So who can vote in the March primary, anyway?

If you’re one of the numerous Burke County residents who received a letter requesting updated voter registration information, worry not: You will not be barred from voting in the March primary.

The N.C. State Board of Elections mailed letters like this to more than 241,000 voters across the state. The letters are sent to voters who “provided identification numbers when they registered to vote that did not validate against other government databases.”

Identification numbers refer to information such as driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of a Social Security number.

Possible causes of mismatched information include writing a date of birth, driver’s license, or Social Security number in the wrong field of a document, misspelled names, or adding or omitting hyphens, apostrophes, or spaces in a name. It could also be from a previous legal name — such as a maiden name — being listed in one of the records.

The letters will be sent every January and August as part of the state’s routine process to maintain accurate and current voter rolls to voters with unvalidated identification information.

Voter registration can be updated by mail, online, or in person.

Duncan Wise with the Burke County Board of Elections said Wednesday afternoon that concerned residents who received a letter had been coming to the office nonstop. At least a dozen came and went during the half-hour conversation with Wise.

Wise said registered voters who have received an unvalidated identification information letter can still vote but will be prompted to update their information.

REGISTRATION REPAIR PROJECT

This is separate from unvalidated identification numbers. The Registration Repair Project was created for voters who have never provided their driver’s license and the last four digits of their Social Security number. This information was not required until the Help America Vote Act of 2002. Many voters registered before then.

Voters who do not address this will have to cast a provisional ballot, Wise said.

The State Board of Elections’ website has a tool for registered voters to check if their registration requires an update at this link: www.ncsbe.gov/registrationrepair.

CAN I VOTE IF I AM UNAFFILIATED?

Yes. Voters who are registered as unaffiliated may vote in the primary, Wise said. Unaffiliated voters may choose whether to vote the Republican or Democrat ballot, but voters registered as Republican or Democrat must vote on their party’s ballot.

2026 PRIMARY DATES AND DEADLINES

• Feb. 12: In-person early voting begins; same-day voter registration available
• Feb. 17: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.)
• Feb. 28: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.)
• March 3: Primary Election Day
• March 3: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.)
• March 13: County boards of elections primary canvass meetings (11 a.m.)

Voter registration and absentee voting deadlines are different for military and overseas citizen voters.

The Burke County elections board office is at 2128 S. Sterling St. in Morganton. Call 828-764-9010 for more information.