Under the Dome: Primary election is 2 days away. Will NC set the stage for Nov. 5?

Kyle Ingram
·3 min read
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Hello and welcome to your Under the Dome newsletter. Kyle Ingram here.

The primary election is on Tuesday and will set the electoral stage for November, shaping how North Carolina — a notorious swing state — could affect national politics.

Could NC split the ticket (again)?

On Tuesday, North Carolinians will decide who they want to run for the state’s highest office, but they’ll also have a say in who gets the nomination for president.

Our Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan reports that the state’s voters may not pick candidates from the same party for each of those offices come November.

In 2020, the state voted for Republican Donald Trump in the presidential race, but also elected Roy Cooper, a Democrat, as governor.

That split could happen again in 2024 as presidential hopefuls set their sights on North Carolina.

President Joe Biden is likely to face off with Trump again in November. As for the governor’s race, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination and Attorney General Josh Stein is the likely Democratic nominee.

Issues like abortion are expected to dominate the race, following the state’s enactment of a 12-week abortion ban last year. But some political analysts say it won’t be the issues that determine who wins, at least at the national level, but rather the personalities of the candidates.

“You’ve got two older white guys from the Northeast, and everybody already knows exactly what they think about them,” Stephen Wiley, director of the House GOP Caucus, said. “And it’s a personality-driven election these days; that’s really what it comes down to.”

Get the full story from Dawn here.

Remember voting rules have changed

If you haven’t voted already, keep in mind that there are new rules at the polls this year.

Most notably, voters now need to show an ID to vote. A list of acceptable IDs can be found on the State Board of Elections website. Voters who don’t have an ID can fill out an ID exception form at the polling place.

If you’re voting by mail, your ballot needs to arrive at the county board of elections office by 7:30 p.m. on election day. Previously, mail-in ballots were counted if they arrived within three days of the election; a bill passed last year removed this grace period.

If you’re worried that your absentee ballot may not make it in time via mail, you can drop it off in-person at your local county board of elections office.

For a full list of new election rules, check our website.

REMEMBER TO READ THE N&O CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRES

Be sure to read The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer’s online candidate questionnaires ahead of the primary election on Tuesday. Candidates’ answers appear online as part of our voter guide.

Visit newsobserver.com/voter-guide to read candidates’ answers.

That’s all for today. Check your inbox on Tuesday for more #ncpol news.