2026 Election Dates:

Early Voting for the Primary Election: February 12, 2026 - February 28, 2026

Primary Election Day: March 3, 2026

Early Voting for the Second Primary Election (If Needed): April 23, 2026-May 9, 2026

Second Primary Election Day (If Needed): May 12, 2026

March 3, 2026 Primary Election Sample Ballots:

Voters affiliated with any political party may vote the ballot of candidates for their party only. Some recognized political parties in North Carolina may not have primary ballots in this election.

Unaffiliated voters may choose to vote any one political party’s ballot or a nonpartisan ballot (if available). A voter cannot vote in more than one party’s primary.

Dare County will have three ballot styles for the upcoming March 3, 2026 primary election. This is due to only two of the recognized political parties in North Carolina having eligible candidates and Dare County having a split in districts for the NC House of Representatives. House District 79 will be on ballot style R0003 and House District 1 will be on ballot style B0004.

Click on the ballot style to see a sample of the ballot.

DEMOCRATIC BALLOT:  D0001

ALL 16 PRECINCTS

REPUBLICAN BALLOT: R0003 

AVON, BUXTON, CHICAMACOMICO, FRISCO, HATTERAS, KITTY HAWK(PORTION), KILL DEVIL HILLS, MANTEO, NAGS HEAD, WANCHESE

REPUBLICAN BALLOT: R0004

COLINGTON, DUCK, EAST LAKE, KITTY HAWK, MANNS HARBOR, SOUTHERN SHORES, STUMPY POINT

Click here to find your Election Day polling location.

Early Voting Schedule for the 2026 Primary Election

2026 Primary Election:

Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

2026 Second Primary Election (If Needed):

Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Voters must vote at their assigned precinct on Election Day. Use the NCSBE Voter Lookup Tool to find your polling place, sample ballots, and more.

Current Election Status: Photo ID Required

*To be eligible to vote, the voter must have lived in Dare County for at least 30 days prior to Election Day.

CURRENT STATUS: PHOTO ID REQUIRED

All registered voters will be allowed to vote with or without a photo ID. When voting in person, you will be asked to present a valid form of photo ID. If you do not have a valid photo ID, you may obtain a Voter ID card from the Dare County Board of Elections office at any time during regular business hours, except for the period between the end of early voting through the end of Election Day.

If you do not have a valid form of photo ID on Election Day, you may still vote and have your vote counted by signing an affidavit of reasonable impediment as to why you have not presented a valid photo ID. The exception form can also be used if you have a religious objection to being photographed or are a victim of a recently declared natural disaster.

As an alternative, if you don’t have your ID with you when you vote, you can still vote and then bring your valid photo ID to your county board of elections by noon on the Friday after Election Day.

If you vote by mail, you must include a photocopy of a valid photo ID when returning your ballot. You may also complete the Absentee Photo ID Exception Form that is provided with your absentee ballot materials.

If you have any questions regarding this notice, please contact the Dare County Board of Elections at 252-475-5630 or 252-475-5631.

For the latest updates about the photo ID requirement, click here.

Note: An inactive voter is still a registered voter. A voter with the status of inactive will be asked to confirm their physical and mailing addresses when they appear to vote. No special documentation is required.