Primary to be held; date; qualifications and registration of voters

Primary to be held; date; qualifications and registration of voters. On the Tuesday after the first Monday in March, 2020, and every four years thereafter, the voters of this State shall be given an opportunity to express their preference for the person to be the presidential candidate of their political party. Any person otherwise qualified who will become qualified by age to vote in the general election held in the same year of the presidential preference primary shall be entitled to register and vote in the presidential preference primary. Such persons may register not earlier than 60 days nor later than the last day for making application to register under G.S. 163-82.6 prior to the said primary. In addition, persons who will become qualified by age to register and vote in the general election for which the primary is held, who do not register during the special period may register to vote after such period as if they were qualified on the basis of age, but until they are qualified by age to vote, they may vote only in primary elections. (1971, c. 225; 1975, c. 744; c. 844, s. 18; 1977, c. 19; c. 661, s. 7; 1983, c. 331, s. 5; 1985 (Reg. Sess., 1986), c. 927, s. 1; 1987, c. 457, s. 3; 1991, c. 689, s. 15(a); 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 1032, s. 6; 1999-424, s. 7(j); 2013-381, s. 35.1; 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-21, s. 3; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b).)