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RALEIGH — The Constitution Party and the Green Party are no longer recognized political parties in North Carolina, the State Board of Elections announced Wednesday.

According to the SBE, both parties failed to turn out the required 2% of the total vote for their candidate for governor or for presidential electors in the 2020 general election. Voters who register or update their registrations will no longer be able to affiliate with either party. Next month, the board will meet to decide when to change the affiliation of voters registered with the Constitution and Green parties to unaffiliated status. The change can’t be made until at least 90 days after the general election.

The Constitution Party of North Carolina was first recognized as a political party in 2018, and the Green Party was first recognized in March 2018. Neither had a considerable presence in Beaufort County; as of Jan. 23, 21 county voters were affiliated with the Constitution Party, while 16 were affiliated with the Green Party. Combined, about .1% of Beaufort County’s registered voters were affiliated with those parties.

In the 2020 general election, Don Blankenship, the Constitution Party’s candidate for president, received 37 votes (.14%) in Beaufort County. Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins received 30 votes (.11%).  Al Pisano, the Constitution Party’s candidate in the gubernatorial election, received 79 votes (.30%) in Beaufort County.

Statewide, the Constitution Party had approximately 4,600 members and the Green party had about 3,600 members as of the 2020 election.

The Libertarian Party, which has 110 members in Beaufort County, has requested to continue as a recognized political party because its candidate for president, Jo Jorgensen, was on the ballot in 35 states, meeting the 70% threshold required by law. About 45,000 North Carolina voters are registered Libertarians.