How to vote by mail or vote early in North Carolina
How to vote by mail or vote early in North Carolina
Any North Carolina registered voter qualified to vote in an election may request and receive a mail-in absentee ballot for any election in which absentee voting is allowed. All registered voters may request an absentee ballot for the November 2020 general election. No special circumstance or reason is needed to receive and vote a mail-in absentee ballot.
Check your North Carolina voter registration here: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/
To register to vote in North Carolina, visit this website: https://www.ncsbe.gov/Voters/Registering-to-Vote
VOTING BY MAIL
Step 1: Apply for your absentee ballot
1. Complete, print, and sign (by hand, no digital signatures!) this form: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Forms/NCAbsenteeBallotRequestForm.pdf
2. Return the absentee ballot request form to your local county board, which can be found on the second page of the absentee ballot request form, or at https://vt.ncsbe.gov/BOEInfo/
3. If you are already registered to vote, your absentee ballot must be received (not just postmarked) by your county board of elections by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, October 27th.
4. If you are NOT already registered to vote, you can submit a request for an absentee ballot along with your voter registration. It must be received by your county board of elections by 5:00 PM on Friday, October 9th.
Once you've completed your North Carolina mail-in ballot request form, you have 4 options for returning it to your county board’s office:
Mail it
Fax it
Drop it off in person
Have a verifiable close relative or legal guardian drop it off for you
You can find your county board’s address, fax number, and office location by selecting your county in the dropdown menu here: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/BOEInfo/
Step 2: Vote and return your ballot
Once you receive your absentee ballot, follow the instructions that your county elections official provides with your ballot carefully to make sure it will be counted.
Note: For the November 2020 general election only, only one witness is required for an absentee ballot.
In the presence of a witness, the voter should mark the ballot. If the voter is unable to mark the ballot, the witness may mark it according to the voter’s instructions.
A witness should not observe so closely that they are able to see what votes the voter marked. What is required is that the witness sees the that the voter is voting the ballot.
After observing the voter marking the ballot, the voter's one witness for the November 2020 general election must complete and sign the envelope in the space designated as Witnesses' Certification.
A notary public can be used as a witness. Notary publics may not charge a fee for witnessing an absentee ballot. If a voter used the services of a Notary Public as a sole witness, the notary will sign the Notary-Witness Certification.
Any person who assisted the voter must sign and date the certificate in the proper place on the envelope.
Witnesses and assistants must NOT be:
A person who is under 18
An individual who is a candidate for nomination or election to such office, unless the voter is the candidate’s near relative
Additionally, if the voter is a patient or resident of a hospital, clinic, nursing home, or rest home, the following people are also prohibited from serving as a witness on the absentee ballot:
An owner, manager, director, employee of the hospital, clinic, nursing home, or rest home in which the voter is a patient or resident
An individual who holds any elective office under the United States, this State, or any political subdivision of this State
An individual who holds any office in a State, congressional district, county, or precinct political party or organization, or who is a campaign manager or treasurer for any candidate or political party; provided that a delegate to a convention shall not be considered a party office.
You have 3 options for returning your North Carolina absentee ballot:
Mail it to your county board’s office. You can find your county board’s office location by selecting your county in the dropdown menu here: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/BOEInfo/
Return your ballot in person (or have a qualified relative or assistant return it for you) to your county board’s office. You can find your county board’s office location by selecting your county in the dropdown menu here: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/BOEInfo/
Return it to an open early voting site during the early voting period. (See below for more details on early voting!)
Absentee ballots must be RECEIVED (not just postmarked) by 5:00 PM on November 3rd.
Early voting
Early voting begins in North Carolina on October 15th, and ends on October 31st.
For early voting in North Carolina, you can vote at any One-Stop Voting Site in your county. Once early voting begins, you can find your One-Stop Voting Sites here: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/ossite/.
At a One-Stop Voting Site, you may also:
Drop off your completed, signed, and witnessed absentee ballot
Vote and register on the same day
You do NOT need a photo ID to vote in North Carolina, but you may need ID to register and vote on the same day. For more information on One-Stop Voting Sites and same day registration, visit https://www.ncsbe.gov/Voting-Options/One-Stop-Early-Voting
For more information on voting in general, visit https://www.ncsbe.gov/index.html
