North Carolina Board of Elections no longer recognizing Constitution Party and Green Party
February 3, 2021
According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE), the Constitution Party and Green Party are no longer recognized political parties in North Carolina.
“Both parties failed to turn out the required 2% of the total vote for their candidate for governor or for presidential electors in the 2020 general election,” as stated in a press release from the NCSBE.
Prior to this decision, North Carolina’s 7,379,363 registered voters had been divided up between five political parties (Republican, Democrat, Constitution, Green and Libertarian) with the balance being ‘unaffiliated.’
There were 3,833 voters registered with the Green Party and 4,928 registered with the Constitution Party of North Carolina. They made up about .12% of all registered voters in North Carolina. By comparison, Democrat, Republican and unaffiliated registered voters make up approximately 99.24% of registered voters in the state.
The affiliation of voters who were registered with the Constitution Party of North Carolina or Green Party is expected to change to “unaffiliated” status.
Karen Bronson Bell, executive director of the NCSBE, has stated that the parties “may be recognized once again if they meet the requirements for a political party as specified in state statute.”
The Libertarian Party has also requested continued recognition as a political party in North Carolina. And, according to Katelyn Love, General Counsel for the NCSBE, their request “may be deemed sufficient.”
The State Board of Elections is scheduled to meet on Feb. 23 to discuss the continued certification for the Libertarian Party as well as changing affiliation for Green Party and Constitution Party registered voters to unaffiliated.