From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 23 min
| 2020 North Carolina House Elections | |
|---|---|
| General | November 3, 2020 |
| Primary | March 3, 2020 |
| Primary runoff | June 23, 2020 |
| Past Election Results |
| 2018・2016・2014 2012・2010・2008 |
| 2020 Elections | |
|---|---|
| Choose a chamber below: | |
Republicans gained seats and expanded their majority in the 2020 elections for North Carolina House of Representatives. All 120 seats in the chamber were up for election in 2020. Heading into the election, Republicans controlled 65 seats to Democrats' 55. Republicans gained a net four seats from Democrats, leaving the Republican Party with a 69-51 majority. In the 2018 elections, Democrats gained a net ten seats, reducing the Republican majority from 75-45 to 65-55.
The North Carolina House of Representatives was one of 86 state legislative chambers holding elections in 2020. All 120 seats in the North Carolina House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2018, 87 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections.
Ballotpedia identified twenty-four of the North Carolina House of Representatives races as battlegrounds. Republicans held nine of these districts, while Democrats held fifteen.
This race had the potential to influence the trifecta status of the state. North Carolina had been under divided government since 2017 after Democrats took control of the governorship in 2016, breaking the state’s Republican trifecta that began after the 2012 elections. In order to achieve a trifecta, Democrats needed to flip at least five seats to take control of the State Senate and flip six seats to take control of the North Carolina House of Representatives. Republicans needed to take control of the governorship to achieve a trifecta.
Heading into the 2020 elections, Republicans held a majority in more chambers than Democrats. There was a Republican majority in 59 chambers and a Democratic majority in 39 chambers. In the Alaska House, there was a power-sharing agreement between the parties as part of a coalition.
North Carolina's 2020 state legislative elections affected partisan control of redistricting following the 2020 census. In North Carolina, the state legislature is responsible for drafting both congressional and state legislative district plans. District plans are not subject to gubernatorial veto.
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
North Carolina modified its absentee/mail-in voting and early voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
| North Carolina House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2020 | After November 4, 2020 | |
| Democratic Party | 55 | 51 | |
| Republican Party | 65 | 69 | |
| Total | 120 | 120 | |
Use the interactive map below to find your district.
North Carolina House of Representatives general election 2020 |
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Perrin Jones (i) |
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Adrian Travers (Libertarian Party) |
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Abbie Lane (Green Party) |
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Nicholas Taylor (Libertarian Party) |
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Denton Lee (Independent) |
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Gavin Bell (Libertarian Party) |
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Sean Haugh (Libertarian Party) |
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Sammie Brooks (Libertarian Party) |
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Michael Munger (Libertarian Party) |
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Michael Nelson (Libertarian Party) |
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Bruce Basson (Libertarian Party) |
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Sydney Batch (i) |
Liam Leaver (Libertarian Party) |
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Richard Haygood (Libertarian Party) |
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Guy Meilleur (Libertarian Party) |
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Dee Watson (Libertarian Party) Did not make the ballot: |
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Zach Berly (Libertarian Party) |
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Stephen M. Ross (i) |
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Scott T. Brewer (i) |
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Ray Russell (i) |
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Christy Clark (i) |
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Darren Joiner (Independent) (Write-in) |
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Lyndon Smith (Libertarian Party) |
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Joe Sam Queen (i) |
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The candidate list below is based on candidate filing lists provided by the North Carolina State Board of Elections. (I) denotes an incumbent.[1]
North Carolina House of Representatives primary 2020 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
Libertarian Party |
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Libertarian Party |
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Libertarian Party |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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Libertarian Party |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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Libertarian Party |
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The North Carolina House of Representatives was among 24 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as battleground chambers for the 2020 cycle. Click here for more information on state legislative battlegrounds.
What was at stake?
Why was it a battleground?
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia identified twenty-four battleground races in the North Carolina House of Representatives 2020 elections, nine of which were Republican-held seats and fifteen of which were held by Democrats. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance.
To determine state legislative battleground races in 2020, Ballotpedia looked for races that fit one or more of the four factors listed below:
Seven incumbents lost in the Nov. 3 general election. Those incumbents were:
One incumbent lost in the March 3 primaries. That incumbent was:
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Elmer Floyd | House District 43 |
There were 15 open seats where the incumbent legislator did not appear on the ballot.[3][4][5][6] Those incumbents were:
The 15 seats left open in 2020 were the most since 2012.
| Open Seats in North Carolina House of Representatives elections: 2010 - 2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2020 | 120 | 15 (13 percent) | 105 (87 percent) |
| 2018 | 120 | 11 (9 percent) | 109 (91 percent) |
| 2016 | 120 | 14 (12 percent) | 106 (88 percent) |
| 2014 | 120 | 9 (8 percent) | 111 (92 percent) |
| 2012 | 120 | 33 (28 percent) | 87 (72 percent) |
| 2010 | 120 | 10 (8 percent) | 110 (92 percent) |
In North Carolina, the state legislature is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. District maps cannot be vetoed by the governor. State legislative redistricting must take place in the first regular legislative session following the United States Census. There are no explicit deadlines in place for congressional redistricting.[7]
State law establishes the following requirements for state legislative districts:[7]
There are no similar restrictions in place regarding congressional districts.[7]
See statutes: Chapter 163, Article 10, Section 106 of the North Carolina General Statutes
A partisan candidate must be registered as an affiliate of the party with which he or she intends to campaign. A partisan candidate must also do the following:[8][8]
Filing fees for primary elections are established by Chapter 163, Article 10, Section 107, of the North Carolina General Statutes. Filing fees formulas are summarized in the table below.[9]
| Filing fees | |
|---|---|
| Office | How the fee is determined |
| Governor | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| Lieutenant governor | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| State executive offices | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| United States Senator | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| United States Representative | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| State senator | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| State representative | 1% of the office's annual salary |
See statutes: Chapter 163, Article 11, Section 122 of the North Carolina General Statutes
An unaffiliated candidate must file the same forms and pay the same filing fees as partisan candidates. In addition, the candidate must petition to appear on the ballot. Signature requirements are as follows (additional petition requirements are discussed below).[10][11]
| Signature requirements for independent candidates | |
|---|---|
| Office | Signature requirement formula |
| Governor, United States Senator, and other statewide offices | 1.5% of the total number of voters who voted in the most recent general election for governor (must include at least 200 signatures from each of three congressional districts) |
| United States Representative; state House and state Senate seats for districts that cover more than one county | 1.5% of the total number of registered voters in the district as of January 1 of the election year |
| State legislative seats | 4% of the total number of registered voters in the district as of January 1 of the election year |
See statutes: Chapter 163, Article 11, Section 123 of the North Carolina General Statutes
To be certified, a write-in candidate must submit a declaration of intent and petition. Signature requirements are as follows (additional petition requirements are discussed below).[12]
| Signature requirements for write-in candidates | |
|---|---|
| Office | Required number of signatures |
| Governor, United States Senator, and other statewide offices | 500 |
| United States Representative; state house and state senate seats for districts that cover more than one county | 250 |
| State house and state senate seats for districts that lie within one county | If there are 5,000 or more registered voters in the district, 100 signatures; if fewer than 5,000, 1% of the number of registered voters |
Write-in candidates do not have to pay filing fees.[13]
The table below details filing requirements for North Carolina House of Representatives candidates in the 2020 election cycle.
| Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamber name | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| North Carolina House of Representatives | Qualified party | N/A | $140.00 | 12/20/2019 | Source |
| North Carolina House of Representatives | Unaffiliated | 4% of registered voters in the district | $140.00 | 3/3/2020 | Source |
Article 2, Section 7 of the North Carolina Constitution states: Each Representative, at the time of his election, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election.
| State legislators | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $13,951/year | $104/day. For additional expenses, legislators receive $559/month. Set by statute. Unvouchered. |
North Carolina legislators assume office on January 1 the year after their election.[14]
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
North Carolina Party Control: 1992-2022
Fourteen years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| U.S. presidential election, North Carolina, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 46.2% | 2,189,316 | 0 | |
| Republican | 49.8% | 2,362,631 | 15 | ||
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 2.7% | 130,126 | 0 | |
| - | Write-in votes | 1.3% | 59,491 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 4,741,564 | 15 | |||
| Election results via: North Carolina State Board of Elections | |||||
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. North Carolina utilizes a semi-closed primary system. Parties decide who may vote in their respective primaries. Voters may choose a primary ballot without impacting their unaffiliated status.[15][16][17][18]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
In North Carolina, polling places are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Any voter who is standing in line at the time polls close must be permitted to vote.[19]
To register to vote in North Carolina, each applicant must be a United States citizen and a resident of the county in which they are registering to vote for at least 30 days before the election. Applicants must be at least 18 years old by the time of the next election. Individuals who have been convicted of a felony must have their rights restored in order to register to vote.[20] The North Carolina voter registration application is available online. Applications are also available at election board offices, public libraries, high schools, and college admissions offices. Voter registration applications must be postmarked or received by the county board of elections at least 25 days before the election. Voter registration services are also provided by the following agencies:[20]
North Carolina does not practice automatic voter registration.
North Carolina has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
North Carolina allows same-day voter registration during early voting only.[20]
Prospective voters must reside in the county in which they are registering to vote for at least 30 days before the election.
North Carolina does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Under North Carolina's voter identification law, voters can present the following forms of identification at the polls.[21]
North Carolina's voter ID law is currently not being enforced as the result of a court order.
North Carolina permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
All voters are eligible to vote absentee in North Carolina. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[22]
A request to vote absentee must be received by the appropriate county board of elections no later than 5 p.m. on the last Tuesday before the election. The completed ballot must be received by the elections office by 5 p.m. on the day of the election.[22] All voters are eligible to vote absentee in North Carolina. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[22]
A request to vote absentee must be received by the appropriate county board of elections no later than 5 p.m. on the last Tuesday before the election. The completed ballot must be received by the elections office by 5 p.m. on the day of the election.[22]