GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2017

 

SESSION LAW 2018-21

SENATE BILL 655

 

 

AN ACT changing the date on which primary elections are held.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

SECTION 1.  G.S. 163‑1(b), as amended by Section 2 of S.L. 2017‑3, reads as rewritten:

"(b)      On Tuesday next after the first Monday in May 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."

SECTION 2.  G.S. 163‑106(c), as amended by Section 21(a) of S.L. 2016‑125 and Section 5 of S.L. 2017‑3, reads as rewritten:

"(c)      Time for Filing Notice of Candidacy. – Candidates seeking party primary nominations for the following offices shall file their notice of candidacy with the State Board of Elections no earlier than 12:00 noon on the second first Monday in February December and no later than 12:00 noon on the last business day in February third Friday in December preceding the primary:

Governor

Lieutenant Governor

All State executive officers

Justices of the Supreme Court

Judges of the Court of Appeals

Judges of the superior court

Judges of the district court

United States Senators

Members of the House of Representatives of the United States

District attorneys

Candidates seeking party primary nominations for the following offices shall file their notice of candidacy with the county board of elections no earlier than 12:00 noon on the second first Monday in February December and no later than 12:00 noon on the last business day in Februarythird Friday in December preceding the primary:

State Senators

Members of the State House of Representatives

All county offices."

SECTION 3.  G.S. 163‑213.2 reads as rewritten:

"§ 163‑213.2.  Primary to be held; date; qualifications and registration of voters.

On the Tuesday after the first Monday in May, 1992,March, 2020, and every four years thereafter, the voters of this State shall be given an opportunity to express their preference for the person to be the presidential candidate of their political party, except that if South Carolina holds its presidential primary before the 15th day of March, the North Carolina presidential preference primary shall be held on the Tuesday after the first South Carolina presidential preference primary of that year.party.

Any person otherwise qualified who will become qualified by age to vote in the general election held in the same year of the presidential preference primary shall be entitled to register and vote in the presidential preference primary. Such persons may register not earlier than 60 days nor later than the last day for making application to register under G.S. 163‑82.6 prior to the said primary. In addition, persons who will become qualified by age to register and vote in the general election for which the primary is held, who do not register during the special period may register to vote after such period as if they were qualified on the basis of age, but until they are qualified by age to vote, they may vote only in primary elections."

SECTION 4.  This act is effective January 1, 2019, applies to even-year elections held on or after that date.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 13th day of June, 2018.

 

 

                                                                    s/  Philip E. Berger

                                                                         President Pro Tempore of the Senate

 

 

                                                                    s/  Tim Moore

                                                                         Speaker of the House of Representatives

 

 

                                                                    s/  Roy Cooper

                                                                         Governor

 

 

Approved 9:10 a.m. this 22nd day of June, 2018