Early voting begins Thursday for North Carolina’s Second Primary Election
RALEIGH, N.C. (WGHP) — Five North Carolina primaries that were too close to call in March will be decided in just a few weeks, and voting begins this Thursday.
In-person early voting for the second primary election, also known as a runoff, begins on April 25 and ends at 3 p.m. on May 11. Election Day for the 2024 second primary election is May 14
There are four Republican races and one nonpartisan race still yet to be decided. No other parties will have second primaries in North Carolina.
Important rules for the Second Primary
The North Carolina State Board of Elections does not allow new voter registrations or party changes for a second primary election. Individuals who become eligible to vote between the primary and second primary and who are otherwise eligible to vote in the second primary may register and vote on the day of the second primary, May 14.
Same-day voter registration will not be available at early voting sites during the early voting period.
Unaffiliated voters should be aware that there are some additional rules when voting in second primaries. In order to vote in a given party’s second primary, an unaffiliated voter must have either voted in that party’s first primary or not voted in the first primary. In other words, to vote in the Republican second primary, an unaffiliated voter must have either voted in the Republican primary in March or not voted in March. Unaffiliated voters who voted in the Democratic primary or a third-party primary cannot vote in the Republican second primary.
Republican races
Statewide
The Republican primary for lieutenant governor has narrowed down to Hal Weatherman and Jim O’Neill. In the first primary, Weatherman took the lead with 19.62% of the vote, and Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill lagged a short distance behind by around 34,000 votes, sitting at 15.85%. The winner will go on to face Democrat Rachel Hunt and Libertarian Dee Watson.
The Republican primary for state auditor is down to Jack Clark and Dave Boliek. Clark led with 198,793 votes, 23.24%, to Boliek’s 189,071 votes, 22.1%. The winner will face incumbent Democrat Jessica Holmes and Libertarian Bob Drach.
U.S. House District 13
In the Republican primary for U.S. House District 13, Kelly Daughtry and Brad Knott were the two top choices. This district, shaped like a backward C, includes Caswell, Franklin, Harnett, Johnston, Lee and Person counties, as well as most of Granville County (excluding Oxford) and the eastern border of Wake County (including half of Fuquay-Varina).
To find your district, you can use the North Carolina General Assembly’s online map tool.
Gaston County
Finally, Jim Bailey and Ronnie Worley will be on the ballot competing for the Republican nomination to represent Gaston County Board of Commissioners‘s South Point Township District.
Nonpartisan race
Orange County
The sole nonpartisan primary race yet to be decided will be for the third seat on the Orange County Schools Board of Education. Jennifer Moore and Bonnie Hauser were the top two vote-getters.
Where is my polling place?
If you want to vote early, you can go to any One-Stop Voting Site in your county. Find where you can vote early using this One-Stop Voting Sites search tool.
To find out where to vote on Election Day for the second primary, May 14, you can put your first and last name into the North Carolina Voter Search tool and click on your profile to find your “Election Day Polling Place.”
On May 14, this is the only location where you will be allowed to vote.
Absentee Voting
Absentee ballots for the second primary election became available starting on March 30 and must be requested by May 7.
Your county board of elections must receive absentee ballots by 7:30 p.m. May 14 for your vote to be counted.
In the past, North Carolina would offer a grace period determined by your ballot’s postmark, but that is no longer the case.
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