An Update from the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service
Fewer than one in ten North Carolinians say they are "very familiar" with their state constitution, while one in five admit they are "not at all familiar" with it. Another third report having heard of the document but knowing little about its contents. Taken together, a majority—54 percent—demonstrate minimal or no familiarity with the constitution.
“With a majority of North Carolinians having no real knowledge of their own state constitution, it underscores a significant gap in civic education when it comes to the state’s governing document and principles,” said Dr. Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history at Catawba College and director of the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service, which paid for the survey. This is the third of three releases on public opinion regarding constitutionalism.
“Despite this lack of familiarity, however, substantial numbers said they would support amending the state’s governing document to include a variety of issues, ranging from term limits for state officials to protecting LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination,” Bitzer said.
Conducted online by YouGov between August 11 and 18, 2025, the survey interviewed 1,194 respondents who live in North Carolina, who were then matched down to a representative sample of 1,000 adults who are 18 and older. The survey’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.83 percent, meaning that in 95 out of 100 samples such as the one used here, the results should be at most 3.83 percentage points above or below the figure obtained by interviewing all North Carolinians. Where the results of subgroups are reported, the margin of error is higher. Since additional factors such as question wording and other methodological choices in conducting survey research can introduce additional errors into the findings, survey results should be viewed as informative and not determinative.
When asked which branch of state government is strongest, 47 percent believe all three branches are equal in power, suggesting close to a majority of North Carolinians view their government as balanced. Among those who see one branch as dominant, a quarter point to the legislature, 19 percent to the executive branch, and only nine percent to the courts.
“Since the American revolution, the traditional view of North Carolina state government has been one where ‘legislative supremacy’ reigns among the three branches,” Bitzer noted.
Seven out of ten North Carolinians support maintaining the state’s current two-stage constitutional amendment process, which requires a three-fifths supermajority in both legislative chambers followed by a statewide referendum. This represents rare bipartisan consensus in today's political climate, with only 12 percent opposing the current system.
Yet despite supporting the current amendment process, 55 percent of respondents favor allowing voter-led constitutional amendments that would bypass the state legislature entirely – a process currently not permitted in North Carolina. Only 23 percent oppose such voter-initiated amendments.
SUPPORT EXISTS FOR STATE LEGISLATIVE TERM LIMITS, PHOTO ID FOR MAIL-IN VOTING, CLEAN AIR & WATER, AND FAIR MAPS
With a constitutional amendment proposed for consideration in November 2026’s general election that would require photo identification when voting by mail, two-thirds of North Carolinians indicated they would support the measure, while 22 percent would oppose and 11 percent were not sure.
The survey also asked about a variety of potential changes to the state constitution:
- Eight out ten respondents would support a constitutional amendment imposing term limits on state legislators, with 8 percent opposing such a change.
- Nearly three-quarters of North Carolinians would support a constitutional amendment to include stronger environment protections for clean air and water, while 14 percent would oppose.
- Majorities of North Carolinians would support measures to ban partisan gerrymandering in redistricting: 60 percent support removing the use of partisan information in redrawing legislative lines; 57 percent would support interpreting the state constitution’s “All elections shall be free” to exclude partisan information; and 54 percent would support an independent redistricting commission where the General Assembly would establish a process but have no role in the drawing of districts.
- A slight majority—52 percent—would support an amendment “explicitly protecting LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination,” with three out of ten opposed.
- North Carolina’s constitution contains a literacy test, a provision that has been outlawed since the 1965 federal Voting Rights Act. When asked about removing the provision, 44 percent would support, while 42 would oppose.
Two other questions asked of North Carolinians involved the legislative and executive branches of government. When informed of the current salary of $13,951 for members of the state house and senate, a plurality—42 percent—said they would support an increase for state legislators, while 37 percent were opposed and two out of ten were not sure.
With one of the longest state executive ballots in the nation, North Carolinians were asked if they would support or oppose changing the process of electing ten separate state executive officials so that only a governor was elected and appoint the other executive officers. A majority—53 percent—said to keep the ‘long ballot’ of electing ten executive officers, while only 29 percent said they would support electing a governor who could then appoint the other state executives.
SIGNIFICANT PARTISAN DIFFERENCES EXIST ON A VARIETY OF POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS
Much like national dynamics, several policy issues generated strong partisan differences among North Carolinians:
- A 46-point gap exists regarding protection for LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination between Democrats (three-quarters of whom support) and Republicans (only 28 percent support, with 54 percent oppose)
- Requiring photo identification for voting by mail generated a 39-point partisan gap (Republicans’ support at 91 percent compared to 52 percent among Democrats)
- A 35-point gap exists over stronger environmental protections (Democrats at 89 percent versus Republicans at 54 percent)
- Interpreting the “All elections shall be free” clause as a ban on partisan gerrymandering generated a thirty-point partisan gap in support (Democrats at 73 percent compared to 43 percent by Republicans)
- A twenty-eight point difference exists between Democrats (at 56 percent support) and Republicans (at 28 percent support, with 62 percent opposed) regarding the removal of the state’s literacy test from the constitution.
