The March 5 primaries are fast approaching, and Friday is the last day voters can register in North Carolina. 

Early voting will begin Thursday, Feb. 15, and run through Saturday, March 2. 

Same-day registration will be available during the early voting period. Voters will need to provide a valid photo ID and proof of residence. 

Along with the gubernatorial race, there are other high-profile races, like attorney general and state superintendent that could change the current partisan makeup of state government. 

Every seat in the North Carolina General Assembly is up for election this year, which includes 50 state Senate seats and 120 state House seats. 

Currently, Republicans control both chambers of the state legislature, and have since 2011. When Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg) switched to the Republican party in April, she gave the party the supermajority needed to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto power. 

Voters can check their registration status on the N.C. State Board of Elections website. 

Your specific ballot will depend on the county you are registered in and what party you are registered with. These are samples of the Democratic and Republican primary ballots for Wake County. 

The state legislators have amended election law since the last primaries. Voters are now required to show a valid photo ID when they vote, which can be a driver's license, passport, voter ID card issued by the county, student ID, military ID or a tribal enrollment card. 

Voters can get a free photo ID from their county board of elections until early voting ends on March 2.

The other major change is that all absentee ballots must be received by county election offices no later than 7:30 pm on Election Day. There was previously a three-day grace period for absentee ballots as long as they were postmarked by Election Day.

Feb. 27 is the last day to request an absentee ballot. 

Attorney General Josh Stein is the most prominent Democratic candidate for governor so far this year, with an endorsement from Cooper and name recognition likely giving him an advantage over his opponents.

Stein is leading by a comfortable 27%, according to most recent polling from Meredith College, which took place Jan. 26-31. Other Democratic candidates include former state Supreme Court justice Michael Morgan, Attorney Marcus Williams, Mayor Pro Tempore of Tryon Chrelle Booker and former Princeville Police Chief Gary Foxx.

Lt. Governor Mark Robinson has the support of just over one-third of Republican voters, but polling suggests 42% of voters are still undecided, according to Meredith College. Robinson has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger. State Treasurer Dale Folwell is also vying for the Republican nomination, as well as Attorney Bill Graham from Salisbury.

North Carolina will also elect a new lieutenant governor this year, and Robinson’s bid for governor means there’s no incumbent. 

Former N.C. State Sen. Ben Clark is vying for the Democratic nomination, after serving ten years in the state senate and not seeking reelection in 2022. 

Sen. Rachel Hunt is state legislator representing Mecklenburg, she formerly served in the state house for four years and is now hoping for Democrats support in her campaign for lieutenant governor. Hunt is the daughter of former N.C. Gov. Jim Hunt, a Democrat who held the position for 16 years total, making him the longest-serving governor in the state’s history. 

There are eleven candidates hoping for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. The list includes: Peter Boykin, who founded and serves as the president of “Gays for Trump,” Hal Weatherman, who was chief of staff for former Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, Jeffrey Elmore, who has served as a representative in the state House for ten years, and Deanna Ballard, who was a state senator for seven years before losing her 2022 bid for reelection. 

Others in the race are pastor Allen Mashburn, business owner Marlenis Hernandez Novoa, attorney Seth Woodall, author Rivera Douthit and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page. 

Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C. 8th District), who has served in Congress for five years, has already secured the Republican nomination, leaving three Democrats battling for their party’s support. 

Tim Dunn is a practicing attorney from Fayetteville and a former Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving for 33 years before retiring in 2019. 

Satana Deberry currently serves as district attorney for Durham County, and has held the office since 2018. Deberry was previously the executive director of the North Carolina Housing Coalition and general counsel for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. 

Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-N.C 14th District) was elected in 2022 and represents Charlotte in the U.S. House of Representatives, prior to that he served as a state senator for eight years. Jackson is endorsed by the rest of the Democratic congressional delegation and state House Democratic Leader Robert Reives. 

Democrat Elaine Marshall is the incumbent in this race and has secured the democratic nomination. 

Three Republicans are vying for their party’s nomination, Chad Brown, Jesse Thomas, and Christine Villaverde. Brown is the chair of the Board of Commissioners in Gaston County, a position he has held for two years. Thomas is the retired CEO of Healthy Blue, Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Medicaid program in North Carolina. Villaverde is a former law enforcement officer and Emergency Manager for North Carolina’s Judicial Branch. 

Two Democrats are competing for the nomination, Gabriel Esparza, a senior official in the U.S. Small Business Administration, and Rep. Wesley Harris, who has served in the state House since 2019. 

Brad Briner, a member of the UNC Board of Trustees, is hoping for the Republican nomination for state treasurer. He is competing against A.J. Daoud, businessman and former N.C. Lottery Commissioner, and businesswoman Rachel Johnson from Davie County. 

Kenon Crumble, C.R. Katie Eddings and Mo Green are the three Democratic candidates for superintendent. Crumble is an educator and an assistant principal at Panther Creek High School in Cary, Eddings is also a former assistant principal and currently teaches at Lee Early College, and Green served for seven years as the superintendent of Guilford County Schools.

Republican incumbent Catherine Truitt has held the seat since 2021 and is being challenged by former nurse Michele Morrow. 

Republican incumbent Steve Troxler is running for reelection, having held the office since 2005. His opponent in the primary is Colby Hammonds, a cattle farmer from Lumberton and retired U.S. Army colonel. 

Sarah Taber has secured the Democratic nomination, she is a former farm worker, an author and a crop scientist. 

Republican incumbent Mike Causey has held the office since 2017, his two challengers are C. Robert Brawley and Andrew Marcus. Brawley is an insurance agent and former representative in the state House. He was elected in 2013 but resigned in 2015, citing disputes with then speaker Thom Tillis. Marcus is a prosecutor and volunteer firefighter. 

For Democrats, Sen. Natasha Marcus (D-Mecklenburg) has been a state senator since 2019 and has served on the Commerce and Insurance Committee. Marcus’s opponent is David Wheeler, a businessman from Spruce Pine. 

Braxton Winston II, former member of the Charlotte City Council, is the Democratic nominee for this race. 

Republican candidates include Luke Farley, an attorney endorsed by former Commissioner of Labor Cherie Berry, Jon Hardister, a state representative since 2013, Chuck Stanley, superintendent of operations at a construction company, and Travis Wilson from Union County. 

Incumbent Jessica Holmes is the Democratic nominee for this race. 

There are six Republicans in this race, including Dave Boliek, current member on the UNC Board of Trustees, Jack Clark, an accountant who works on budget policy in the General Assembly, former Greensboro City Councilmember Jim Kee, and former state senator Jeff Tarte. Other Republican candidates include Charles Dingee and Anthony Wayne Street.