Roughly 34,000 Voters Will Be Added to the Politically Homeless In North Carolina

Roughly 34,000 voters will be added to the politically homeless in North Carolina.
Image created by IVN staff.
Shawn GriffithsShawn Griffiths
Published: 23 Jun, 2025
2 min read

RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina voters are encouraged to check their voter registration. On June 24, the party affiliation of about 34,000 voters will change in the voter registration database from a now unrecognized political party to unaffiliated.

The Constitution, Justice for All, No Labels, and We the People parties have lost their recognized party statuses in North Carolina after none of them fielded a candidate who got at least 2% of the vote for governor or president in November 2024.

The Green Party in North Carolina failed to reach 2% of the statewide vote. However, it was allowed to keep its party status because the State Board of Elections held that it had achieved party status in 70% of US states in 2024.

The bad news? If these parties want to be re-recognized, they will have to go through the new party process again. The good news? The affected voters will not be denied access to future primary elections because they forgot to change their voter registration.

Notably, some of these parties were formed explicitly to prop up a presidential candidate or with the initial plan to field a candidate. For example, We the People was formed solely to get Robert F Kennedy Jr on North Carolina's presidential ballot (along with other states).

Similarly, the No Labels Party was formed when the No Labels group considered running a presidential candidate -- a bid it abandoned in April 2024. Some voters ended up being confused about No Labels because they thought it meant unaffiliated.

“New voters and voters who update their registrations are no longer able to affiliate with the Constitution, Justice for All, No Labels, or We the People parties,” said Sam Hayes, executive director of the State Board of Elections.

“These parties may be recognized again if they meet the requirements for a political party as specified in state law.” Regaining party status requires petitions signed by 0.25% of the total vote in the 2024 gubernatorial election.

In the meantime, the roughly 34,000 voters registered with one of these parties do not need to worry about forgetting to change their voter registration if they want to vote in a future primary election.

IVP Donate

North Carolina conducts semi-open partisan primaries. This means registered party members have to vote in their respective party's primary, but unaffiliated voters can choose a single party's ballot.

As it is easy for any voter to forget about their voter registration status or not consider having to change it, anyone registered with an inactive party would be denied a vote in primary elections if the party kept its party status.

You Might Also Like

Nevada Dems Block Independent Redistricting from Going before Voters – Again!
Nevada Dems Block Independent Redistricting from Going before Voters – Again!
With deep frustration, Vote Nevada PAC announced it is withdrawing its ballot initiative to create an independent redistricting commission -- a proposal meant to bring openness, accountability, and fairness to how Nevada’s political maps are drawn....
03 Oct, 2025
-
5 min read
court gavel.
Virtual Discussion: The Fight for Equal Independent Voting Rights Makes it to SCOTUS
Every major voting rights movement in U.S. history – whether successful or not – has intertwined with landmark litigation. This was the case for women’s suffrage. It was the case for civil rights. And it is the case in the ongoing effort to protect the right of all voters to have equal participation in taxpayer-funded elections – something millions of independent voters are denied across the U.S....
29 Sep, 2025
-
2 min read
Supreme Court building
SCOTUS Considers Challenge to Closed Primaries -- Here's Why It Is Such a Big Deal
In a dramatic step forward for litigation challenging closed primaries, the U.S. Supreme Court has indicated they are going to conference to discuss whether to grant a writ of certiorari to Polelle v. Florida Secretary of State; a case challenging Florida's closed primaries that Open Primaries has supported since its inception....
26 Sep, 2025
-
2 min read
Proposition 50 voter guide
California Prop 50: Partisan Power Play or Necessary Counterpunch?
November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....
01 Oct, 2025
-
9 min read
court gavel.
Virtual Discussion: The Fight for Equal Independent Voting Rights Makes it to SCOTUS
Every major voting rights movement in U.S. history – whether successful or not – has intertwined with landmark litigation. This was the case for women’s suffrage. It was the case for civil rights. And it is the case in the ongoing effort to protect the right of all voters to have equal participation in taxpayer-funded elections – something millions of independent voters are denied across the U.S....
29 Sep, 2025
-
2 min read
Supreme Court building
SCOTUS Considers Challenge to Closed Primaries -- Here's Why It Is Such a Big Deal
In a dramatic step forward for litigation challenging closed primaries, the U.S. Supreme Court has indicated they are going to conference to discuss whether to grant a writ of certiorari to Polelle v. Florida Secretary of State; a case challenging Florida's closed primaries that Open Primaries has supported since its inception....
26 Sep, 2025
-
2 min read