{"data":{"id":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-163-1","jurisdiction":"us-nc","citation":"N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-1","heading":"Time of regular elections and primaries.","body":"(a)\tUnless otherwise provided by law, elections for the officers listed in the tabulation contained in this section shall be conducted in all election precincts of the territorial units specified in the column headed \"Jurisdiction\" on the dates indicated in the column headed \"Date of Election.\" Unless otherwise provided by law, officers shall serve for the terms specified in the column headed \"Term of Office.\"\n(b)\tOn Tuesday next after the first Monday in March preceding each general election to be held in November for the officers referred to in subsection (a) of this section, there shall be held in all election precincts within the territory for which the officers are to be elected a primary election for the purpose of nominating candidates for each political party in the State for those offices.\n(c)\tOn Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in the year 1968, and every four years thereafter, or on such days as the Congress of the United States shall direct, an election shall be held in all of the election precincts of the State for the election of electors of President and Vice-President of the United States. The number of electors to be chosen shall be equal to the number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which this State may be entitled. Presidential electors shall not be nominated by primary election; instead, they shall be nominated in a State convention of each political party as defined in G.S. 163-96 unless otherwise provided by the plan of organization of the political party; provided, that in the case of a candidate for President of the United States who has qualified to have his name printed on the general election ballot as an unaffiliated candidate under G.S. 163-122, that candidate shall nominate presidential electors. One presidential elector shall be nominated from each congressional district and two from the state-at-large, and in addition, the State convention of each party and the unaffiliated candidate shall each nominate first and second alternate electors who shall serve if their slate is elected as provided by G.S. 163-209 and if there is a vacancy as provided by G.S. 163-210.\n(d)\tIf primaries for the State Senate or State House of Representatives are temporarily moved from the date provided in subsection (b) of this section for any election year, all primaries shall be held on the same day.\nOFFICE\tJURISDICTION\tDATE OF ELECTION\tTERM OF OFFICE\nGovernor\tState\tTuesday next after the\tFour years, from\nfirst Monday in November\tfirst day of January\n1968 and every four years\tnext after election\nthereafter\nLieutenant\tState\tTuesday next after the\tFour years, from\nGovernor\tfirst Monday in November\tfirst day of January\n1968 and every four years\tnext after election\nthereafter\nSecretary of\tState\tTuesday next after the\tFour years, from\nState\tfirst Monday in November\tfirst day of January\n1968 and every four years\tnext after election\nthereafter\nAuditor\tState\tTuesday next after the\tFour years, from\nfirst Monday in November\tfirst day of January\n1968 and every four years\tnext after election\nthereafter\nTreasurer\tState\tTuesday next after the\tFour years, from\nfirst Monday in November\tfirst day of January\n1968 and every four years\tnext after election\nthereafter\nSuperintendent\tState\tTuesday next after the\tFour years, from\nof Public\tfirst Monday in November\tfirst day of January\nInstruction\t1968 and every four years\tnext after election\nthereafter\nAttorney\nGeneral\tState\tTuesday next after the\tFour years, from\nfirst Monday in November\tfirst day of January\n1968 and every four years\tnext after election\nthereafter\nCommissioner\tState\tTuesday next after the\tFour years, from\nof Agriculture\tfirst Monday in November\tfirst day of January\n1968 and every four years\tnext after election\nthereafter\nCommissioner\tState\tTuesday next after the\tFour years, from\nof Labor\tfirst Monday in November\tfirst day of January\n1968 and every four years\tnext after election\nthereafter\nCommissioner\tState\tTuesday next after the\tFour years, from\nof Insurance\tfirst Monday in November\tfirst day of January\n1968 and every four years\tnext after election\nthereafter\nAll other State\tState\tTuesday next after the\tFour years, from\nofficers whose\tfirst Monday in November\tfirst day of January\nterms last for\t1968 and every four years\tnext after election\nfour years\tthereafter\nAll other State\tState\tTuesday next after the\tTwo years, from\nofficers whose\tfirst Monday in November\tfirst day of January\nterms are not\t1968 and every two years\tnext after election\nspecified by law\tthereafter\nState Senator\tSenatorial\tTuesday next after the\tTwo years\ndistrict\tfirst Monday in November\n1968 and every two years\nthereafter\nMember of\tRepresentative\tTuesday next after the\tTwo years\nState House of\tdistrict\tfirst Monday in November\nRepresentatives\t1968 and every two years\nthereafter\nJustices and\tState\tExcept as provided in\tEight years, from\nJudges of the\tArticle 1A of Chapter 7A\tfirst day of January\nAppellate\tof the General Statutes,\tnext after election\nDivision\tat the regular election\nfor members of the General\nAssembly immediately\npreceding the termination\nof each regular term\nJudges of the\tSuperior\tAt the regular election\tEight years, from\nsuperior courts\tCourt District\tfor members of the General\tfirst day of January\nAssembly immediately\tafter next election\npreceding the termination\nof each regular term\nJudges of the\tDistrict\tAt the regular election\tFour years, from the\ndistrict courts\tcourt district \tfor members of the General\tfirst day in January\nAssembly immediately\tnext after election\npreceding the termination\nof each regular term\nDistrict\tDistrict\tAt the regular election\tFour years, from\nAttorney\tAttorney\tfor members of the General\tfirst day of January\ndistrict\tAssembly immediately\tnext after election\npreceding the termination\nof each regular term\nMembers of\tCongressional\tTuesday next after the\tTwo years\nHouse of\tdistrict,\tfirst Monday in November\nRepresentatives\texcept as\t1968 and every two years\nof the Congress\tmodified\tthereafter\nof the United\tby G.S. 163-104\nStates\nUnited States\tState\tAt the regular election\tSix years\nSenators\timmediately preceding the\ntermination of each\nregular term\nCounty\tCounty\tAt the regular election\tTwo years, from the\nCommissioners\tfor members of the General\tfirst Monday in\nAssembly immediately\tDecember next after\npreceding the termination\telection\nof each regular term\nClerk of\tCounty\tAt the regular election\tFour years, from the\nsuperior court\tfor members of the General\tfirst Monday in\nAssembly immediately\tDecember next after\npreceding the termination\telection\nof each regular term\nRegister of\tCounty\tAt the regular election\tFour years, from the\nDeeds\tfor members of the General\tfirst Monday in\nAssembly immediately\tDecember next after\npreceding the termination\telection\nof each regular term\nSheriff\tCounty\tAt the regular election\tFour years, from the\nfor members of the General\tfirst Monday in\nAssembly immediately\tDecember next after\npreceding the termination\telection\nof each regular term\nCoroner\tCounty\tAt the regular election\tFour years, from the\nfor members of the General\tfirst Monday in\nAssembly immediately\tDecember next after\npreceding the termination\telection\nof a regular term\nCounty\tCounty\tTuesday next after the\tTwo years, from the\ntreasurer (in\tfirst Monday in November\tfirst Monday in\ncounties in\t1968 and every two years\tDecember next after\nwhich elected)\tthereafter\telection\nAll other\tCounty\tTuesday next after the\tTwo years, from the\ncounty officers\tfirst Monday in November\tfirst Monday in\nto be elected\t1968 and every two years\tDecember next after\nby the people\tthereafter\telection\n(Const., art. 4, s. 24; 1901, c. 89, ss. 1-4, 73, 74, 77; Rev., ss. 4293, 4294, 4296-4299; 1915, c. 101, s. 1; 1917, c. 218; C.S., ss. 5914, 5915, 5917-5920, 6018; 1935, c. 362; 1939, c. 196; 1943, c. 134, s. 4; 1947, c. 505, s. 1; 1951, c. 1009, s. 2; 1953, c. 1191, s. 1; 1967, c. 775, s. 1; cc. 1264, 1271; 1969, c. 44, s. 80; 1971, c. 170; 1973, c. 793, s. 93; 1977, c. 265, s. 1; c. 661, s. 1; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 782, s. 1; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 738, s. 2; 1996, 2nd Ex. Sess., c. 9, s. 2; 2003-434, 1st Ex. Sess., s. 6; 2004-127, s. 12; 2005-425, s. 3.2; 2015-66, s. 3; 2017-3, s. 2; 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-21, s. 1; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b).)","path":["Chapter 163. Elections and Election Laws.","SUBCHAPTER I. TIME OF PRIMARIES AND ELECTIONS.","Article 1. Time of Primaries and Elections."],"source_url":"https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_163/GS_163-1.html","current_through":"S.L. 2026-30","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T18:26:22Z","sha256":"161e477d09922aff528311393b947f19209483f0e19142aedee7fef259596d6a","source_id":"us-nc","stale":false,"prev":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-162b-13","next":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-163-2"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}