THE CASH STUFF FOR JANUARY 22, 2026

 PREPARING FOR THE 

2026 MARCH PRIMARIES

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

According to most political observers, the upcoming midterm elections are expected to bring about a dramatic change in congressional, statewide and local contests. Democrats are expected to do well because of voter frustration with the Republican Party, and the policies of Pres. Donald Trump in particular.

Plus, historically, midterm elections usually spell bad news for the administration in the White House at the time, with a dramatic loss of congressional seats, thus weakening the president-in-power’s agenda.

But regardless of what midterm elections have traditionally meant, they can’t men anything unless voters are properly registered to take. And make no mistake, midterm elections are extremely important because those re the elections where the party’s general election candidates for November are selected to run.

So it is vitally important for voters to participate in choosing their general election candidates for the fall so that their voice is heard.

        This year, registered North Carolina voters will be ultimately choosing 14 congresspeople, a U.S. senator, a state Supreme Justice, three appellate judges, and all 170 legislators in the NC General Assembly in November. Many incumbents face primaries in March.

VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR MARCH PRIMARY

According to the NC State Board of Elections, the deadline to be properly registered for the March 3rd, 2026 primary elections is Friday, February 6th at 5 p.m..

If, for some reason, you miss the February 6th deadline to properly register for the March 3rd primary election, you will still have an opportunity to register and vote (or make changes like updating your name or address within the same county if necessary) when you vote in-person during the early voting period.

To be properly registered to vote, you must reside in the county where you are registering for at least 30 days prior to Primary Election Day, in this case Tuesday, March 3rd , 2026.

You can early vote/same day register at any early voting site in your county.

According to the NCSBE, “Same-day registrants must attest to their eligibility and provide proof of where they live. A voter attests to their eligibility by completing and signing the North Carolina voter registration application (available in English or Spanish).”

Registering at an early voting site during the early voting period requires voters to provide proof of residence, including a North Carolina driver’s license; any government -issued photo identification card the displays your current name and address; a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that displays your current name and address; documents from  a college (public or private) with the student’s current name and residential address.College documents must also be accompanied by appropriate photo ID.

The in-person early voting/same-day registration period begins on Thursday, Feb. 12th and ends at 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 28th.

        In many counties across the state, there will be no Sunday voting during this period, thus eliminating "Souls to the Polls" Sunday voting for black churches.

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FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN NC,

REPUBLICAN VOTERS OUTNUMBER

DEMOCRATIC VOTERS

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

For the first time in North Carolina history, there are more Republican registered voters than there are registered Democrats. And if that startling political change isn’t notable enough, there are now more registered unaffiliated voters than either Republican or Democrat in the state.

According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, a survey of the state’s 7.7 million registered voters shows that 38.89% are affiliated, 30.24% are Republican and 30.21% are Democrats. 

That translates to 2,976,558 as unaffiliated; 2,315,067 registered as Republican; and 2,312,990 as Democrat.

The numeric change can be attributed to many younger voters who decided in recent years not to join either established political party, even though they still want to remain politically active and viable to cast a ballot.

Andy Jackson, director of the Civets Center for Public Integrity at the conservative John Locke Foundation told Carolina Public Press, “So to the extent that Republicans have been able to have their brand be appealing enough for people to stay Republican — and disproportionately compared to Democrats, become Republican — that speaks to some success that they’ve had in the state,” he said. “But this is really a story about the demise of the Democrats, as far as registration goes, more than the rise of the Republicans.”

Western Carolina University Political Science Prof. Chris Cooper says “It wasn’t that long ago really, where we talked about the solid South and that meant the solid Democratic South. And I think what this sort of milestone moment means is, look, that day is gone, dead and buried, right? It is no longer a Democratic South.”

History shows that Democrats formerly dominated North Carolina voting ranks in the 1970s and prior, with Republicans gaining ground in the 1980s and 90s with their direct appeal to white southerners. Independent unaffiliated voters have been steadily gaining ground since 2000.

Prof. Cooper explained the lure of being unaffiliated.

“You get to choose your own adventure. You can choose a different adventure every cycle based on what’s the most competitive or the most interesting, or the one where you think your vote means the most."

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