NC H851

Establishes an open primary election system (nonpartisan blanket primary) for all state and federal offices in North Carolina except presidential races, where all registered voters can vote for any candidate regardless of party affiliation.

Top four candidates from the open primary advance to the general election, which shall be conducted using ranked-choice voting where voters rank candidates by preference.

Qualified minor parties may nominate candidates through party convention instead of competing in the primary, and other minor parties and unaffiliated candidates may appear on the general election ballot if they meet state ballot access requirements.

Appropriates $410,000 nonrecurring for each year of the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium to the State Board of Elections for implementation, including $210,000 for information technology development and $200,000 for statewide education and training.

Section 4 becomes effective July 1, 2023, while the remainder of the act becomes effective December 1, 2023.