Next election
Nov 3, 2026
What this means · Next election
An open U.S. Senate seat, three constitutional amendments, all 14 U.S. House seats and the full General Assembly.
AMAC in the Tar Heel State
North Carolina
- The Tar Heel State
- 12th state, 1789
- Capital: Raleigh
- 100 counties
Control of the U.S. Senate could come down to North Carolina this November — and photo ID for every ballot is on the same page.
Thom Tillis is retiring, and the open-seat showdown between Roy Cooper and Trump-endorsed Michael Whatley is the marquee Senate race in America. Below it sit three constitutional amendments: photo ID for every way of voting, a 3.5% income-tax cap, and limits on local property-tax hikes. North Carolina seniors are the margin.
10 days until North Carolina votes
Tens of thousands of AMAC members call North Carolina home.
The civic scoreboard
The North Carolina scoreboard
How voting works in North Carolina — dates, rules and districts at a glance.
Registration
Oct 9, 2026
What this means · Registration
Regular registration closes 25 days out (5 p.m. Oct 9) — but miss it and you can still register and vote in one trip at any early-voting site.
Early voting
17 days
What this means · Early voting
One-stop early voting runs Oct 15–31, and it doubles as same-day registration. Your county board sets sites and hours.
Mail / absentee
No-excuse
What this means · Mail / absentee
Any voter can request a mail ballot (deadline Oct 20) — include a photocopy of your photo ID or an ID exception form, and have it back by 7:30 p.m. Election Day.
Voter ID
Photo ID
What this means · Voter ID
Photo ID at check-in since 2023, with an exception form if you have none. This November’s amendment would extend the requirement to every way of voting, mail included.
ERIC member
No
What this means · ERIC member
North Carolina has never joined the Electronic Registration Information Center — the cross-state duplicate-registration check — and runs its own list maintenance.
Districts
14 · 50 · 120
U.S. House · State Senate · State House
What this means · Districts
14 U.S. House seats, 50 state Senate districts, 120 state House districts.
Counties
100
What this means · Counties
Exactly 100, from Cherokee in the mountains to Dare on the Banks — each with its own board of elections.
Facts sourced from the NC State Board of Elections, NCSL and the EAC · Data current as of September 2026.
The North Carolina Test
Ten questions, hometown rules.
No notes, no neighbors helping. See how well you really know the Tar Heel State.
Ten questions on the state you call home.
Take the North Carolina Test.
Your score comes first, no strings.
The North Carolina Poll · September
One of this November’s amendments would have the state cap how fast counties can raise property-tax collections. Should Raleigh limit local property-tax hikes even if county leaders say it means cuts to sheriffs’ departments, EMS and local roads?
One question a month, North Carolina only. This month's voting has closed — the conversation is still open.
One of this November’s amendments would have the state cap how fast counties can raise property-tax collections. Should Raleigh limit local property-tax hikes even if county leaders say it means cuts to sheriffs’ departments, EMS and local roads?
This poll has closed — the new question is coming soon.
Legislative watch
What your state capitol and Washington are moving.
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Nov 3 ballot — the Cooper–Whatley Senate fight plus three amendments
On the ballot Nov 3What it means for you
Tillis’s open seat is the top Senate race in the country: former Gov. Roy Cooper (D) vs. former RNC chair Michael Whatley (R). Also on the ballot: photo ID for all voting including mail, a 3.5% income-tax cap, and property-tax levy limits.
Our note: Straight talk: the 3.5% cap doesn’t cut today’s 3.99% rate — it lowers the constitutional ceiling so future legislatures can’t climb back. We’re pressing both Senate campaigns for written answers on Social Security and Medicare.
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Flat income tax steps down again — 3.99% now, 3.49% in January
In effect for 2026 filingsWhat it means for you
North Carolina’s flat tax is 3.99% for 2026, and revenue triggers already hit for a cut to 3.49% in 2027. Social Security stays fully exempt, and Bailey-settlement government pensions stay untouchable.
Our note: Claim every bit of it — and hold Raleigh to the trigger schedule when the next budget gets tight.
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Duke Energy rate case — settlement awaits the Utilities Commission
Watching RaleighWhat it means for you
Duke’s ~18% two-year residential ask was cut to roughly 9.5% in a proposed July settlement — about 5.9% in 2027 and 3.6% in 2028. The Utilities Commission hasn’t approved it yet.
Our note: Senior affordability dominated the public comment. We’re watching the final order — "settled" isn’t settled until the Commission signs.
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Medicaid — new federal rules phase in Oct 1 and Jan 1
Rules comingWhat it means for you
Oct 1, 2026 brings non-citizen eligibility changes. The big one lands Jan 1, 2027: work requirements and six-month renewals for roughly 700,000 expansion adults aged 19–64 — squarely relevant to 50-to-64s and family caregivers.
Our note: If you or someone you care for is on expansion Medicaid, check your renewal date now — NCDHHS’s "Know What’s Next" toolkit walks through it.
Top issues in North Carolina
Keeping retirement income off the tax table Social Security untaxed, Bailey pensions exempt, the flat rate stepping down — the next legislature decides whether that holds.
Property-tax relief that keeps up The senior homestead exclusion’s income limit is about $38,800 — bills to raise it and expand the circuit-breaker deferment are sitting in Raleigh.
Healthcare from the mountains to the coast Rural hospitals are stretched thin, and 700,000 expansion enrollees face new paperwork hurdles in January.
Who represents North Carolina
Your statewide officials and the full 14-member U.S. House delegation.
New — rate your officials. A member feature: one tap to approve or disapprove (we’ll sign you in first if needed), then one quick “why” — and we publish only the running summary of member reasons, never individual comments.
See your House member and your state legislators — enter your address.
Free to use · No membership required · Your address is never stored
U.S. House delegation · 14 seats
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Don Davis U.S. House · NC-1 Democrat -
Deborah Ross U.S. House · NC-2 Democrat -
Greg Murphy U.S. House · NC-3 Republican -
Valerie Foushee U.S. House · NC-4 Democrat -
Virginia Foxx U.S. House · NC-5 Republican -
Addison McDowell U.S. House · NC-6 Republican -
David Rouzer U.S. House · NC-7 Republican -
Mark Harris U.S. House · NC-8 Republican -
Richard Hudson U.S. House · NC-9 Republican -
Pat Harrigan U.S. House · NC-10 Republican -
Chuck Edwards U.S. House · NC-11 Republican -
Alma Adams U.S. House · NC-12 Democrat -
Brad Knott U.S. House · NC-13 Republican -
Tim Moore U.S. House · NC-14 Republican
Keep this delegation in your inbox
Get The North Carolina Newsletter — what your state capitol and Washington are doing that affects you — and be first in line for your delegation card when it launches.
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Take action
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Find and contact your legislators
Look up everyone who answers to you — Washington and your state capitol — and how to reach them.
Find my legislators -
AMAC Action — join the fight
AMAC’s advocacy arm carries the member agenda to your state capitol and Washington.
Visit AMAC Action -
AMAC events & webinars
Tele-town halls, webinars, and member events — live and free.
See upcoming events
The Tar Heel State, at a glance
- North Carolinians
- 11.2M
- aged 65+
- ~2.0M
- counties
- 100
- statehood
- 1789
Did you know
- The Blue Ridge Parkway is the most-visited unit in the entire National Park system — 16.5 million visits last year.
- The Venus flytrap grows wild nowhere on Earth except a small patch of Carolina wetlands around Wilmington.
- North Carolina grows about 60% of America’s sweet potatoes — number one since 1971.
Election Desk
Live North Carolina results here the night of November 3, 2026.
Returns will appear here.
The North Carolina conversation
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