§ 163-1. Time of regular elections and primaries.

Chapter 163.

Elections and Election Laws.

SUBCHAPTER I. TIME OF PRIMARIES AND ELECTIONS.

Article 1.

Time of Primaries and Elections.

§ 163‑1.  Time of regular elections andprimaries.

(a)        Unless otherwise provided by law, elections for the officerslisted in the tabulation contained in this section shall be conducted in allelection precincts of the territorial units specified in the column headed"Jurisdiction" on the dates indicated in the column headed "Dateof Election." Unless otherwise provided by law, officers shall serve forthe terms specified in the column headed "Term of Office."

(b)        On Tuesday next after the first Monday in May preceding eachgeneral election to be held in November for the officers referred to insubsection (a) of this section, there shall be held in all election precinctswithin the territory for which the officers are to be elected a primaryelection for the purpose of nominating candidates for each political party inthe State for those offices, and nonpartisan candidates as to offices electedunder the provisions of Article 25 of this Chapter.

(c)        On Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in theyear 1968, and every four years thereafter, or on such days as the Congress ofthe United States shall direct, an election shall be held in all of theelection precincts of the State for the election of electors of President andVice‑President of the United States. The number of electors to be chosenshall be equal to the number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to whichthis State may be entitled. Presidential electors shall not be nominated byprimary election; instead, they shall be nominated in a State convention ofeach political party as defined in G.S. 163‑96 unless otherwise providedby the plan of organization of the political party; provided, that in the caseof a candidate for President of the United States who has qualified to have hisname printed on the general election ballot as an unaffiliated candidate underG.S. 163‑122, that candidate shall nominate presidential electors. Onepresidential elector shall be nominated from each congressional district andtwo from the state‑at‑large, and in addition, the State conventionof each party and the unaffiliated candidate shall each nominate first andsecond alternate electors who shall serve if their slate is elected as providedby G.S. 163‑209 and if there is a vacancy as provided by G.S. 163‑210.

(d)        If primaries for the State Senate or State House ofRepresentatives are temporarily moved from the date provided in subsection (b)of this section for any election year, all primaries shall be held on the sameday.

OFFICE                JURISDICTION        DATE OF ELECTION            TERMOF OFFICE

Governor                State                          Tuesday nextafter                     Four years, from

                                                                thefirst Monday                        first day of

                                                                inNovember 1968                    January next

                                                                andevery four                           after election

                                                                yearsthereafter

Lieutenant               State                          Tuesday nextafter                     Four years, from

Governor                                                  the firstMonday                        first day of

                                                                inNovember 1968                    January next

                                                                andevery four                           after election

                                                                yearsthereafter

Secretary of            State                          Tuesday nextafter                     Four years, from

State                                                        the firstMonday                        first day of

                                                                inNovember 1968                    January next

                                                                andevery four                           after election

                                                                yearsthereafter

Auditor                   State                          Tuesday nextafter                     Four years, from

                                                                thefirst Monday                        first day of

                                                                inNovember 1968                    January next

                                                                andevery four                           after election

                                                                yearsthereafter

Treasurer                State                          Tuesday nextafter                     Four years, from

                                                                thefirst Monday                        first day of

                                                                inNovember 1968                    January next

                                                                andevery four                           after election

                                                                yearsthereafter

Superinten‑             State                          Tuesdaynext after                     Four years, from

dent of                                                      the firstMonday                        first day of

Public                                                       inNovember 1968                    January next

Instruction                                                and everyfour                           after election

                                                                yearsthereafter

Attorney                 State                          Tuesday nextafter                     Four years, from

General                                                    the firstMonday                        first day of

                                                                inNovember 1968                    January next

                                                                andevery four                           after election

                                                                yearsthereafter

Commissioner         State                          Tuesday next after                     Fouryears, from

of                                                             thefirst Monday                        first day of

Agriculture                                                in November1968                    January next

                                                                andevery four                           after election

                                                                yearsthereafter

Commissioner         State                          Tuesday next after                     Fouryears, from

of Labor                                                   the firstMonday                        first day of

                                                                inNovember 1968                    January next

                                                                andevery four                           after election

                                                                yearsthereafter

Commissioner         State                          Tuesday next after                     Fouryears, from

of                                                             thefirst Monday                        first day of

Insurance                                                  in November1968                    January next

                                                                andevery four                           after election

                                                                yearsthereafter

All other                 State                          Tuesday nextafter                     Four years, from

State                                                        the firstMonday                        first day of

officers                                                     inNovember 1968                    January next

whose terms                                             and every four                           afterelection

last for                                                      yearsthereafter

four years

All other                 State                          Tuesday nextafter                     Two years, from

State                                                        the firstMonday                        first day of

officers                                                     inNovember 1968                    January next

whose terms                                             and every two                           afterelection

are not                                                      yearsthereafter

specified

by law

State Senator          Senatorial                   Tuesday next after                     Twoyears

                              district                        the firstMonday

                                                                inNovember 1968

                                                                andevery two

                                                                yearsthereafter

Member of             Representative            Tuesday next after                     Twoyears

State House            district                        the first Monday

of Repre‑                                                 inNovember 1968

sentatives                                                  and everytwo

                                                                yearsthereafter

Justices and            State                          At the regular                            Eightyears,

Judges of the                                            election for                                fromfirst day

Appellate                                                  members ofthe                         of January next

Division                                                    GeneralAssembly                     after election

                                                                immediatelypreceding

                                                                thetermination of

                                                                eachregular term

Judges of the          Superior                     At the regular                            Eightyears,

superior                  Court                         election for                                fromfirst day

courts                     District                       members ofthe                         of January next

                                                                GeneralAssembly                     after election

                                                                immediatelypreceding

                                                                thetermination of

                                                                eachregular term

Judges of the          District court               At the regular                            Fouryears, from

district                    district                        electionfor                                the first day in

courts                                                       members ofthe                         January next

                                                                GeneralAssembly                     after election

                                                                immediatelypreceding              

                                                                the termination                         

                                                                of eachregular

                                                                term

District                   District                       At theregular                            Four years, from

Attorney                 Attorney                     election for                                firstday of

                              district                        membersof the                         January next

                                                                GeneralAssembly                     after election

                                                                immediatelypreceding

                                                                thetermination

                                                                of eachregular

                                                                term

Members of            Congressional             Tuesday next after                     Twoyears

House of                district,                       the firstMonday

Representa‑            except as                    in November1968

tives of                   modified by                and every two

the                          G.S. 163‑104             yearsthereafter

Congress of

the United

States

United States          State                          At the regular                            Sixyears

Senators                                                   electionimmed‑

                                                                iatelypreceding

                                                                thetermination

                                                                of eachregular

                                                                term

County                   County                       At the regular                            Twoyears, from

commissioners                                          election for                                thefirst

                                                                membersof the                         Monday in

                                                                GeneralAssembly                     December next

                                                                immediatelypreceding               after election

                                                                thetermination of

                                                                eachregular term

Clerk of                  County                       At the regular                            Fouryears, from

superior                                                    electionfor                                the first

court                                                        members ofthe                         Monday in

                                                                GeneralAssembly                     December next

                                                                immediatelypreceding               after election

                                                                thetermination

                                                                of eachregular term

Register of              County                       At the regular                            Fouryears, from

deeds                                                       electionfor                                the first

                                                                membersof the                         Monday in

                                                                GeneralAssembly                     December next

                                                                immediately                               afterelection

                                                                precedingthe

                                                                terminationof

                                                                eachregular term

Sheriff                    County                       At the regular                            Fouryears, from

                                                                electionfor                                the first

                                                                membersof the                         Monday in

                                                                GeneralAssembly                     December next

                                                                immediately                               afterelection

                                                                precedingthe

                                                                terminationof

                                                                eachregular term

Coroner                 County                       At the regular                            Fouryears, from

                                                                electionfor                                the first

                                                                membersof the                         Monday in

                                                                GeneralAssembly                     December next

                                                                immediately                               afterelection

                                                                precedingthe

                                                                terminationof

                                                                aregular term

County                   County                       Tuesday nextafter                     Two years, from

treasurer                                                   the firstMonday                        the first

(in                                                            inNovember 1968                    Monday in

counties in                                                and everytwo                           December next

which                                                       yearsthereafter                         after election

elected)

All other                 County                       Tuesday nextafter                     Two years, from

county                                                      the firstMonday                        the first

officers to                                                 in November1968                    Monday in

be elected                                                 and everytwo                           December next

by the                                                       yearsthereafter                         after election

people

(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.)