The State Board of Elections today announced that 27 presidential candidates will appear on North Carolina’s presidential primary ballot. The North Carolina presidential primary will be held on Tuesday, March 15.

“We encourage every eligible voter to participate in the election process,” said Executive Director Kim Westbrook Strach. “With absentee voting just weeks away, we are excited about the upcoming election.”

North Carolina law requires the order of names appearing on the primary ballot to be chosen by random selection. Below are the names of the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian presidential candidates spelled as the will appear on the ballot.

Republicans

Mike Huckabee

John R. Kasich

Rand Paul

Marco Rubio

Rick Santorum

Donald J. Trump

Jeb Bush

Ben Carson

Chris Christie

Ted Cruz

Carly Fiorina

Jim Gilmore

Democrats

Martin J. O’Malley

Bernie Sanders

Hillary Clinton

Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente

Libertarians

John David Hale

Cecil Ince

Gary Johnson

Steven Elliott (Steve) Kerbel

Darryl W. Perry

Austin Petersen

Derrick Michael Reid

Jack B. Robinson, Jr.

Rhett Rosenquest Smith

Barbara Joy Waymire

Marc Allan Feldman

North Carolinians will head to the polls for a primary on March 15, though it has traditionally been held in May. The legislature passed a bill to shift the primary date and it was signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory last fall.

As we approach the March 15 primary, here are some important dates to keep in mind.

Absentee voting begins Monday, Jan. 25.

The regular voter registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 19. Same-day registration is also available during the one-stop early voting period, subject to ongoing litigation.

One-stop early voting runs Thursday, March 3 to Saturday, March 12 at 1 p.m.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections is the state agency charged with overall responsibility for administration of the elections process and campaign finance disclosure in North Carolina. The office of the State Board of Elections works in conjunction with County Board of Elections offices to ensure that elections are conducted lawfully and fairly.

For additional information visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections website,   www.ncsbe.gov.

– Submitted by Jackie Hyland