In North Carolina, several cities will celebrate municipal elections The next primary will be held on March 3, 2026, under a non-partisan system. These include Raleigh, Durham, and Asheville, among others.
In this type of election, all the eligible voters can participate in the primary elections, regardless of their political affiliation.
This means that it is not necessary to be registered with a specific party to cast your vote in the municipal election.
Which cities and jurisdictions use the non-partisan primary system?
According to information shared by the North Carolina Board of Elections Enlace Latino NC More than 20 cities use the non-partisan primary system for their municipal elections, including:
- Asheboro
- Asheville
- Burlington
- Durham
- Fayetteville
- Goldsboro
- Greensboro
- Hickory
- High point
- Mount Airy
- Raleigh
- Shelby
- Jamestown
- Matthews
- Pleasant Garden
- Powellsville
- Windsor
- Asheville City Schools
- Buncombe County Schools
- Weldon City Schools
- Franklin County Board of Education
- Moore County Board of Education
- Watauga County Board of Education
- Wayne County Board of Education
Related: Until when can you register to vote and deadlines for the 2026 North Carolina primaries
What do this means?
For voters residing within the city or jurisdiction boundaries that uses this system, candidates appear on the ballot without party affiliation.
This allows any eligible voter to cast their vote in the primary election, regardless of their political affiliation.
What is the difference between partisan primary elections and non-partisan primaries?
In party primary elections, only registered voters of the political party to which they are affiliated can vote in that party's primaries.
This means that if you are registered as a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, or Green, you can only vote in that party's primaries.
If you are not registered as a member of any political party, you can choose which major party to vote for on primary day. You can only select one party's primary ballot in that election.
“Since these are primaries, if you are a Republican or a Democrat, you will have to vote in those parties’ primaries,” explained Olivia McCall, director of the Wake County Board of Elections, to Enlace Latino NC.
“If you are not affiliated with any party, you can choose which one to vote for. The Green Party and the Libertarian Party are not participating in the primaries,” he added.
In nonpartisan primary elections, all eligible voters can participate, regardless of their party affiliation.
“If you live within Raleigh city limits, you also have a nonpartisan option,” McCall explained.
Another difference, according to one academic study of the UNC School of Government, The fact is that in non-partisan primary elections, political parties generally do not provide support to candidates.
Related: Wake County opens 12 early voting sites starting February 12.
More information about changes to the local election process in Raleigh
The City of Raleigh's Department of Community Engagement organizes community information sessions called “Vote Local: Our community, our city, your vote!”, to help voters understand the changes in the local electoral process.
The next event is on Tuesday, February 17, from 2 pm to 3:30 pm at the Duraleigh Community Library.
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