffiliated voters are allowed to vote.
- In open primaries, all voters are allowed to vote.
- In top-two primaries, top-four primaries, and blanket primaries, all candidates are listed on the same ballot, regardless of partisan affiliation and voters may vote for candidates from more than one party.
2. Vote requirements: What share of the total votes cast does a candidate have to receive in order to advance to the general election? Methods for determining primary election outcomes include plurality voting systems ans majority voting systems. Two states, California and Washington, use top-two primaries, while one, Alaska, uses a top-four primary. Both are plurality systems. Maine use ranked-choice voting for some primaries, which is a majority system.
Primary election systems used in North Carolina
Congressional and state-level elections
In 23 states, at least one political party utilizes closed primaries to nominate partisan candidates for congressional and state-level (e.g. state legislators, governors, etc.) offices. In 19 states, at least one party utilizes open primaries to nominate partisan candidates for these offices. In 12 states, at least one party utilizes semi-closed primaries. In 5 states, top-two primaries or a variation are used.[2] These state primaries are a separate entity and are not included in the totals for open, closed, or semi-closed primaries.
North Carolina state law provides for semi-closed primaries, meaning that voters registered with a party and unaffiliated voters may vote in a party's primary.[3] A previously affiliated voter that wants to vote in a different party's primary must change their affiliation by the close of the voter registration period, which is 25 days prior to the primary.[4]
In North Carolina primaries, if no candidate receives at least 30 percent of the vote, a runoff election (also referred to as a second primary) can be requested in writing, according to state law:[1]
| “ | A candidate who is apparently entitled to demand a second primary, according to the unofficial results, for one of the offices listed below, and desiring to do so, shall file a request for a second primary in writing with the Executive Director of the State Board of Elections no later than 12:00 noon on the ninth day (including Saturdays and Sundays) following the date on which the primary was conducted, and such request shall be subject to the certification of the official results by the State Board of Elections.[5] | ” |
| —NC Statute § 163-111 (2024) | ||
The table below lists North Carolina offices for which parties must conduct primary elections to nominate their candidates.
| Office | Number of seats |
|---|---|
| Governor of North Carolina | 1 |
| Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina | 1 |
| North Carolina Attorney General | 1 |
| North Carolina Secretary of State | 1 |
| North Carolina Treasurer | 1 |
| North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner | 1 |
| North Carolina Insurance Commissioner | 1 |
| North Carolina Labor Commissioner | 1 |
| North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction | 1 |
| State legislators | 170 |
| North Carolina Supreme Court | 7 |
| North Carolina Court of Appeals | 15 |
| United States Representatives | 13 |
| United States Senators | 2 |
| Local officials | Varies by municipality |
State legislation and ballot measures
The table below lists bills related to primary elections that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in North Carolina. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official bill name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Sponsor party
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
Primary systems ballot measures
Since 2017, Ballotpedia has tracked no ballot measures relating to primary elections in North Carolina.
Noteworthy events
2018
On April 26, 2017, the North Carolina State Senate voted unanimously (with one member absent) to approve SB 655, a bill moving the state's primary election date from the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March beginning with the 2020 election cycle. On June 6, 2018, the North Carolina House of Representatives voted 71 to 46 (with two members not voting and one member absent) to approve an amended version of the bill. On June 12, 2018, the Senate voted 41 to 3 (with six members absent) to approve the amended legislation. On June 22, 2018, Governor Roy Cooper (D) signed the bill into law.[6][7][8]
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See also
- Election policy in North Carolina
- Electoral systems in North Carolina
- Voting in North Carolina
- Primary election
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 North Carolina General Assembly, "N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-111," accessed September 15, 2025
- ↑ Top-two primary systems, such as those utilized in California, Nebraska, and Washington, and variations of those systems, such as the top-four system used in Alaska and the majority-vote system used in Louisiana, are sometimes classified as open primary systems because voter participation in such primaries is not tied to partisan affiliation. For the purposes of this article, these primaries are considered to be a separate entity. For more information about top-two primaries and their variations, see this article.
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163–119," accessed September 5, 2025
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163–82.17," accessed September 5, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "Senate Bill 655," accessed June 18, 2018
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "North Carolina Legislature Passes Bill Moving Primaries for All Office in Presidential Years from May to March," June 17, 2018
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "North Carolina Governor Signs Bill Moving Primary from May to March; Independent Candidate Deadline is Now in February," June 24, 2018
