§ 163-55. Qualifications to vote; exclusion from electoral franchise. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 163‑55. Qualifications to vote; exclusion from electoral franchise.

(a)        Residence Periodfor State Elections. – Every person born in the United States, and every personwho has been naturalized, and who shall have resided in the State of NorthCarolina and in the precinct, ward, or other election district in which theperson offers to vote for 30 days next preceding an election, shall, ifotherwise qualified as prescribed in this Chapter, be qualified to vote in anyelection held in this State. Removal from one precinct, ward, or other electiondistrict to another in this State shall not operate to deprive any person ofthe right to vote in the precinct, ward, or other election district from whichhe has removed until 30 days after the person's removal.

Except as otherwise providedin this Chapter, the following classes of persons shall not be allowed to votein this State:

(1)        Persons under 18years of age.

(2)        Any person adjudgedguilty of a felony against this State or the United States, or adjudged guiltyof a felony in another state that also would be a felony if it had beencommitted in this State, unless that person shall be first restored to therights of citizenship in the manner prescribed by law.

(b)        Precincts andElection Districts. – For purposes of qualification to vote in an election, aperson's residence in a precinct, ward, or election district shall bedetermined in accordance with G.S. 163‑57. When an election districtencompasses more than one precinct, then for purposes of those offices to beelected from that election district a person shall also be deemed to beresident in the election district which includes the precinct in which thatperson resides. An election district may include a portion of a county, anentire county, a portion of the State, or the entire State. When a precinct hasbeen divided among two or more election districts for purposes of elections tocertain offices, then with respect to elections to those offices a person shallbe deemed to be resident in only that election district which includes the areaof the precinct in which that person resides. Qualification to vote inreferenda shall be treated the same as qualification for elections to filloffices.

(c)        Elections. – Forpurposes of the 30‑day residence requirement to vote in an election insubsection (a) of this section, the term "election" means the day ofthe primary, second primary, general election, special election, or referendum. (19th amendt.U.S. Const.; amendt. State Const., 1920; 1901, c. 89, ss. 14, 15; Rev., ss.4315, 4316; C.S., ss. 5936, 5937; Ex. Sess. 1920, c. 18, s. 1; 1933, c. 165, s.4; 1945, c. 758, s. 7; 1955, c. 871, s. 2; 1967, c. 775, s. 1; 1971, c. 1231,s. 1; 1973, c. 793, s. 18; 2005‑2, s. 2; 2008‑150, s. 5(a); 2009‑541,s. 5.)