North Carolina elections, 2022

This page is an overview of the 2022 North Carolina elections, including the offices on the ballot covered by Ballotpedia, election dates, and frequently asked questions.

Offices on the ballot[edit]

Election dates[edit]

Statewide election dates in North Carolina are listed below. For more dates, please see the elections calendar.

Statewide election dates[edit]

May 17, 2022: Primary
July 5, 2022: Primary runoff if no federal offices are involved
July 26, 2022: Primary runoff if federal offices are involved
November 8, 2022: General election


Polling hours:

Local election dates

Ballotpedia provides comprehensive ballot coverage of municipal elections in the nation's 100 largest cities by population, including races for trial court judgeships and county offices that overlap them. Ballotpedia also covers the nation's 200 largest public school districts by student enrollment and all school districts overlapping the top 100 cities by population.

Frequently asked questions

When are the polls open?

See State Poll Opening and Closing Times (2022) for more information

Where can I find election results?

Election results are posted on Ballotpedia's election overview pages, as well as the relevant candidate pages. You can find links to the current election overview pages in the "Offices on the ballot" section of this page.

How do primaries work in North Carolina?

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.^[1][2][3][4]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

How do I register to vote?

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.^[5] 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:^[5]

• North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles
• Departments of Social Services (DSS)
• Departments of Public Health (WIC)
• Vocational rehabilitation offices
• Departments of Services for the Blind
• Departments of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Departments of Mental Health Services
• Employment Security Commission (ESC)

Is there an early voting period?

See also: Early voting

North Carolina permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Who is eligible for absentee voting?

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

The table below displays absentee voting information specific to North Carolina's 2022 primary election.

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in North Carolina. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.^[6]

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.^[6]

What are the voter ID laws in North Carolina?

See Voter identification laws by state.

How do I file to run for office?

See Ballot access requirements for political candidates in North Carolina for information on how to run for state or federal office.

What does Ballotpedia cover?

Ballotpedia's coverage extends to all elections on the federal level, all gubernatorial, state legislative, statewide ballot measure, and statewide judicial elections, as well as many other types of state executive offices. Local election coverage includes comprehensive ballot coverage for municipal and judicial elections in the top 100 cities by population and races for the large counties that overlap them. In the state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities, it includes coverage of mayoral, city council, and district attorney elections. It also includes school board elections in the top 200 largest school districts by enrollment, all California local ballot measures, and notable local ballot measures from across the nation. Ballotpedia also covers all elections in the U.S. territories but not elections in other countries.

How do I contact Ballotpedia with a question?

Email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Redistricting following the 2020 census

This section lists major events in the post-2020 census redistricting cycle in reverse chronological order. Major events include the release of apportionment data, the release of census population data, the introduction of formal map proposals, the enactment of new maps, and noteworthy court challenges. Click the dates below for additional information.

• March 7, 2022: The United States Supreme Court declined to block the enacted congressional map (Moore v. Harper).
• February 25, 2022: An emergency filing was filed with the United States Supreme Court challenging the enacted congressional map (Moore v. Harper).
• February 23, 2022: The Wake County Superior Court issued an opinion approving the new state legislative maps drawn by the legislature, and striking down the new congressional map. Instead, it enacted a map drawn by redistricting special masters appointed in the case.
• February 17, 2022: The North Carolina House of Representatives voted to approve a new state Senate map. The North Carolina State Senate voted to approve new state House and Senate maps. Both chambers of the state legislature also voted to approve a new congressional map.
• February 16, 2022: The North Carolina House of Representatives voted to approve a new state House map.
• February 4, 2022: The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the state's enacted congressional and legislative maps were unconstitutional and ordered the legislature to re-draw them.
• January 11, 2022: The Wake County Superior Court ruled in support of the newly enacted maps.
• December 8, 2021: The Supreme Court of North Carolina ordered that the state's 2022 primary election be postponed from March 8 to May 17. The court issued the order in response to two lawsuits (Harper v. Lewis and North Carolina League of Conservation Voters v. Hall) challenging North Carolina's newly enacted congressional and state legislative district plans.
• December 15, 2021: The remaining plaintiffs in N.C. NAACP v. Berger were allowed to join as intervenors in the joint case of North Carolina League of Conservation Voters v. Hall and Harper v. Lewis.
• November 16, 2021: A lawsuit was filed challenging the state's enacted congressional and legislative redistricting maps (North Carolina League of Conservation Voters v. Hall).
• November 5, 2021: The plaintiffs in Harper v. Lewis filed a supplemental complaint challenging the state's enacted congressional redistricting map.
• November 4, 2021: The North Carolina House of Representatives voted 65-49 to approve the congressional map, and voted 65-49 to approve the Senate map. The North Carolina State Senate voted 25-21 to approve the House map. Since the governor does not have veto authority over the maps, this legislative approval meant the maps were enacted.
• November 3, 2021: The North Carolina State Senate voted 65-49 to approve the Senate map.
• November 2, 2021: The North Carolina State Senate voted 27-22 to approve the congressional map. The North Carolina House of Representatives voted 67-49 to approve the House map.
• November 16, 2021: A lawsuit was filed challenging the state's enacted congressional and legislative redistricting maps (N.C. NAACP v. Berger).
• October 22, 2021: The House Redistricting Committee released its first map proposals.
• October 20, 2021: The Senate Redistricting Committee released its first map proposals.
• September 16, 2021: The U.S. Census Bureau released data from the 2020 census in an easier-to-use format to state redistricting authorities and the public.
• August 12, 2021: The U.S. Census Bureau delivered redistricting data to states in a legacy format.
• June 28, 2021: The state legislature passed a law postponing certain municipal elections in response to delayed census data.
• April 26, 2021: The U.S. Census Bureau delivered apportionment counts.

Footnotes[edit]

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