The 2024 primary elections are fast approaching. Here’s what you need to know to make your voice heard this election season.
Voting in the North Carolina primaries
This year, N.C. primary elections will take place March 5, but voters are required to register by Feb. 9. Registered voters can find sample ballots using the voter search function on the North Carolina State Board of Elections website.
Students who are unsure whether they are registered to vote can also use voter search to check their registration status.
Eligible voters who are not yet registered can either mail in the N.C. Voter Registration Form, complete their registration online or in-person through the DMV or register in-person during the early voting window.
To register during the early voting period, students must complete an N.C. Voter Registration Form and show an identifying document with their name and current residential address.
Duke Votes is also hosting a series of in-person voter registration events at Marketplace and Bryan Center Plaza through Feb. 7.
The early in-person voting window starts on Feb. 15 and extends until 3 p.m. on March 2, with voting schedules and sites listed by county on the Early Voting Site search tab. Students can cast an early ballot at the Karsh Alumni Center, along with other Durham locations.
Voters who wish to cast absentee ballots in-state must request one by Feb. 27. The list of candidates approved by the State Board for the Democratic, Republican, Green and Libertarian Parties are listed here.
For more information about registering to vote in North Carolina, visit the Duke Votes page.
Duke students may request a Duke Student Voter ID card by Feb. 25 via this digital form. The Duke Student Voter ID Card is a “physical card, separate from the electronic or physical Duke Card,” that is approved by the N.C. Board of Elections to fulfill the state's photo voter identification requirement.
Other acceptable forms of ID include North Carolina driver's licenses, out-of-state driver's licenses for those who register to vote within 90 days of the election and U.S. passports.
Voting in out-of-state primaries
Dates for Republican and Democratic primaries and caucuses across the U.S. extend through June 4.
Should voters choose to cast their ballots in-person at their state of residence outside of North Carolina, they must consult the polling place locator by state. The 2024 primary election dates by state are available on the National Conference of State Legislatures data hub.
If out-of-state residence voters wish to cast absentee ballots for the presidential and congressional primaries, they may consult their corresponding state’s Board of Elections website for relevant deadlines surrounding early and regular mail ballot timeframes.
Editor's Note: This article was updated Wednesday morning to include information about the Duke Student Voter ID card.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Halle Friedman is a Trinity senior and an associate news editor of The Chronicle's 119th volume.