North Carolina recognizes three political parties: The Democratic Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Republican Party. A voter may choose one political party or can decide not to register with a political party. If a voter does not register with a political party, the voter will be registered as unaffiliated.

In a partisan primary, voters affiliated with a political party may only vote their party’s ballot and may not vote in another party’s primary. For example, a registered Republican may only vote in the Republican Party primary. Unaffiliated voters may choose the Democratic, Libertarian, Republican, or nonpartisan ballot (if available) in a primary election.

In a General Election, voters may vote for the candidates of their choice, regardless of the candidate's party affiliation.

Any registered North Carolina voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote by mail.

If you’re not voting for the first time in North Carolina, you don’t need to show ID to vote in person.

If you’re a first-time voter, you registered to vote by mail, and you did not provide your state-issued ID number (driver’s license, non-operators ID card, or NC Voter Registration number) when you registered, you should plan to show ID when you vote at the polls.

Acceptable forms of ID include:

• Current and valid photo ID
• Military ID
• A current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and current address