Overview:

• Voters in Cumberland County are picking nominees for U.S. Senate, judge, county commission, and the state legislature.

• Independents, Democrats, and Republicans may vote. Libertarians and the Green Party don’t have local primaries this year.

• Some of the seats have no Republican candidates, so the Democratic primaries will decide the outcome of those races in November.

Early voting for North Carolina’s 2026 primaries got underway on Thursday at seven locations in Cumberland County. It runs through February 28, ahead of the March 3 election day.

Read on to learn more about what voters should know about early voting in the primaries.

When and Where Is Early Voting?

The early voting dates and times:

Early voting is being held from February 12 to February 28. The hours are:

  • Weekdays: 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, February 14: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Sunday, February 15: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Saturday-Sunday, February 21-22: Closed.
  • Saturday, February 28: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There are seven early voting sites:

  • Kiwanis Recreation Center, 352 Devers St., Fayetteville
  • Cliffdale Recreation Center, 6404 Cliffdale Road, Fayetteville
  • College Lakes Recreation Center, 4945 Rosehill Road, Fayetteville
  • East Regional Library, 4809 Clinton Road, Fayetteville
  • J.D. Pone Recreation Center, 2964 School Road, Hope Mills
  • Smith Recreation Center, 1520 Slater Ave., Fayetteville
  • Stoney Point Recreation Center, 7411 Rockfish Road, Fayetteville

What’s On the Ballot?

The Democrats and the Republicans are holding statewide primaries to pick nominees for a U.S. Senate seat and the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

One of the Republicans listed as a U.S. Senate candidate, Margot Dupre, was ruled ineligible for the election after the ballots were printed and mail-in balloting started. Votes cast for her will not count.

In Cumberland County, the Republican primary also has:

  • The 7th Congressional District
  • The state Senate seat for District 21
  • The state House seat for District 43

In Cumberland County, the Democratic primary also has:

  • The 9th Congressional District
  • Sheriff
  • Two at-large seats and the two District 1 seats on the board board of commissioners
  • District Court Judge (two seats)
  • State House seats for Districts 43 and 45

Some of the March 3 primaries will decide the outcomes of the November elections, including the Democratic primaries for the District 1 seats on the board of commissioners and the state House seat for District 45, as there are no other candidates in those races.

Who Gets to Vote?

Registered Republicans and Democrats can only vote in their partisan primaries.

Green Party members and Libertarians don’t have a statewide primary this year or primaries in Cumberland County, so they can’t vote in the March election here.

Independent voters—officially listed as unaffiliated—can vote in either the Republican or Democratic primaries, but not both. They will be told they may select only one ballot.

For example: If an independent voter has a favorite Republican candidate in the U.S. Senate primary, and a favorite Democratic candidate in the county sheriff primary, North Carolina law prohibits the voter from supporting both of their preferred candidates.

Independent voters are the largest and fastest-growing group of voters in North Carolina.

Same-Day Voter Registration

People must be registered to vote to cast a ballot. The deadline to register or update a voter registration was February 6 to cast a ballot on March 3.

However, people who missed that deadline can vote by participating in early voting. Voters are allowed to register at an early voting site during the early voting period, and then cast their ballots. This is called same-day registration.

While early voting has same-day registration, there is no same-day registration on March 3.

Is Photo ID Required? Yes, But…

North Carolina requires voters to present a government-approved ID that includes your picture.

That can include a driver’s license or state-issued ID (it does not have to be from North Carolina), some college and university IDs, IDs issued to military members and to veterans, some other government-issued IDs, and a a free voter ID card issued by the county elections office. See the State Board of Elections website for more information.

… People Without ID Can Vote

People who don’t have a photo ID are allowed to vote.

Voters without a photo ID must fill out a form explaining why they don’t have an ID. They will cast their ballots provisionally—the county elections board reviews the form before allowing the ballot to be counted. The state elections board says the ballot will be counted unless the county board unanimously concludes the voter lied.

Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.

Did you find this story useful or interesting? It was made possible by donations from readers like you to the News Foundation of Greater Fayetteville, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to an informed democracy in Fayetteville and Cumberland County.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation so CityView can bring you more news and information like this.

Paul Woolverton is CityView's senior reporter, covering courts, local politics, and Cumberland County affairs. He joined CityView from The Fayetteville Observer, where he worked for more than 30 years.