Elections
The Catawba County Board of Elections
is committed to efficiently conducting fair, honest, and impartial elections so that all qualified Catawba County citizens may exercise their right to vote.
The office conducts local elections, operates voting sites, maintains voter registration lists and handles numerous aspects of election administration. The Catawba County Board of Elections works in conjunction with the State Board of Elections office to ensure that elections are conducted lawfully and fairly.
2022 Elections
May 17 Election Results - Live streaming results from State Board of Elections Website
- Unofficial County Results Summary
- Unofficial County Results by Precinct
- NOTE: All numbers are unofficial and subject to change until Canvass (May 27, 2022)
May 17, 2022 Primary Candidates - winning candidates from this election move on to the November ballot. This includes the City of Hickory Primary (Hickory Mayor winners move on to the July election).
May 17th Sample Ballots
| Democratic Ballot | Republican Ballot | |||
| Unaffiliated Voters may choose either of these ballots. | For Libertarian Voters in Hickory and Long View | |||
Note: There is no primary election for Catawba County Sheriff's race.
May 2022 Voter Turnout
| Partisan Elections | Municipal Elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEM Primary | REP Primary | Hickory Primary | Long View General Election | |
| Eligible Voters | 21,560 | 47,427 | 29,039 | 2,467 |
| 39,721 UNA voters may choose either | ||||
| ONE-STOP SITE | DEM | REP | Hickory | Long View |
| Newton Library | 361 | 2,066 | 59 | 3 |
| Highland Rec Center | 514 | 1,667 | 1,597 | 20 |
| Southwest Library | 205 | 974 | 129 | 35 |
| Conover Station | 164 | 1,018 | 25 | 2 |
| Sherrills Ford Library | 154 | 921 | 3 | 0 |
| ONE-STOP TOTALS | 1,398 | 6,646 | 1,783 | 60 |
| DEM | REP | Hickory | Long View | |
| ABS by MAIL | 126 | 154 | 115 | 1 |
| Totals by Election Type | 1,398 | 6,800 | 1,898 | 61 |
| Turnout by Type | 7.1%* | 14.3%* | 6.5% | 2.5% |
8,329 Absentee Votes | 108,872 Eligible Voters | 7.7% Turnout (as of 5/16/2022 ) All numbers are unofficial and subject to change *Percentages will be higher than actual as it includes UNA voters | ||||
NOTES:
- The last day to change party affiliation was April 22nd (25 days before the election). NO party changes are allowed on Election Day.
- Curbside Voting is available at all polling locations for voters unable to physically come inside ("because of age or physical disability"). Voters that are exhibiting COVID symptoms or have been recently exposed to someone with COVID should also vote Curbside. All curbside voters are given an oath affirming their inability to vote inside.
- By law, voters must vote using the physical address of where they were residing as of April 17th (30 days before the election). Some new voters may be required to show acceptable proof of residence includes: NC driver's license, other photo ID issued by a government agency, copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document showing the voter's name and address. Current college/university photo ID card paired with proof of campus habitation. See NCSBE Website for more information.
- Early voting ended Saturday, May 14. There is NO voting on May 15th or 16th
- On Primary Election Day, Tuesday, May 17th, law requires voters to cast their ballots ONLY at the polling location of the precinct in which they live. Voting on election day is available only to voters that were registered 25 days or more before the election. If you are not registered, you cannot vote election day.
Upcoming 2022 Elections
July 26, 2022 Hickory General Election - the Hickory General Election will be held during the 2022 Second Primary on July 26th. The candidates listed in this document along with the top two vote-getters from the May 17th Hickory Mayor race will appear on this ballot. If any federal, state, judicial, or countywide races on the May ballot go to a runoff, they will also be in this election.
November 8, 2022 Candidates - 2022 General Election. Candidates not involved in the May Primary automatically move on to the November election.
Candidate Campaign Information
Campaign Finance Reports - Select 2022 for the list of candidate committees for the 2022 election.
Filing for Non-Partisan offices will begin June 2022 - 2022 Offices up for election
- Soil and Water Conservation District supervisors (2 seats)
Candidate Filing: noon, June 13 - noon, July 1 - Catawba County School System Board Members (4 seats)
Candidate Filing: noon, June 6 - noon, July 1
2022 Absentee-by-Mail Ballot
Now accepting requests for July & November 2022 ballots. NC Law requires a separate absentee-by-mail request for each election in 2022.
(Example: complete 1 for May Primary, and 1 for the November General if you wish to vote by mail in each election.)
The deadline for May 17th ballot requests was Tuesday, May 10th.
Only requests for July 26th and Nov 8th may be submitted at this time.
ONLINE Absentee RequestThis is the preferred method to request your absentee ballot.
Absentee Request Form - fillable PDF request form. Click here to print a BLANK request form to fill in by hand. [Instructions]
Track your ballot by signing up with BallotTrax: https://northcarolina.ballottrax.net/voter/
11/4/2021 - The NC General Assembly approved US Congressional, NC Senate, and NC House Districts maps
2/5/2022 - NC Supreme Court has ordered legislators to redraw their maps
2/23/2022 - NC Supreme Court approved NC House and Senate Maps and approved an interim US Congressional Map.
Catawba County - 10th US Congressional District
| 2022 Interim (Click for Full PDF map) |
Catawba County - 45th NC Senate District
| (Click for Full PDF map) |
Catawba County - NC House 89th & 96th Districts
| (Click for Full PDF map) |
| Maps updated 2-23-2022 | |
| Town of Long View Wards | City of Hickory Wards |
|---|---|
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Click on maps above for detailed PDF. | |
To check your jurisdictions, search for your name using the State's Voter Search tool Voter Search
Once your record is pulled up, scroll down to the "Your Jurisdictions" section (see example below).
Your Sample Ballot
Sample ballots for the Primary should be available by the end of March 2022.
To view your sample ballot, Check Your Registration and scroll down to Sample Ballot section. (see example below)
Under Your Sample Ballot(s), Unaffiliated voters will see multiple selections, you will only be able to choose one of them when appear to vote.
2022 May Primary Election
Early Voting has concluded
Catawba County One-Stop Early Voting Locations
- Newton Main Library – 115 West ‘C’ St, Newton
- Highland Recreation Center – 1451 8th St Dr NE, Hickory
- Southwest Library (Mountain View) – 2944 S Hwy 127, Hickory
- Conover Station – 403 Conover Station SE, Conover
- Sherrills Ford-Terrell Library – 9154 Sherrills Ford Rd, Terrell
2022 May Primary | ||
Thursday – Friday | Apr 28 - 29 | 8am - 7:30pm |
Saturday | Apr 30 | 8am - 3pm |
Sunday | May 1 | 1pm - 5pm |
Monday – Friday | May 2 - 6 | 8am - 7:30pm |
Saturday | May 7 | 8am - 3pm |
Sunday | May 8 | 1pm - 5pm |
Monday – Friday | May 9 - 13 | 8am - 7:30pm |
Saturday | May 14 | 8am - 3pm |
BOOKS ARE CLOSED - The deadline to have changed party affiliation or to register to vote on Election Day was April 22, 2022.
Voter Registration
Check Your Registration verify registration information
Registrations and Updates recevied after April 22 will be processed AFTER the May 17th election.
Register to Vote* for new voters and anyone moving to a different county the NC DMV website is the preferred way to register
Update Registration* use for changes to: name, address, mailing address, party affiliation [the NC DMV Portal is the preferred way to make changes]
*If you are not a NC DMV customer or do not wish to register online, print and sign a Voter Registration Form [Spanish Version]
New voters and new residents to the county (if not using the DMV Portal) are required to submit an original signed Voter Registration Form.
Current registered voters may submit changes using the DMV Portal or by email, fax or mail. Printed forms must include image of actual signature (computer fonts are not acceptable). Mail to: Board of Elections, PO Box 132, Newton, NC 28658
See VIDEO on Registering to Vote in NC
Partisan Election Candidate Filing | Non-Partisan Long View and Hickory Municipal Candidate Filing
- Filing Begins- Dec 6, 2021 but was suspended on Dec 8 by NC Supreme Court order No. 413P21
- Filing Resumes - resumed Feb 24, 8am and ended Friday, March 4, noon
- Ballot Name Order - after filing ended, the State Board of Elections randomly selected the letter "C" and a coin flip determined "alphabetical" to order candidates (by last name) on the ballot.
2022 Primary (including Hickory and Long View municipal elections)
- Mar 28 – Begin mailing Absentee ballots
- Apr 22 – Books Close. Voter’s last day to change party affiliation, and to register to vote on election day or by mail
NO party changes are allowed after the Apr 22nd deadline
Party changes may be made after the Second Primary Canvass on August 5th
Check Your Registration Verify your information is up to date. If not, submit a new registration form before the deadline - Apr 28 – One-Stop Early Voting Begins [Printable Schedule]
- May 10 – Last day to request and Absentee-by-Mail ballot (no ballots will be mailed out after this date)
- May 14 – One-Stop Early Voting Ends
- May 17 – 2022 Primary Election (includes Long ViewGeneral Election and Hickory Primary Election)
- May 27 – Canvass
Voter Registration Allowed
May 27 - 5pm, July 1 – Voters are allowed to register. Party changes are NOT allowed for currently registered voters.
NOTE:
On March 17, 2022, the Governor signed into law HB 243, the budget technical corrections bill. For election purposes (see bill text here pages 43-45), the bill does two things:
- Sets the date of the 2022 second primary or any second municipal election as July 26
- Opens voter registration between the first primary and second primary. Party changes are not allowed during this window.
Non-Partisan Candidate Filing
- Catawba County School Board (4 Seats) [only for residents in the County School District]
SCHOOL FILING PERIOD - noon, Monday, Jun 6, 2022 to noon, Friday, Jul 1, 2022 - Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisors (2 Seats)
SOIL AND WATER FILING PERIOD - noon, Monday, Jun 13, 2022 to noon, Friday, Jul 1, 2022
Second Primary (Hickory Municipal General Election)
- Jul 7 – One-Stop Early Voting Begins
- Jul 23 – One-Stop Early Voting Ends
- Jul 26 – 2nd Primary Election Day
- Aug 5 – Canvass
2022 General Election
- Oct 14 – Books Close. Voter’s last day to register to vote on election day or by mail
- Oct 20 – One-Stop Early Voting Begins
- Nov 1 – Last day to request and Absentee-by-Mail ballot (no ballots will be mailed out after this date)
- Nov 5 – One-Stop Early Voting Ends
- Nov 8 – Election Day
- Nov 18 – Canvass
All dates and Times are subject to change
Check Your Registration - Use this tool to check if you are registered. If any information needs changing, complete another voter registration form.
ONLINE REGISTRATION SERVICE
Online registration applications are available for NCDMV customers for free. This service is offered through a partnership between the NC Division of Motor Vehicles and the NC State Board of Elections.
On this site, you will be able to:
- Register to vote (Note: if you move to a new county, you must re-register)
- Update physical address
- Update mailing address
- Update party affiliation
DEADLINE: Registration applications submitted less than 25 days before an election will not be processed until after the election.
Go To NCDMV online voter registration application
If you are not an NCDMV customer, you may:
- download and print a Voter Registration Form (PDF)
- pick up a pre-printed paper form at Public Libraries or at the Board of Elections office.
Catawba County residents may mail these to: Board of Elections, PO Box 132, Newton, NC 28658
(multiple registrations may be enclosed in the same envelope)
If you received a Voter Card (or other type of mail from us) for someone that does not live at that address, please write on the mailing: "NOT AT THIS ADDRESS," and put a line through the barcode if there is one below the address. Place back in your mailbox for the postal service to return to us.
No postage is necessary.
You may later receive another card from us for this person; please return it, also. Once we receive two returned voter cards, the voter's status will be either "denied" or "inactive" (if inactive, they will have to verbally verify their address if they come to vote). By law, in order for us to remove the voter from your address, we need their signature, or notification from another county or state that they have registered to vote elsewhere. A person may remove themselves by completing a Request to Cancel Voter Registration.
Is the person deceased? We need a signed Notice of Deceased Voter form completed by a near relative in order to remove their name.
Thank you for helping us keep the registration rolls accurate.
Update on Photo IDCurrently, photo ID is not required to vote in NC.
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Signs are not allowed in Right-of-Way
until 30 days before voting begins
The General Assembly of North Carolina passed Senate Bill 315 in August of 2011 that permits campaign signs in the right-of-way. Signs are permitted during the period beginning on the 30th day before the beginning date of "one-stop" early voting and ending the 10th day after the primary or election day.
Note: a city ordinance may prohibit or regulate placement of political signs on streets within the corporate limits.
2022 Primary: First day in which signs may be placed in right-of-way is March 29th (One-Stop begins April 28th)
2022 Second Primary/Hickory General Election: First day in which signs may be placed in right-of-way is June 7th (One-Stop begins July 7th)
2022 General Election: First day in which signs may be placed in right-of-way is September 20th (One-Stop begins October 20th)
Signs must be placed in accordance with the following -- per NCGS §136-32(d):
- No sign shall be permitted in the right-of-way of a fully controlled access highway.
- No sign shall be closer than three feet from the edge of the pavement of the road.
- No sign shall obscure motorist visibility at an intersection.
- No sign shall be higher than 42 inches above the edge of the pavement of the road.
- No sign shall be larger than 864 square inches.
- No sign shall obscure or replace another sign
The N.C. Department of Transportation has the authority to remove any signs that violate these rules. If anyone else removes or vandalizes a sign, they could be subject to a Class 3 misdemeanor citation from law enforcement.
2022 Primary UOCAVA Notice - Note: by court order, candidate filing is currently on hold and the Primary date has been changed to May 17, 2022. This UOCAVA document will be updated when more information is available.