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North Carolina ballot · Nov. 3, 2026Checked Oct. 20, 2026

3 statewide measures on the ballot.

Three statewide questions are on North Carolina's Nov. 3, 2026 ballot, all constitutional amendments referred by the General Assembly: photo ID for all voters (S.L. 2024-58, ratified Dec. 13, 2024), a 3.5% cap on the state income tax rate (S.L. 2026-4) and a required limit on local property tax levy increases (S.L. 2026-5), both ratified May 21, 2026. The State Board of Elections' statewide referendum list for the election (generated Sept. 2, 2026) shows these three and no others, in this order. Each passes with a majority of the votes cast on it. North Carolina has no citizen initiative; amendments reach the ballot only through the legislature. The ballot questions and the one-sentence explanations below are official text; the summaries are ours.

S.L. 2024-58 (Senate Bill 921) · Legislatively referred constitutional amendment (amends Article VI, Sections 2(4) and 3 of the N.C. Constitution)

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT - REQUIRE PHOTO ID FOR VOTING

The amendment would rewrite the voter ID clauses in Article VI of the state constitution, which now cover people voting in person, so that every voter, including those voting by mail, must show photo identification before voting. As under the current clauses, the General Assembly would set the details of the requirement by law and could allow exceptions.

Passes with: simple majority of the votes cast on the question (the session law: the amendment takes effect if 'a majority of votes cast on the question are in favor').

Official ballot summary (the state’s text)

[ ] FOR [ ] AGAINST Constitutional amendment to require all voters, not just those presenting to vote in person, to present photo identification before voting. Official summary explanation (Legislative Services Officer, adopted Aug. 20, 2026): This amendment to the North Carolina Constitution would require presentation of photographic identification for voters in all instances in North Carolina elections.

Committees for and against: not yet checked.

Sources: North Carolina State Board of Elections, Referendum Choices List Grouped by Referendum, Nov. 3, 2026, state view (generated Sept. 2, 2026; saved: raw/ncsbe-statewide-referendums-20261103-2026-10-20.pdf); Full text.

S.L. 2026-4 (Senate Bill 1080) · Legislatively referred constitutional amendment (amends Article V, Section 2(6) of the N.C. Constitution)

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT - MAXIMUM INCOME TAX RATE OF 3.5%

The amendment would lower the ceiling the state constitution puts on North Carolina's income tax rate from 7% to 3.5%, starting with taxable years that begin on or after Jan. 1, 2027; the General Assembly's staff summary says the cap would apply to both personal and corporate income. The constitution's existing requirement that personal exemptions and deductions be allowed, so that only net income is taxed, would stay.

Passes with: simple majority of the votes cast on the question (the session law: the amendment takes effect if 'a majority of votes cast on the question are in favor').

Official ballot summary (the state’s text)

[ ] FOR [ ] AGAINST Constitutional amendment to keep the State income tax rate from being raised higher than three and one-half percent (3.5%). Official summary explanation (Legislative Services Officer, adopted Aug. 20, 2026): This amendment to the North Carolina Constitution would lower the State income tax rate from a maximum of 7% to a maximum of 3.5% beginning January 1, 2027.

Committees for and against: not yet checked.

Sources: North Carolina State Board of Elections, Referendum Choices List Grouped by Referendum, Nov. 3, 2026, state view (generated Sept. 2, 2026; saved: raw/ncsbe-statewide-referendums-20261103-2026-10-20.pdf); Full text.

S.L. 2026-5 (House Bill 1089) · Legislatively referred constitutional amendment (amends Article V, Section 2(5) of the N.C. Constitution)

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT - PROPERTY TAX LEVY LIMIT

The amendment would direct the General Assembly to pass general laws capping how much the property taxes levied by counties, cities and other local governments may increase, and those laws could include exceptions. The amendment does not itself set a limit; the size of any cap and its exceptions would be decided later by statute.

Passes with: simple majority of the votes cast on the question (the session law: the amendment takes effect if 'a majority of votes cast on the question are in favor').

Official ballot summary (the state’s text)

[ ] FOR [ ] AGAINST Constitutional amendment requiring limits on property tax increases by local governments. Official summary explanation (Legislative Services Officer, adopted Aug. 20, 2026): This amendment to the North Carolina Constitution would require the General Assembly to set limits on property tax increases by local governments.

Committees for and against: not yet checked.

Sources: North Carolina State Board of Elections, Referendum Choices List Grouped by Referendum, Nov. 3, 2026, state view (generated Sept. 2, 2026; saved: raw/ncsbe-statewide-referendums-20261103-2026-10-20.pdf); Full text.

What is not here yet

  • The Legislative Services Officer's summary explanation was read from the copy a county board of elections posted (the statute has the Secretary of State send it to every county board); the original release was not found on ncleg.gov or sosnc.gov (the Secretary of State's page on the Legislative Services Officer, saved, describes the duty but does not post the 2026 text).
  • Committees for and against: the State Board's lookup cannot list referendum committees by measure; name searches found none for these amendments. Not yet checked against organizational reports.
  • Court challenges: none found in a web search; court dockets were not searched. Not yet checked.
  • No official fiscal note is printed for the ballot; any fiscal note prepared for the bills during the session was not pulled.

Gaps in the ballot records as of the date checked.