Deadline to change party registration is Friday
The system of “open” primaries in North Carolina has been veritable gift to the state’s unaffiliated voters, who can weigh in on the nominees of whichever party they choose when they go to the polls.
There are nevertheless some limits to what these non-partisans will be able to do during the primaries this March as they help nail down the slates for this year’s general election.
According to Alamance County’s election director Dawn Hurdle, state law requires that unaffiliated voters make their selections from a specific party’s primary ballot.
“Unaffiliated voters can choose one or the other,” she added. “But they can’t vote in both.”
Hurdle went on to note that in the event of a second primary, which may occur in some close-run contests, an unaffiliated voter is still bound by the choice they made in the first primary election. A voter, for instance, who initially requests a Democratic ballot can’t vote with the members of the GOP during the second primary.
That said, Hurdle conceded that unaffiliated voters have more flexibility during primaries than the registered members of either major political party. This advantage may also explain the growing number of independents on Alamance County’s voter rolls.
According to the local elections office, the county’s unaffiliated voters numbered 43,962 as of January 31 – an increase of 650 from the end of the previous month. The same period also saw upticks in registrations among both Republicans and Democrats – although not nearly on the same level as the surge in independents. The GOP, for example, added 263 voters to reach a new total of 38,345. The Democrats, meanwhile, posted a net gain of 65, bringing their overall ranks to 36,554 voters.
Hurdle noted that voters who want to change their partisan status ahead of the primary still have a little bit of time to attend to the formalities.
“They have until 5:00 p.m. this Friday to change their affiliation,” she said, “and when they vote in the primary, they’ll have to vote as they’re registered.”
