Voter registration deadline approaching for Primary and Municipal Elections

The regular voter registration deadline is Friday, April 22 for North Carolinians who want to vote on Primary Election Day, May 17, or by mail.

The following are nine reminders for voters and prospective voters as this deadline approaches:

1. Eligible individuals have the following options to register to vote: Existing N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles’ customers may submit a voter registration application online. Learn more at Complete Your Registration Online Through the DMV. All eligible individuals may fill out the English N.C. Voter Registration Application (fillable PDF) or the Spanish N.C. Voter Registration Application (fillable PDF) and mail it to their county board of elections. Learn more at Complete Your Registration by Mail.
2. Individuals who miss Friday’s deadline may register and vote at the same time during the one-stop early voting period, April 28 to May 14, at any early voting site in their county. County-by-county early voting sites and schedules are available at the State Board’s One-Stop Voting Sites search tool. For early voting schedules statewide, see One-Stop Early Voting Sites and Schedules for the 2022 Statewide Primary (PDF).
3. Registered voters who want to change their party affiliation for the 2022 primary election must do so by the April 22 deadline. Party affiliation changes are not permitted during the one-stop early voting period or on Election Day.
4. North Carolina residents may not register to vote on Election Day, unless they become eligible after the April 22 registration deadline due to becoming a U.S. citizen or having their rights restored following a felony conviction.
5. 17-year-olds who will be 18 years old by the general election on November 8 are eligible to register and vote in the primary.
6. Voters who need to update an existing registration may use the DMV website or a regular voter registration application to do so. DMV customers may update their voter registration residential or mailing address and party affiliation through the DMV service, but may not change their name through the DMV. If using the paper application, it must be signed and sent to the voter’s county board of elections by April 22. Updates to name, address (if within the county), and party affiliation must be signed, but can be provided by fax or email to your county board of elections. If a voter is updating their residential address to a new county, they must return the paper form by mail or in person. Registered voters may also update an existing registration at a one-stop early voting site during the early voting period, although voters may not change their party affiliation during the early voting period.
7. In the primary election, voters will select nominees for a political party to move on to the November 8 general election. Contests on the ballot include U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, N.C. General Assembly, state and local judges, district attorney, and county offices. In primaries, voters affiliated with a political party will be given a ballot of candidates for their party. Unaffiliated voters may choose the ballot of any party that has a primary. Libertarians do not have any primaries this year. More information: Upcoming Election. Voters in approximately 30 municipalities across the state will also go to the polls to elect mayors and city/town council members. These municipal elections occur at the same time and on the same ballot as the primary contests. To find out if your municipality is conducting an election on May 17, visit the State Board’s Local Voter Tool.
8. For voters eligible to vote in the 2022 primary and municipal elections, sample ballots are available through the State Board of Elections’ Voter Search tool. Voters also may check their registration status, Election Day polling place, and additional information about their voting record using the Voter Search.
9. Have questions about election security? Accurate information about election security – including pre-election testing, post-election audits, the State Board Investigations Division, cybersecurity, voter intimidation, and more – is available at Election Security.