The deadline for eligible Beaufort County residents to register to vote in the May 8 primaries is 5 p.m. Friday.

They may register to vote at the Beaufort County Board of Elections, 1308 Highland Drive, Suite 104, Washington. The board’s offices are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

The Bipartisan State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement is distributing new voter-registration application forms that include the option of registering with the North Carolina Green Party. The new registration form may be downloaded through the board’s website — www.ncsbe.gov.

Eligible individuals who do not meet the deadline may register and vote on the same day during the one-stop, early voting period, which runs from April 19 to May 5. They will be required to provide documentation of their identities and residences. Voters who wish to change party affiliation or who have changed names or addresses must do so by the registration deadline.

Under state law, the regular registration deadline is 25 days before Election Day or a primary. To be effective for the May 8 primary, the registration application must be received by the applicant’s county board of elections or postmarked on or before Friday.

Last month, the board unanimously voted to recognize the Green Party as an official political party in North Carolina. The new registration form allows voters to register with the Democratic, Green, Libertarian or Republican parties. Voters can also register as unaffiliated with any party.

The Green Party does not have a traditional primary this year to determine its nominees for elected office. It will conduct a convention to determine its nominees.

On weekdays during the early voting period, voters may mark ballots from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the board’s offices and at satellite polls in Aurora, Belhaven and Chocowinity. On May 5, a Saturday, early voting begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m. at the board’s offices and satellite sites.

On March 19, absentee ballots for the May 8 primaries started being mailed. Requests for an absentee ballot must be made on an absentee request form and received in the Beaufort County Board of Elections offices or any early voting site by 5 p.m. May 1. The absentee voting process requires the voter to complete an application on the return envelope that must be witnessed by two qualified persons or a notary public. Completed absentee ballots must be returned to the Beaufort County Board of Elections 5 p.m. election Day (ballots received by mail after this time will be accepted if received within three business days and postmarked by Election Day).