Preregistering to Vote When You are 16 or 17 Years Old

To register to vote in North Carolina, eligible voters must be at least 18 years old, but 16- and 17-year-olds may preregister to vote. This means that once you become eligible by age to vote, your voter registration application will then be processed. Until you are registered, you will not be eligible to vote.

To preregister to vote, applicants must indicate on their North Carolina Voter Registration Application that they are at least 16 years of age and understand that they must be 18 years of age on or before election day to vote. You must meet all the other qualifications to vote.

Eligible voters who preregister will automatically be registered to vote when they turn 18 years old.

Participation in Primary Elections

If you will be 18 years of age by the date of the next general election, your application may be processed as early as 60 days prior to the date of any primary election associated with that general election, even if you will only be 17 years old during the primary. You will then be qualified to vote in the primary election for all eligible contests.

Who Can Register How to Register