Tricia Cotham is now an NC Republican. How political party changes work
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North Carolina Rep. Tricia Cotham announced her switch to the Republican Party, giving the GOP a supermajority in the House.
Cotham represents House District 112, which covers the eastern tip of Mecklenburg County, including parts of east Charlotte and Mint Hill.
Cotham’s voter registration on Wednesday remained with the Democratic Party, and the Mecklenburg County Board of Election said it had no pending requests to change her affiliation, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Despite the public outcry from Democrats, there aren’t any restrictions that prevent elected officials from switching parties, according to Mecklenburg County Board of Elections spokesperson Kristin Mavromatis.
“Anyone, if they make that change to their voter registration, has to make that change through their home county,” Mavromatis told the Observer.
How to change party affiliation
Voters and elected officials can update their party affiliations online at payments.ncdot.gov.
Those with voter cards can fill out the form on the back and deliver or mail them to the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections. Updated voter cards can take up to four weeks to process.
Voter registration applications can also be mailed or delivered to the N.C. State Board of Elections office.
Party affiliations cannot be changed during early voting in primary elections, but they can be updated during general elections, according to the N.C. State Board of Elections.
How many North Carolinians have switched parties?
Nearly 25,000 voters in North Carolina switched their party affiliationssince 2018 , according to the most recent data available from the state board of elections.
During that time period, 2,350 registered Democrats became Republicans, and 835 voters flipped from Republican to Democrat.
More than 41,000 voters in N.C. changed their affiliations last year from January-July, prior to the 2022 elections, The Carolina Journal reported.
