The State Board of Elections on Tuesday unanimously approved names of candidates to go on ballots for the 2024 presidential preference primary in North Carolina.
The approved candidates (see lists below) were those submitted by the Democratic Party, Libertarian Party, and Republican Party for inclusion on each party’s primary ballot.
The primary election is March 5.
The State Board will meet again on Jan. 2, 2024, when it may consider adding additional candidates who were not submitted by the political parties.
The following are the lists provided by the political parties for the 2024 primary, approved by the State Board on Tuesday:
- Democratic Party:
- Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
- Libertarian Party:
- Toad Anderson
- Charles Ballay
- David (TrimeTaveler) Dunlap
- Jacob Hornberger
- Beau Lindsey
- Lars Mapstead
- Chase Oliver
- Michael Rectenwald
- Joshua Smith
- Mike ter Maat
- Republican Party:
- Ryan Binkley
- Chris Christie
- Ron DeSantis
- Nikki Haley
- Asa Hutchinson
- Vivek Ramaswamy
- Donald J. Trump
The Green Party did not submit any candidates for the primary but may still nominate a candidate for the general election on Nov. 5, based on the candidate chosen by that party's national nominating convention.
The other recognized political party in North Carolina, the No Labels Party, will nominate its general election candidates by convention rather than primary, under General election participation by new political party. N.C.G.S. § 163-98, since this will be the first general election the party will participate in. The State Board recognized No Labels as a political party earlier this year.
Also, a candidate may seek a spot on the presidential primary ballot through a petition, as addressed in Nomination by petition. N.C.G.S. § 163-213.5. Any person seeking the endorsement by a national political party may submit a petition signed by 10,000 qualified voters who are affiliated with the same political party as the person for whom the petition is filed.
For more information, view the State Board of Elections’ guide, 2024 Running for President (PDF).
Early Voting Plans
The State Board also approved in-person early voting plans for the March 2024 primary election for the following counties, which did not unanimously approve plans at the county level:
- Bladen County: Majority plan (includes additional Sunday hours)
- Burke County: Majority plan (includes additional Saturday hours)
- Columbus County: Minority plan (includes additional Sunday hours)
- Davidson County: Majority plan (includes additional Sunday hours)
- Guilford County: Majority plan (includes additional sites and weekend hours)
- Pasquotank County: Majority plan
- Randolph County: Majority plan (includes additional or different weekend and Sunday hours)
- Rockingham County: Majority plan (includes additional Saturday hours)
- Union County: Majority plan (includes additional Sunday hours)
The in-person early voting plan for Lincoln County was deferred for approval by the State Board to its Jan. 2, 2024, meeting so that the State Board may resolve a dispute regarding a proposed voting site.
State law requires the State Board to adopt early voting plans when the county board does not unanimously agree on the sites and schedules for early voting. Additional information about these early voting plans is available at the State Board’s meeting folder.
The State Board also signed off on all other counties’ early voting plans, other than the deferred Lincoln County plan, for having met statutory requirements.
In-person early voting for the 2024 primary begins Thursday, Feb. 15, and runs through 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2.
County Board Appointments
The State Board unanimously appointed the following individuals to county boards of elections:
- Douglas Orrin Smith, a Republican, to the Granville County Board of Elections
- June Stroud Reeves, a Republican, to the Iredell County Board of Elections
- David Michael Hester, a Democrat, to the Caswell County Board of Elections
Video of this meeting will be available in the meeting folder as soon as it is ready.