General Counsel Manual
Secretary of State and the Electoral College
The Secretary of State and the Electoral College page has the three box links:
- What the Secretary of State Does
- What the Secretary of State Does Not Do
- How the Process Works in North Carolina
What the Secretary of State Does
The North Carolina Secretary of State has the following duties related to the Electoral College and the election for United States President and Vice President:
- NC SOS provides notice about the legal requirements for electors.
An Elector is an elected public office in North Carolina. The U.S. Constitution, North Carolina Constitution, and North Carolina laws include some limits on holding two public offices at once (called dual office-holding). A violation could mean losing one of the offices. Those limits may apply to electors. Therefore, State law requires us to provide notice about the legal requirements that may limit a person from holding two offices at once.
- We provide the notice to: The political parties, and unaffiliated candidates that qualify to have their names on the ballot for President of the United States.
- The political parties and unaffiliated candidates file names of elector candidates with NC SOS.
- NC SOS notifies elector candidates about legal requirements in regards to holding two simultaneous offices.
- State Board of Elections certifies election results and delivers certifications to NC SOS.
- NC SOS notifies the Governor of the names elected to the office of elector for President and Vice President of the United States.
- NC SOS plans and schedules the North Carolina Electoral College meeting.
- Electors meet and give NCS OS two copies of their Certificate of Vote for public records.
What the Secretary of State Does Not Do
This page explains what the Secretary of State does not do in regards to the Electoral College and election.
The Secretary of State does not do the following:
- Decide when elections take place. The North Carolina Constitution and North Carolina General Statutes and the U.S. Constitution and U.S. Code say when elections take place.