North Carolina’s first statewide ballot measure appeared in 1835. Since then, North Carolina voters have decided on 202 ballot measures placed on the ballot by the North Carolina State Legislature and constitutional conventions.

A total of 147 measures were approved (72.8%) and 55 measures were defeated (27.2%).

Constitutional amendments referred to the ballot by the state legislature are the most common type of measure to appear on the ballot. A total of 153 constitutional amendments have been on the ballot in North Carolina. Voters approved 114 (75%) and rejected 39 (25%) of the amendments.

North Carolina requires a 60% vote in each legislative chamber during a single legislative session to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 72 votes in the North Carolina House of Representatives and 30 votes in the North Carolina Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor’s signature to be referred to the ballot.

Voters have also decided on 38 bond issues, five constitutional convention referrals, four constitutional convention questions, one legislatively referred state statute, and one advisory question.

North Carolina adopted its first constitution in 1776 and became the 12th state in 1789 after ratifying the U.S. Constitution. Voters approved the state’s first ballot measure in 1835 calling for a constitutional convention, resulting in the state’s second constitution being adopted later the same year. The second constitution eliminated suffrage for free Black residents, made the governor an elected position with a two-year term, equalized the capitation tax on slaves and free white males, and provided methods for amending the constitution.

Reconstruction and post-Civil War era ballot measures

During the Reconstruction Era after the U.S. Civil War, North Carolina voters approved two constitutional amendments in 1865.

• The first declared that “slavery and involuntary servitude, otherwise than for crimes, whereof the parties shall have been duly convicted, shall be, and is hereby forever prohibited in this State.”
• The second repealed and nullified the state’s May 20, 1861, ordinance of secession, stating that it was “now, and at all times hath been, null and void,” and reaffirmed that North Carolina’s ratification of the U.S. Constitution on November 21, 1789, “is now, and at all times since the adoption and ratification thereof… in full force and effect.”

Voters rejected a proposed constitution in 1866, but approved a constitutional convention question in 1867 and a new constitution in 1868.

In 1876, a constitutional convention referred a single ballot measure to the ballot that included 30 constitutional amendments, including amendments to prohibit interracial marriages; require school segregation between “children of the white race and children of the colored race;” remove the right to vote for persons convicted of felonies or infamous crimes; reduce the Supreme Court from five to three justices; prohibit secret political societies; and establish a Department of Agriculture.

In 1880, voters approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting the General Assembly from assuming, paying, or taxing citizens to cover debts or bonds issued by the 1868 convention or the 1868–1870 legislature. The 1868 convention was a direct result of the Congressional Reconstruction Acts of 1867.

Early 20th century voting-related amendments

In 1900, voters approved a constitutional amendment requiring individuals to “read and write any section of the Constitution in English” to register to vote and imposing a poll tax as a voting requirement. Males eligible to vote on January 1, 1867, or whose direct ancestors were eligible that year, were exempted from the requirements.

Voters repealed the poll tax as a voting requirement in 1920.

In 1970, voters rejected a proposal to repeal the literacy requirement, which the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 had rendered inoperative. The provision remains in the state constitution as Section 4 of Article VI.

Education-related ballot measures

In 1956, voters approved a constitutional amendment as part of the Pearsall Plan. The constitutional amendment allowed for education expense grants using public funds for a child’s private nonsectarian education when (a) no public school is available or (b) the child is assigned to a racially integrated public school against the parent’s wishes. The amendment also provided that voters can decide on local ballot measures to suspend the operation of public schools. In 1966, a three-judge federal district court panel held the state amendment violated the federal constitution, writing, “The school boards of this state may not escape the obligation to comply with the mandate of Brown vs. Board of Education.”

Governor’s powers and elections

In 1977, voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing the governor and lieutenant governor to serve a second consecutive term in office. Previously, they were limited to nonconsecutive terms. In 1986, voters rejected a constitutional amendment to move elections from even-numbered to odd-numbered years for governor, lieutenant governor, state legislators, and other state and local officers.

North Carolina was the last state to provide the governor with veto powers, with the approval of a constitutional amendment in 1996.

The most recent measure on the ballot in North Carolina appeared on the ballot in 2024. The measure, approved with 78% of voters in favor, amended the state constitution to provide that only U.S. citizens who are 18 years old or older can vote in elections.

The average number of measures per decade was between 10 and 11, and the average rate of measures approved per decade was 82%. The decade with the most ballot measures was the 1970s, which featured 28 ballot measures, of which 89% were approved. There were seven decades where ballot measures had a 100% approval rate. The decade with the lowest approval rating was the 1910s. The decade featured 16 ballot measures—six (37.5%) were approved and 10 (62.5%) were defeated.

The inventory of North Carolina statewide ballot measures is part of Ballotpedia’s Historical Ballot Measure Factbook, which will document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the United States. This ongoing research effort will provide an unparalleled resource for researchers, reporters, and the voting public on how ballot measures have evolved, the issues they’ve covered, and the role they have played in our civic life.