NC Board of Elections

Local information added by Nicole Bowman-Layton

Primary Election Day is Tuesday, March 3, the final opportunity for registered voters to cast a ballot in this election.

Early, in-person voting will be held until 3 p.m. Satuday, Feb. 28. Early voting is being held at the county board of elections offices. Unafflicted voters must tell the staff which ballot they would like to vote on.

Some ballots throughout the state only list state and federal races, as there are no contested local races that have a run-off between same party candidates.

As of Feb. 25, 2026, 475, 552 voters out of 7,709,549 registered in North Carolina cast their ballot in the primary.

Local county early-voting totals as of Feb. 25, 2026 are:

• Camden: 331 votes
• Chowan: 823 votes
• Currituck: 915 votes
• Dare: 2,847 votes
• Gates: 732 votes
• Hertford: 700 votes
• Hyde: 229 votes
• Pasquotank: 2,411 votes
• Perquimans: 632 votes
• Tyrrell: 167 votes
• Washington: 886 votes

If you plan to vote on Election Day, read the following tips from the NC Board of Elections:

1. Know the rules for a primary election. Primary elections are used to determine each political party’s nominees to advance to the general election in November. This year, the Democratic and Republican parties are holding primaries. Voters registered with either of these parties will receive their party’s primary ballot. An unaffiliated voter may choose to participate in one of these party primaries, or select a nonpartisan ballot, if available in their jurisdiction. Because their parties do not have primaries, registered Green Party or Libertarian Party voters may only vote a nonpartisan ballot, if available in their jurisdiction. Nonpartisan ballots would be available in any jurisdiction that has a referendum or a nonpartisan election. In even-year primary elections, this typically involves school board elections.
2. Find your sample ballot. Use the State Board’s Voter Search tool to locate your sample ballot. The sample ballot shows the contests that you’ll be voting on. Using Voter Search, pull up your voter record, then scroll down to the “Your Sample Ballot” section. Unaffiliated voters will see multiple ballot styles and get to choose one when they check in to vote.
3. Go to your assigned polling place on Election Day. Statewide, more than 2,600 polling places will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Voters in line at 7:30 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot. To find your polling place, use the Voter Search tool.
4. Bring your photo ID. You will be asked to show photo ID at your polling place when you check in to vote. Most voters will simply show their driver’s license, but there are many other acceptable photo IDs. For more information, including the full list of acceptable IDs, visit BringItNC.gov. Voters who do not have photo ID when they vote can meet the photo ID requirement by either (1) showing their ID at their county board of elections office by noon March 6, or (2) filling out a form explaining why they are unable to show ID.
5. If you still plan to vote an absentee ballot, act fast. The deadline for your county board of elections to receive your ballot is 7:30 p.m. March 3. If you are unsure that the postal service or another delivery service will deliver your ballot by Tuesday, you can instead drop it off at your county board of elections during business hours, or at an early voting site in your county through 3 p.m. February 28, when early voting ends. Or you can discard your absentee ballot and vote in person on Election Day instead.
6. Provisional voting. If you show up to vote and your name is not on the voter list, you may request a provisional ballot. About 10 days after an election, voters who cast a provisional ballot can check the status of their ballot with the Provisional Search tool. Read more about Provisional Voting.
7. Voters may not register on Election Day in North Carolina. While that is the general rule, voters who become eligible after the regular voter registration deadline, either due to becoming a U.S. citizen or having their rights restored following a felony conviction, are still permitted to register and vote on Election Day.
8. If you need assistance, request it at your polling place. Curbside voting is available for voters who are unable to enter the voting place without assistance due to age or disability. Once inside the polling place, voters who experience difficulties should request help from an election worker. For more information, see Help for Voters with Disabilities.
9. Peace at the polls. All voters, campaigners, and candidates should respect the rights of others to participate in the election. Election officials are trained to quickly address incidents that might interfere with a voter’s ability to cast their ballot. Intimidating any voter is a crime. Voters who feel harassed or intimidated should notify an election official immediately. It is also a crime to interfere with election officials carrying out their duties.
10. Election results will be posted on the State Board’s website. See the Election Results Dashboard. See also the Election Night Reporting Timeline for information on when the public can expect unofficial results on election night.

For information about voting on Election Day, see Vote in Person on Election Day.

Please leave this field empty

Stay connected to what matters.

Get northeastern North Carolina’s most important stories delivered in your inbox every Friday.

One email per week. Unsubscribe anytime. Read our privacy policy for more information.

Welcome to the Albemarle Observer community! Thanks for subscribing! You'll receive our weekly newsletter every Friday morning with the stories that matter most in Northeastern North Carolina. Your first newsletter arrives this Friday. In the meantime, check out today's stories on our website. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.