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North Carolina's Primaries

Partisan Primary Types​

Democratic PartyRepublican Party
Presidential PrimariesState PrimariesPresidential PrimariesState Primaries
partially-closed partially-closed partially-closed partially-closed

Presidential and State Primaries Scheduling​

Consolidated Primaries: yes

North Carolina is one of the states that have merged their presidential and state primaries. On a Presidential Election year, presidential primaries and State primaries are scheduled to run on the same days

North Carolina is a PARTIALLY CLOSED election system. In this system, state law permits political parties to choose whether to allow unaffiliated voters or voters not registered with the party to participate in their nominating contests before each election cycle. In this type of system, parties may let in unaffiliated voters, while still excluding members of opposing parties.

How It Work​

Registered Democrats May vote in Democratic primaries as well as all non-partisan, bond, referenda, special, and general elections. Registered Libertarians May vote in Libertarian primary elections and all non-partisan, bond, referenda, special and general elections. Registered Republicans May vote in Republican primaries and all non-partisan, bond, referenda, special, and general elections. Unaffiliated voters May vote in all non-partisan, bond, referenda, special, and general elections. Unaffiliated voters may choose to participate in only one party’s primary.

Delegates and Presidential Primaries​

The presidential primary process involves selecting delegates who will represent the state at the party's national convention. Delegates selected from the primary elections attend the party's national convention, where they officially nominate the presidential candidate. The candidate with the majority of delegates becomes the party's nominee for the presidential election. Candidates Ballot access rules vary depending on the candidate’s political party.

Democratic PartyRepublican Party
Total Del. VotesPled.Unpled.Altern.Total Del. VotesPled.Unpled.Altern.
132 116 16 10 74 74 71

Democratic Party Primary Delegates Process​

Democratic Party's Delegates Allocation​

The Democratic party will send a total of 132 Delegate Votes (116 Pledged, 16 unpledged) and 18 Alternate delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

The party will use a proportional representation system based on the results of the Presidential Primary Election for apportioning pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Presidential Candidates Ballot Access​

  • A presidential candidate gains access to the State presidential preference primary ballot if:
  • The candidate has filed the appropriate registration information with the federal election commission (FEC) to become a candidate for president of the United States; and
  • Please check with the State Democratic party for further requirements.

Delegates Breakdown​

  • District-level Delegates: 76
  • At-large Delegates: 25
  • Pledged PLEOs Delegates: 15
  • Automatic Delegates - Unpledged PLEOs: 16
  • Alternate Delegates: 10

Automatic Delegates (Unpledged PLEOs - Super Delegates) Breakdown​

  • DNC Members: 10
  • Dem. Members of Congress: 7
  • Dem. Gorvernors: 0
  • Distinguished Party Leaders: 0

Republican Party Primary Delegates Process​

Republican Party's Delegates Allocation​

The Republican party will send a total of 74 Delegate Votes (42 district-level, 29 at-large, 3 RNC) and 71 Alternate delegates to the Republican National Convention. The party will use a combination of Winner-Take-Most (district level) and Proportional (state level) representation systems based on the results of the Presidential Primary Election for apportioning pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Presidential Candidates Ballot Access​

  • A presidential candidate gains access to the State presidential preference primary ballot if:
  • The candidate has filed the appropriate registration information with the federal election commission (FEC) to become a candidate for president of the United States; and
  • Please check with the State Republican party for additional requirements.

Delegates Breakdown​

  • District-level Delegates: 42
  • At-large Delegates: 29
  • RNC Delegates: 3
  • Alternate Delegates: 71

NOTES​

This page contains primary election rules and Presidential Primary delegates allocation information on elections occurring across the country

Primary voting rules and delegate allocation apply to statewide partisan primary elections in most cases. However, check with your Town Clerk for primary voting guide as they may vary by town and political party.Please be advised that the information provided on this site is updated regularly but is subject to scheduling changes at the local level.

The information provided on the page was validated using the following resourses: