North Carolina will have a greater number of early voting sites and more early voting hours for the March 2026 primary compared to the May 2022 primary election.
An analysis of early voting sites conducted by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor (OSA) shows an overall increase in voting accessibility for the March 2026 primary election across North Carolina.
“North Carolina County Boards of Elections and the State Board of Elections have expanded voter access for the 2026 primary election,” said State Auditor Dave Boliek. “Keeping voting accessible to all eligible voters while not budging on security and election integrity is key to conducting secure and fair elections. I encourage everyone who is eligible to go out and cast their vote.”
Early Voting Sites
In total, there will be 319 early voting sites in North Carolina for the March 2026 primary election, representing a 6% increase from the 301 sites in the May 2022 primary. In all, 17 counties increased the number of early voting sites from 2022 to 2026, while seven reduced the number of sites.
- Counties that increased the number of sites for a total of 27 sites added in 2026 include: Alamance, Bertie, Bladen, Buncombe, Forsyth, Guilford, Harnett, Hertford, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Orange, Pitt, Sampson, Union, Wake, Wayne, and Wilson.
- Counties that decreased the number of sites for a total of nine sites dropped in 2026 include: Jackson, Lenoir, Lincoln, Madison, Nash, New Hanover, and Stanly.
Early Voting Hours
The total number of early voting hours, a traditional measure tracked by the North Carolina State Board of Elections, increased from 45,512 hours to 48,048 hours for the March 2026 primary. This represents a 6% increase in total early voting hours across North Carolina compared to the May 2022 primary.
Weekend Early Voting Hours
The total number of weekend early voting hours increased from 4,610 to 4,679. This represents a 1.5% increase in total weekend early voting hours across North Carolina compared to the May 2022 primary.
Campus Voting
According to separate reporting from independent researchers and news organizations, there will be more on-campus early voting sites this year compared to the May 2022 primary. “The 2026 primary will have one more college and university site than the 2022 primary,” wrote Dr. Chris Cooper. “When counting community colleges, there will be 10 on-campus early voting sites this year, compared to nine in 2022,” reported The News & Observer.