2026 election

Voting in North Carolina

Primary

Held

Tuesday, March 3

General

Tuesday, November 3

Early voting

October 15 – October 31

Hours and locations vary by county

Register online by: October 9
Register by mail by: October 9
Register in person by: October 9, 5pm
Request a mail ballot by: October 20, 5pm
Mailed ballot must arrive by: November 3, 7:30pm

See every race and candidate on your North Carolina ballot, and where each one stands, before you vote.

Plan your ballot →

How to cast your ballot

By mail

Any registered voter may vote by mail — no reason needed.

Request a ballot Track your ballot The rules Where to drop it off

In person

Polls open on election day: 6:30am – 7:30pm
Or vote early: In the windows shown above

What counts as ID

You will need to show photo ID to vote in North Carolina.

The following photo IDs are acceptable and must be valid and unexpired, or expired for one year or less:

North Carolina driver's license
North Carolina state ID
US passport or passport card
North Carolina voter photo identification card
College or university student ID approved by the State Board of Elections
Employee ID card issued by state or local government entity (including a charter school) and approved by the State Board of Elections
Driver's license or state ID issued by another state, as long as your voter registration is within 90 days of the election

The following photo IDs are acceptable regardless of expiration or issuance date:

Tribal enrollment card issued by a state or federally recognized tribe
Military or veterans ID card issued by the US government
ID card issued by an agency of the US government or the State of North Carolina for a public assistance program

Voters age 65 and older may use any expired form of photo ID, as long as the photo ID was unexpired on their 65th birthday.

Voters without ID: If you are unable to provide photo ID, you will still be able to vote a provisional ballot. If you cast a provisional ballot, you will receive instructions on what steps you need to take to ensure your provisional ballot is counted.

For more information, please visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections website.

Find your polling place Early voting

Before you can vote

Registering

Ways to register:

North Carolina lets you pre-register from age 16, so you are on the roll the moment you turn 18.

Who can register, and what you need

To register in North Carolina you must:

be a United States citizen
be a resident of North Carolina and the county where you live for at least 30 days before the election
be 18 years old by the day of the next General Election. You may pre-register to vote if you are at least 16 years old. You may vote in a primary election if you will be 18 years old at the time of the General Election
not be serving a felony sentence, including any period of probation, post-release supervision, or parole

Check if you are registered Register

Which primary can you vote in?

You are NOT required to register with a party to participate in North Carolina partisan primary elections. If you do not affiliate with a party you may choose to participate in the Democratic, Libertarian, or Republican party primary, or you may request a nonpartisan ballot, if available. If you register with a party, you can only vote in that party's primary.

Also voted on March 3: Arkansas, Texas.

Dates, deadlines and rules come from DemocracyWorks, last refreshed August 27, 2026; poll hours from our own election guide. Rules change — check with your election office before you rely on a date.