Primary election in Cumberland County: What voters need to know today

Beth Hutson, Fayetteville Observer

Tue, March 3, 2026 at 10:03 AM UTC

3 min read

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North Carolina's primary elections are today, March 3, and the polls are open here in Cumberland County from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

According to unofficial results posted by the Cumberland County Board of Elections on Feb. 28, 15,678 votes were cast during the early voting period .

In the March 5, 2024, primary elections, 36,908 of Cumberland County's 213,473 registered voters cast a ballot, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. For the March 3, 2026, primary, the state shows 219,104 registered voters in Cumberland County.

There's a possibility of a second primary in any race where no candidate reaches the percentage of votes needed to become the nominee. In those cases, the runner-up can request a second primary, which would be held May 12, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. Early voting for the general election starts Oct. 15, and the general election is Nov. 3.

The Cumberland County Board of Elections said in a March 2 news release that early voting results may be delayed on election night due to a state-mandated software update to the election reporting system.

"Because of the update, tabulator machines at early voting sites may print results tapes more slowly after polls close at 7:30 p.m.," the release said. "Each tabulator must print three results tapes, and election officials cannot upload early voting totals until all tapes from all seven early voting locations have been printed and verified.

"As a result, processing and reporting early voting results may take approximately 1 to 4 hours after polls close. This delay affects early voting results only. Results from Election Day polling locations will not be impacted."

Here's what else you need to know before you vote, including polling locations, hours and who's on the ballot. Be sure to visit fayobserver.com for up-to-the-minute primary election day coverage.

More: Sparks fly as at‑large Cumberland candidates clash in forum | Opinion

Who can vote in a primary?

Voters registered with a political party can only cast ballots for candidates in their party, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. Unaffiliated voters can choose any political party or a nonpartisan ballot if one is available. No voter can vote in more than one party's primary.

When and where to vote

The primary elections will be held at the precincts listed on a voter's registration card. Visit the following link to find your polling site: vt.ncsbe.gov/PPLkup .

What to bring

When voting, bring your state-approved voter ID, which includes drivers licenses and passports. Visit ncsbe.gov/voting/voter-id for everything you need to know about voter ID in North Carolina.

Find your ballot and check registration

Find what's on your ballot and check your registration by visiting the sample ballot lookup on the North Carolina State Board of Elections website and entering your first name, last name, date of birth and county of residence. That will take you to a page that shows all the races and the candidates that will be on your ballot. You can mark on the sample ballot who you plan to vote for and print the ballot to take with you to your polling place.

Click here for more information about the candidates on primary ballots.

What's on the ballot?

U.S. Senate:Democratic and Republican primaries
U.S. House of Representatives, Seventh Congressional District:Republican primary only
U.S. House of Representatives: Ninth Congressional District:Democratic primary only
State Court of Appeals Seat 1:Republican primary only
State Court of Appeals Seat 3:Democratic primary only
State Senate District 21:Republican primary only
State House District 43:Democratic and Republican primaries
State House District 45:Democratic primary only
Cumberland County District Court Seat 3:Democratic primary only
Cumberland County District Court Seat 5:Democratic primary only
Cumberland County Board of Commissioners At-large (two seats):Democratic primary only
Cumberland County Board of Commissioners District 1 (two seats):Democratic primary only
Cumberland County Sheriff:Democratic primary only

News Director Beth Hutson can be reached at bhutson@fayobserver.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cumberland County primary: What voters need to know