State election investigators are examining allegations of misconduct by voter registration drive workers across multiple counties as North Carolina’s 2026 primary election early voting enters its second week with more than 40,000 ballots already cast.

The State Board of Elections is looking into reports from Brunswick, Buncombe, Chowan, Haywood, Nash, Scotland, and Wake counties involving individuals conducting voter registration drives who are allegedly impersonating state or county election officials and providing false information to voters.

“The State Board will investigate all credible allegations of voter registration fraud by individuals or organizations,” said State Board Executive Director Sam Hayes in a statement. “When workers involved in voter drives falsify or alter information on registration forms, it can cause problems for innocent voters at the polls. This is unacceptable and hurts voter confidence.”

Reported Misconduct

Complaints include:

• Workers falsely telling voters they must re-register to vote in future elections. In reality, voters only need to re-register if they move to a new county. Those who move within the same county or wish to change their name or party affiliation should submit an updated registration application.
• Individuals going door-to-door falsely identifying themselves as county or state election workers. Government election officials do not conduct door-to-door visits for any reason.
• Voter registration applications submitted to county boards with missing required information or inaccurate details, such as incorrect dates of birth or voter identification numbers. Falsifying voter registration forms is a Class I felony.

Early Voting Underway

Despite the ongoing investigation, early voting for North Carolina’s March 3 primary election is proceeding smoothly. As of the first day of early voting, Feb. 12, 2026, a total of 40,510 ballots have been cast statewide, according to the State Board of Elections.

Of those ballots, 16,372 were cast by Democrats, 12,705 by Republicans, 11,429 by unaffiliated voters, one by a Libertarian, and three by Green Party members. Additionally, 19,693 absentee ballots have been requested through Feb. 12.

The state has 7,716,695 registered voters as of Feb. 7, 2026.

Regional Early Voting Numbers

Early voting participation across northeastern North Carolina counties during the first day of early voting:

• Bertie County: 379 early voting ballots
• Camden County: 25 total (23 early voting, 2 civilian absentee)
• Chowan County: 71 total (65 early voting, 6 civilian absentee)
• Currituck County: 85 total (83 early voting, 2 civilian absentee)
• Dare County: 310 total (297 early voting, 13 civilian absentee)
• Gates County: 80 total (79 early voting, 1 civilian absentee)
• Hertford County: 65 total (64 civilian absentee, 1 overseas absentee)
• Hyde County: 9 early voting ballots
• Martin County: 36 total (31 early voting, 4 civilian absentee, 1 overseas absentee)
• Pasquotank County: 193 total (189 early voting, 4 civilian absentee)
• Perquimans County: 56 early voting ballots
• Tyrrell County: 28 early voting ballots
• Washington County: 142 early voting ballots

Key Dates and Deadlines

• February 12-28, 2026: In-person early voting period. Early voting ends at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 28.
• February 17, 2026: Deadline to request an absentee ballot by 5 p.m. (Military and overseas voters have until March 2).
• March 3, 2026: Primary Election Day. Polls open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• March 3, 2026: Absentee ballot return deadline at 7:30 p.m.

During early voting, voters may cast their ballot at any early voting site in their county, rather than being restricted to their assigned polling place. Voters must present an acceptable photo ID when voting.

Protecting Yourself from Voter Registration Fraud

The State Board of Elections advises voters to:

• Check your voter registration status through the State Board’s Voter Search tool. If you are already registered, you do not have to re-register.
• Personally return completed registration forms to your county board of elections rather than giving them back to voter drive workers.
• Remember that county and state elections officials do not go door-to-door. If someone claims to be a state or county elections worker, ask for identification and contact the State Board office.
• Always verify the identities and organizations of voter registration workers before providing any information.

To report suspected voter registration fraud, voters may call the State Board office at (919) 814-0700 and ask for the Investigations Division, email investigations.sboe@ncsbe.gov, or submit an Election Law Complaint Form to the State Board of Elections.