Last chance to vote in NC primary election is today. What to know in Charlotte
Contested primaries and open seats are highlights of a busy election season in the Charlotte area as voters head to the polls today.
Federal, state and local races are on the ballot this Election Day in Mecklenburg County.
Closely watched primaries include Sheriff Garry McFadden’s and state Rep. Carla Cunningham’s fights to keep their seats and contested races for the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners. Former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley aims to fend off opponents to his right and lock down his party’s nomination for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Only about 7% of Mecklenburg’s registered voters cast ballots during the early voting period, which ended Saturday, according to data from the county Board of Elections.
Polling places are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. today.
Here’s what to know about the 2026 Mecklenburg County primaries.
What’s on the ballot in 2026 primary?
Republican and Democratic voters in Mecklenburg County will both have U.S. Senate primaries on their ballots. All Democratic voters will also have races for sheriff and county commission at-large seats on their ballots.
There are three Democratic primaries for judicial seats on Mecklenburg ballots, a Court of Appeals seat, Superior Court judgeship and District Court judgeship. There’s also a Republican Court of Appeals primary.
There are Democratic primaries in all three Charlotte U.S. House districts and Republican primaries in two.
Democrats in two Mecklenburg state House districts have primaries, and Republicans have just one state House primary. There’s only one state Senate primary in Mecklenburg, a Democratic race in District 37.
There are also Democratic primaries in county commission districts 1, 2 and 3.
Early voting results
County data show 55,640 Mecklenburg voters cast ballots in-person during early voting. Elections officials approved an additional 680 mail ballots so far, bringing the county’s early vote total to 56,320 out of 811,063 registered voters.
That early voting figure is up significantly from Mecklenburg’s 2025 municipal primaries, when just 13,871 people voted early. But 2026 lagged early turnout in the November 2025 general election, when 65,906 voted early.
This year’s turnout also is below the 2024 general election, when a presidential race brought out 460,567 early voters. Turnout was up this year from the 2024 March primary, which saw 54,673 early voters, and the 2022 primary early vote total of 43,502.
The former University City Library was the most popular early voting site in 2026, with 6,917 people voting there. North Charlotte is home to two of the 2026 election cycle’s most competitive primaries: state legislators Carla Cunningham’s and Nasif Majeed’s bids to keep their seats after bucking their party on veto overrides.
How to find your sample ballot
You can check what your exact ballot will include ahead of time through the county Board of Elections website.
To find your sample ballot, visit apps.meckboe.org/addressSearch_New.aspx and search using your address.
How to find your polling place
There are two ways to find your polling place for the primary.
You can search using your name via the State Board of Elections at vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup. You can also search by your address on the county Board of Elections website at apps.meckboe.org/addressSearch_New.aspx.
Unlike during early voting, you must vote at your designated polling place on Election Day.
How to get a free ride to the polls
Voters can get a free ride to their polling place using any CATS service on Election Day.
Riders can access their complementary roundtrip using the CATS Pass app.
NC voter ID requirements
Voters in North Carolina need to show photo identification to cast a ballot.
Forms of ID that will be accepted at the polls as long as they are “unexpired, or expired for one year or less,” according to the State Board of Elections, include:
- A North Carolina driver’s license
- A state ID issued by the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles
- A U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport card
A driver’s license or non-driver ID from another state, the District of Columbia or U.S. territories, if the “voter registered in North Carolina within 90 days of the election”
A military or veterans ID card issued by the U.S. government, tribal enrollment card issued by a tribe recognized by the State or federal government or an ID card issued by an agency of the U.S. government or the State of North Carolina for a public assistance program will also be accepted “regardless of whether the ID contains an expiration or issuance date.”
Some student IDs and government employee IDs will also be accepted. To see which ones are valid at the polls, visit ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id/student-and-public-employee-ids-approved-voting.
In-person voters who can’t show a photo ID will be asked to fill out an ID exception form.
What comes after the primaries?
Candidates who win on Tuesday will advance to the general election, held on Nov. 3.
The voter registration deadline for the general election is Oct. 9, and early voting will start Oct. 15.
This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 10:21 AM.
