North Carolina Voting Records

Poll books, which list voters on a yearly basis, have been preserved for some North Carolina counties. Usually, they are not indexed. The Family History Library has a few of these county records. See also taxation records, which usually list the persons who were assessed a poll tax.

Election records from 1878 to the 1930s for some counties are at the North Carolina State Archives and the Family History Library. These often mention the candidates for county offices such as constable and give the number of votes cast for each candidate. The names of persons who cast their votes are not given. For names in voting records for 1867, see:

Wynne, Frances Holloway. North Carolina Extant Voter Registrations of 1867. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1992. (Family History Library book 975.6 N4w.) Records of 17 counties are given: Carteret, Chowan, Clay, Cleveland, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Davidson, Duplin, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gaston, Granville, Guilford, Hyde, Onslow (one precinct only), and Wake (one precinct only). The original records are at the North Carolina State Archives. The names of the voters are listed alphabetically with the number of the county and the precinct. Race is also indicated. These were males age 21 or older who had lived in the precinct one year or more. The lists also give the full names of African American residents who were recorded as voters. About 30,000 names are included.

In 1902, 1904, 1906, and 1908 voting registration began in many counties under an amendment to the North Carolina constitution that came to be known as the "Grandfather Clause." Anyone registering to vote was required to prove he was literate, or that he, his father, or grandfather had voted in an election on or before 1 January 1867. Many of these county records are on microfilm at the North Carolina State Archives or the Family History Library. Some of these records have been published. The records indicate the name of the person, their age, and their county and township of residence. In cases where the father or grandfather was listed, the state where he voted is mentioned.

Voting registers can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search under:

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY]- VOTING REGISTERS