North Carolina residents can now cast ballots in person for the May 17 primary elections.
Election boards in all 100 counties opened early voting sites Thursday morning. People who are registered to vote or who apply at a site can vote.
Party nominations for U.S. Senate and House, the legislature, judicial positions and county offices are at stake. There are also municipal races — many of them officially nonpartisan — in towns and cities where 2021 elections were delayed. That includes Charlotte, where the primary will shape the election for City Council.
There are also several Mecklenburg County offices on the ballot, including a few county commission seats and the sheriff. And the primary marks the first time North Carolina's new 14th U.S. House district is on the ballot. The new district is in Mecklenburg and Gaston counties.
The early-voting period continues through the afternoon of May 14. Some counties will have early voting on preceding weekends.
An unaffiliated voter can choose to cast ballots in Democratic or Republican primaries, but not both. Registered Democrats and Republicans must vote in their party's primary.
People who are already registered have other voting options. They can request a mail-in absentee ballot by May 10, or they can vote in person May 17.
