In a unanimous decision, North Carolina's State Board of Elections finalized the candidates for the state's upcoming presidential primaries, which are scheduled for March 5th. Among the candidates, President Joe Biden will be the sole Democrat on the ballot, while former President Donald Trump will be competing as a Republican candidate. The board had initially approved the candidate lists provided by the Democratic, Republican, and Libertarian parties during their meeting on December 19th. However, they reconvened on Tuesday to consider additional names before printing the ballots.

During the meeting, board officials revealed that five additional individuals had requested to join the presidential primaries but were unsuccessful. These individuals included U.S. Representative Dean Phillips, author Marianne Williamson, media personality Cenk Uygur, and Jill Stein from the Green Party. It was unclear which primary another person, Luis Lavin, had requested to run in. According to state law, parties are required to provide lists of candidates who are "generally advocated and recognized in the news media throughout the United States or in North Carolina." The law also grants the board the discretion to add more candidates if a majority believes they meet the same standard. However, none of the board members proposed adding any additional candidates.

Board members defended their decision, stating that it was appropriate to defer to the wishes of the political parties holding the primaries, as these primaries are ultimately designed to choose delegates for their respective national conventions. Stacy “Four” Eggers, one of the two Republicans on the board, acknowledged the associational rights of private political parties. The other three board members are registered Democrats.

The State Democratic Party spokesperson, Tommy Mattocks, defended the party's decision to offer only Biden as a candidate, citing the requirement for candidates to have donors in the state and actively campaign in the state to be eligible for the ballot. Mattocks explained that Phillips and Williamson had not met these criteria during this cycle. The Green Party of North Carolina also informed the board that they would not participate in the March primary but would offer a general election candidate after their nominating convention.

In addition to Trump, the state GOP presented six other candidates on its presidential ballot, including Ryan Binkley, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, and Vivek Ramaswamy. Two weeks ago, the board rejected a challenge to Trump's candidacy by a voter from Stokes County who argued that Trump's involvement in the January 6th, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol disqualified him under the 14th Amendment. The board's majority determined that they lacked the authority under state law to consider such a challenge. The voter, Brian Martin, who is a retired lawyer and served in Republican U.S. presidential administrations, has since appealed the board's decision to Wake County Superior Court, requesting swift action as absentee ballots will be mailed to requesters in less than three weeks.

The Libertarian Party will have 10 names on its North Carolina presidential primary ballots. In addition to the listed candidates, voters in the presidential primaries will also have the option to cast a “No Preference” vote. The No Labels Party, an official political party in North Carolina, will also have the opportunity to offer a presidential ticket for the general election.