Early Voting for March 5 Primary begins

February 16, 2024 | Local News

In-person early voting for the 2024 primary election officially began on Thursday, February 15, and will run through Saturday, March 2, at early voting locations across North Carolina.

Early voting has become a popular voting method in North Carolina. In the 2020 presidential primary, 36% of voters chose early voting to cast their ballot. In the 2022 primary, 39% voted early in-person.

Statewide, more than 340 early voting sites will be open for voting ahead of the March 5 primary election.

How early voting works

Early voting allows any registered voter to cast an absentee ballot in person on select days prior to Election Day. Unlike on Election Day, when registered voters can only vote at their assigned precinct, early voting allows registered voters to vote at any early voting site in the county. Each site will have all of the ballot styles for a given election.

During early voting, voters may update their name and address on an existing registration record, but are not allowed to change their party affiliation.

Same-day registration is also available at one-stop early voting stops for folks who want to vote in the upcoming primary election, but who have not registered as a voter yet. Per the Dare County Board of Elections, residents are eligible for same-day registration if they meet the following criteria:

Are 18 years old by Election Day
Have lived in Dare County for at least 30 days
Can provide proof of identity and residency
- An identification document is required when using Same-Day Voter Registration during Early Voting. The acceptable documents that may be used include a North Carolina driver’s license, a photo ID from a government agency, a copy of one of the following that shows the name and address of the voter: a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government documents.

For more information on same-day registration at one-stop early voting sites, click here.

Early voting on Ocracoke will take place on Thursday, Feb. 22, and Friday, Feb. 23, at the Ocracoke Fire Department.

Early voting sites in Dare County

In Dare County, early voting will take place at three locales, which will be open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and on Saturday, March 2, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.