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Ballot access requirements for political parties in North Carolina

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Note: This article is not intended to serve as a guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact theirstate election agencies for further information.

Although there are hundreds of political parties in the United States, only certain parties qualify to have the names of their candidates for office printed on election ballots. In order to qualify for ballot placement, a party must meet certain requirements that vary from state to state. For example, in some states, a party may have to file a petition in order to qualify for ballot placement. In other states, a party must organize around a candidate for a specific office; that candidate must, in turn, win a percentage of the vote in order for the party to be granted ballot status. In still other states, an aspiring political party must register a certain number of voters.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • As of June 2025, North Carolina officially recognized four political parties: theDemocratic,Green,Libertarian, andRepublican parties.
  • In some states, a candidate may choose to have a label other than that of an officially recognized party appear alongside his or her name on the ballot. Such labels are calledpolitical party designations. North Carolina does not allow candidates to use political party designations.

    • To learn more about ballot access requirements for political candidates in North Carolina, seethis article.

    DocumentIcon.jpgSeestate election laws

    Process for a political party to obtain ballot status

    Seal of North Carolina

    DocumentIcon.jpgSee statutes:Chapter 163, Article 9, Section 96 of the North Carolina General Statutes

    InNorth Carolina, apolitical party is defined as any of the following:[1]

    “

    (1) Any group of voters which, at the last preceding general State election, polled for its candidate for Governor, or for presidential electors, at least two percent (2%) of the entire vote cast in the State for Governor or for presidential electors.

    (2) Any group of voters which shall have filed with the State Board of Elections petitions for the formulation of a new political party which are signed by registered and qualified voters in this State equal in number to one-quarter of one percent (0.25%) of the total number of voters who voted in the most recent general election for Governor. Also the petition must be signed by at least 200 registered voters from each of three congressional districts in North Carolina. To be effective, the petitioners must file their petitions with the State Board of Elections before 12:00 noon on the first day of June preceding the day on which is to be held the first general State election in which the new political party desires to participate. The State Board of Elections shall forthwith determine the sufficiency of petitions filed with it and shall immediately communicate its determination to the State chair of the proposed new political party.

    (3) Any group of voters which shall have filed with the State Board of Elections documentation that the group of voters had a candidate nominated by that group on the general election ballot of at least seventy percent (70%) of the states in the prior Presidential election. To be effective, the group must file their documentation with the State Board of Elections before 12:00 noon on the first day of June preceding the day on which is to be held the first general State election in which the new political party desires to participate. The State Board of Elections shall forthwith verify the documentation filed with it and shall immediately communicate its determination to the State chair of the proposed new political party.[2]

    		”

    Petitions must include the name of the proposed political party, which may not be similar to that of an existing political party. Petitions must be presented to the chairman of the county board of elections for verification 15 days before they are due to the state board of elections.[1]

    In the first general election after a party qualifies, it must select its nominees for the general election by party convention.[3]

    Political parties

    See also:List of political parties in the United States

    As of June 2025, there were four recognized political parties inNorth Carolina. These are listed in the table below.[4]

    PartyWebsite linkBy-laws/platform link
    Democratic Party of North CarolinaLinkParty platform
    North Carolina Green PartyLinkParty platform
    Libertarian Party of North CarolinaLinkBylaws
    Republican Party of North CarolinaLinkParty platform

    Noteworthy events

    2017

    On October 17, 2017,SB 656 became law, enacting a series of changes to North Carolina's ballot access provisions for political parties and unaffiliated political candidates. The bill first cleared theNorth Carolina State Senate on April 26, 2017. TheNorth Carolina House of Representatives approved an amended version of the bill on June 28, 2017. A conference committee was convened to reconcile differences between the two versions of the bill. The conference committee submitted its report on SB 656 on October 4, 2017. The conference committee version of the bill was approved by the House and Senate on October 5, 2017. GovernorRoy Cooper (D) vetoed the bill on October 9, 2017. On October 15, 2017, the Senate voted to override Cooper's veto, and the House followed suit the next day. The law's provisions took effect on January 1, 2018.[5][6][7]

    As enacted, SB 656 provided for the following changes to ballot access law:[5][8][9]

    1. The signature requirement for new political party formation petitions was reduced from 2 percent of the total number of voters who voted in the most recent gubernatorial election to 0.25 percent of that group.
    2. A new means of political party formation was established: A political party may be formed by "any group of voters which shall have filed with the State Board of Elections documentation that the group of voters had a candidate nominated by that group on the general election ballot of at least seventy percent (70%) of the states in the prior Presidential election."
    3. The petition signature requirement for unaffiliated statewide candidates was reduced from 2 percent of the total number of voters who voted in the last gubernatorial election to 1.5 percent of that group. The filing deadline was changed from the second Wednesday prior to the primary election to the day of the primary election.
    4. The petition signature requirement for unaffiliated district candidates (other than state legislative candidates) was reduced from 4 percent of the total number of registered voters in the district to 1.5 percent of that group. The filing deadline was changed from the second Wednesday prior to the primary election to the day of the primary election.
    5. For unaffiliated state legislative candidates, the petition signature requirement was unchanged by the law. The filing deadline was changed from the second Wednesday prior to the primary election to the day of the primary election.

    For the full text of the law as enacted, clickhere.

    2012

    In the November 6, 2012, general election, the Libertarian Party candidate forgovernor,Barbara Howe, polled 94,652 out of 4,468,295 votes cast, approximately 2.1 percent of the total number of votes cast.[10] This was sufficient for maintenance of the party's recognized status in the state.[1]

    2008

    In the November 4, 2008, general election, the Libertarian Party candidate for governor, Michael Munger, polled 121,584 out of 4,268,941 votes cast, approximately 2.85 percent of the total number of votes cast.[11] This was sufficient for maintenance of the party's recognized status in the state.[1]

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    See also

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    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑1.01.11.21.3North Carolina General Assembly, "North Carolina General Statutes § 163-96," accessed July 10, 2025
    2. ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    3. ↑North Carolina General Assembly, "North Carolina General Statutes § 163-98," accessed July 10, 2025
    4. ↑North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Voters Once Affiliated with Certain NC Political Parties to Be Moved to Unaffiliated Status", June 19, 2025
    5. ↑5.05.1General Assembly of North Carolina, "Senate Bill 656," accessed October 18, 2017
    6. ↑General Assembly of North Carolina, "Senate Bill 656 / S.L. 2017-214," accessed October 18, 2017
    7. ↑Ballot Access News, "North Carolina Ballot Access Bill Enacted into Law," October 17, 2017
    8. ↑General Assembly of North Carolina, "Senate Bill 656 / S.L. 2017-214," accessed October 18, 2017
    9. ↑Ballot Access News, "North Carolina Ballot Access Bill Enacted into Law," October 17, 2017
    10. ↑North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2012 General Election Results," accessed December 12, 2013
    11. ↑North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2008 General Election Results," accessed December 12, 2013
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