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Honestly, walking into a polling booth in the Tar Heel State during the last big election felt a bit like opening a menu at a diner where you only expected two options but found half a dozen. Most of the chatter you heard on the news focused on the heavyweight bout between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. But if you actually looked at the North Carolina 2024 presidential ballot candidates list, it was way more crowded than the headlines suggested.
We’re talking about the most candidates appearing on a North Carolina presidential ballot in nearly two decades.
It wasn’t just a fluke. A mix of new party recognitions and some serious legal wrangling made the 2024 ballot a bit of a historical anomaly. You've probably heard people say third parties don't matter in swing states, but in a place where the margin of victory is often thinner than a piece of North Carolina pulled pork, every name on that list shifted the gravity of the race.
The Names That Actually Made the Cut
Basically, by the time November 5, 2024, rolled around, voters had six official choices printed right there in black and white. It’s kinda wild when you think about it. For years, North Carolina was pretty restrictive about who could get on the ballot.
Here is the breakdown of who was actually on there:
The Major Players
First off, you had Kamala Harris and Tim Walz representing the Democrats. Fun fact: Harris actually appeared first on the ballot because of a random drawing of a letter (it was "D" that year) and alphabetical order rules. Then you had Donald J. Trump and J.D. Vance for the Republicans. These two tickets sucked up most of the oxygen in the room, obviously.
The Third-Party Contenders
This is where it gets interesting. The Libertarian Party, which is a staple in NC, ran Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat. Then you had the Green Party back on the ballot with Jill Stein and Butch Ware.
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Wait, there’s more.
Two newer additions to the scene really shook things up. The Justice for All Party got Cornel West and Melina Abdullah on the list. And the Constitution Party—which hasn't always been a guaranteed sight in NC—fielded Randall Terry and Stephen Broden.
Why This Specific List Mattered So Much
You’ve got to realize how hard it is to get on the ballot in North Carolina. Usually, the State Board of Elections is pretty strict. In 2024, there was a whole saga involving Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his "We the People" party. For a while, it looked like he was going to be a massive factor. He actually fought to get on the ballot, succeeded, and then, in a weird twist of fate, had to fight a legal battle to get off the ballot after he dropped out and endorsed Trump.
Because of that legal mess, the ballots had to be reprinted, which delayed the whole "mail-in" process. It was a mess.
But even without RFK Jr., the presence of Stein and West was a huge talking point. Why? Because in 2020, Trump won North Carolina by just about 1.3 percentage points. When the margin is that small, a few thousand votes going to a third party isn't just a "protest vote"—it’s a game-changer.
Breaking Down the Results
Now that the dust has settled and the results are certified, we can see exactly how this North Carolina 2024 presidential ballot candidates list played out in the real world.
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Donald Trump ended up carrying the state with 2,898,423 votes, which came out to about 51%. Kamala Harris pulled in 2,715,375 votes, or roughly 47.6%.
But look at the "others":
- Jill Stein (Green): 24,762 votes
- Chase Oliver (Libertarian): 22,125 votes
- Cornel West (Justice for All): 12,099 votes
- Randall Terry (Constitution): 6,863 votes
If you add those up, that’s over 65,000 North Carolinians who looked at the two main options and said, "No thanks." In a state where every single vote is scrutinized under a microscope, that’s a massive chunk of the electorate.
The County Divide
If you look at where these votes came from, it’s the classic North Carolina story. Harris dominated the urban "Blue Dots" like Wake, Mecklenburg, and Durham. In Durham County, she grabbed a staggering 80% of the vote.
On the flip side, Trump owned the rural areas. In places like Randolph and Wilkes counties, he was pulling nearly 80% support. The third-party candidates didn't really "win" any territory, but they stayed consistent across the board, often performing slightly better in college towns where voters were looking for alternatives.
What Most People Get Wrong About Third Parties in NC
There’s this common myth that third-party candidates are just "spoilers." While that's a popular narrative, it ignores the fact that North Carolina's electorate is becoming increasingly unaffiliated.
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As of late 2024, "Unaffiliated" is actually the largest group of registered voters in the state, surpassing both Democrats and Republicans. People are tired of the binary. The fact that the North Carolina 2024 presidential ballot candidates list was so long is a direct reflection of that frustration.
Parties like the Green Party and Justice for All had to jump through massive hoops—collecting tens of thousands of signatures—just to be seen. That doesn't happen unless there's a real hunger for different voices.
Actionable Insights for Future Elections
If you're looking at this list and wondering what it means for the next time you head to the polls, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Check Party Recognition Early: North Carolina's laws on party recognition change. If you support a minor party, keep an eye on the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) website about a year before the election to see who is actually qualifying.
- Understand the Signature Process: If your favorite candidate isn't on the list, it's usually because they didn't hit the signature threshold. For 2024, new parties needed around 13,000+ signatures, while independent candidates without a party needed way more (over 80,000).
- Don't Ignore the Down-Ballot: While the presidential candidates get the glory, the 2024 ballot was also packed with Council of State races (Governor, AG, etc.). In NC, people often "split their tickets," voting for one party for President and another for Governor. We saw this clearly in 2024 when Josh Stein (D) won the governorship while Trump (R) won the state for President.
The 2024 election proved that North Carolina is no longer a simple "red vs. blue" state. It’s a complex, multi-layered political environment where six names on a ballot can change the course of national history.
For those interested in the raw data, you can always visit the NCSBE Results Portal to see the precinct-by-precinct breakdown of how these candidates performed in your specific neighborhood. Understanding these patterns is the best way to prepare for the next cycle.