Voting Guide 2024 North Carolina
Election Day
Tuesday November 5
Registration Deadline
October 11 at 5pm (online, in person, postmarked by mail)
Same-Day Registration
YES, but only during Early Voting Period.
Automatic Voter Registration
NO
Election Day Registration
NO
Same-Day Registration
Only during Early Voting period.
How to Register to Vote
Register online via NC DMV or Vote411 or Federal Registration Form or Paper/PDF registration form. Check your registration status here.
Registration for 17 Year Olds & Pre-Registration
YES
To be eligible to vote, you must be at least 18 years old or turning 18 by the date of the next general election. 17-year-olds may vote in a primary election if they will be 18 at the time of the general election. 17-year olds otherwise qualified to vote should register to vote with the regular voter registration form or online.
For pre-registration, people at least 16 years old who will not be 18 years old by the date of the next election, as long as otherwise qualified, may pre-register to vote. When you pre-register to vote, you will be automatically registered to vote when you reach the age of eligibility. See, G.S. §163-82.7.
Early Voting
YES. Early Voting Info
Early Voting Dates
October 17 at 8am - Saturday November 2 at 3pm
Early Voting Drop Boxes
NO
Early Voting Locations
Absentee Ballot Request
NO EXCUSE NEEDED. Include copy of Photo ID. Absentee Ballot Portal and Absentee Ballot Info Request via online or paper application.*
Permanent Absentee Voting
NO. However, there is an option to apply to vote absentee for all elections in current year if experiencing continued or expected illness or disability.
Absentee Ballot Application Deadline
October 29 at 5pm (received). Submit PDF application by mail (via the U.S. Postal Service, DHL, FedEx, or UPS) or in person to voter’s County Board of Elections Offices Lookup or List of County Boards of Elections on Absentee Application.
Absentee Ballot Return
Deadline: Election Day at 7:30pm (received)*.
How to Vote Absentee Ballot
Mark your ballot. See detailed instructions.
Must be witnessed by (2) witnesses or notary! Include copy of Photo ID! Add postage ($1.77).
Voter and witnesses sign envelope which goes into a second envelope (return envelope). More info. If you decide to vote in person instead of absentee, you may vote in person during Early Voting or on Election Day (and discard absentee ballot).*
Sample Ballots
Use Voter Search to view sample ballot for in-person voting. Available no later than September 6.
Election Day Vote In Person
November 5, 6:30am-7:30pm
Election Day Polling Places
Look Up Polling Place or use Voter Search.
How to Vote Election Day
Overview of Election Day Voting
When you check in with the poll worker at your polling location, they will check your photo ID (unless you fill out an exception form). Your photo should reasonably resemble you and your name should be the same or very similar to the one in the voter rolls.
Polling Place Electioneering
BUFFER ZONE: Varies by county, but always between 25 and 50 feet of entrance to polling place.
PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES: Having campaign materials/signs/banners/literature; influencing voters/soliciting votes/political persuasion; voter intimidation/interfering with voter; obstructing entrance/hindering voter; other activities that include broad ban on "election-related activity.”**
See also, NCSL Electioneering Prohibitions.
Press Access to Polling Place
Reporters not permitted to conduct interviews inside buffer zone around polling place, but NC Election Official Manual recommends reporters get permission from person in charge of polling place before entering buffer zone. § 163-166.4.2
Poll Worker Info
To be poll worker: be at least 18 years of age, political affiliation generally required, you must be a resident of state and precinct for 30 days prior to the election, and complete required training, exam, and certification. High school students 17 years of age with county residency may be appointed with consent from a parent. Compensation provided.
Photo ID
YES. NC Photo ID Info.***
IN-PERSON VOTING: Present Photo ID.
VOTE-BY-MAIL: Include photocopy of ID in pocket on outside of ballot container envelope, which is then placed in an outer return envelope.
For exception to photo ID requirement, use ID Exception Form.
Provisional Ballots
YES. See NC Provisional Voting page.****
Deadline to cure is November 14 at 5pm.
Bring proof of eligibility to vote to County Board of Elections office ((County Board of Elections Offices Lookup or List of County Boards of Elections (pages 3-4 of Absentee Ballot Application)).
Tracking
Track your absentee ballot. Track your absentee ballot at NCSBE Voter Search or at North Carolina’s Ballottrax portal.
Ballot Measures
Citizenship Requirement for Voting Amendment: Provide in the state constitution that only a citizen (rather than every citizen) of the U.S. may vote.
College Students
Out-of-State Students: If voter does not intend to return to home state after graduation OR does not yet know where they will live after graduation, voter may vote in NC while attending college in NC. Must prove NC residency. For more info, click here.
Absentee Voting: College students may vote using an absentee ballot in NC if qualified to vote in NC. Students can also opt to vote in their home state either in person or via absentee ballot if allowed there.
People with Felony Convictions
YES
Allowed to vote once sentence completed (including any probation, post-release supervision, or parole).
Restoration of right to vote is automatic, but will have to register to vote.
ONGOING LITIGATION: NC enacted a law that criminalizes voting before having felony rights restored. According to The Carolina Journal, “The challenged law — NCGS § 163-275(5) — created a Class I felony for people who vote in North Carolina’s elections without having their rights restored by law.” Law was found unconstitutional by US District Court (Judge Loretta Biggs), and the Court has enjoined enforcement of the law. This means that, at least for now, the State may not enforce the law. Stay tuned for the outcome of the State’s appeal.
Time Off to Vote
NO
Helpful Websites
NC Voter Info, Vote411 AZ, NC Voter Tools and Forms, 866OurVote NC, Military and Overseas, Help America Vote Act NC
Helpful Phone Numbers
NC State Board of Elections: (919) 814-0700 or these independent organization hotlines; Democracy NC: 888-OUR-VOTE (888-687-8683) and 866 Our Vote: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).
Photo Credit: Elijah Mears
Footnotes
* Absentee Ballots
If voter is using the paper application to vote absentee and is not yet registered to vote in NC, voter should submit their voter registration form with their application for absentee ballot.
RECENT CHANGE IN LAW: Ballots must be RECEIVED, not postmarked, by Election Day at 7:30pm.
If you received an absentee ballot but would prefer to vote in person, you may do so during Early Voting or on Election Day. If you vote in person, discard your absentee ballot and do not use it to vote.
Also note that only you or your near relative or legal guardian may mail or hand-deliver your absentee ballot. Do not give your absentee ballot to a neighbor, friend, or stranger. (Near relative: spouse, brother, sister, parent, child, stepchild, grandparent, grandchild, stepparent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, or son-in-law.)
If you made an error or omission on your absentee ballot, it might have been rejected. Check the status of your absentee ballot, and if there is a problem, take one of these steps to take to ensure that your vote counts!
Option 1: Vote at One-Stop Early Voting Site
Vote at a One Stop Early Vote Site. Go to vt.ncsbe.gov/ossite/ to look up your nearest Early Vote Site.
Option 2: Correct Your Absentee Ballot
Your County Board of Elections will be in touch with you on steps to correct your ballot (also called curing your ballot).
** Polling Place Electioneering
Buffer zones extend no more than 50 feet from a polling place door and are defined by county boards of elections and publicly disclosed at least 30 days before the election. The county board of elections must also provide an area adjacent to the buffer zone where people or groups may distribute campaign literature, place political advertising, solicit votes, or otherwise engage in election-related activity. § 163-166.4.
No person may photograph, videotape, or otherwise record the image of any voter within the voting enclosure, except with the permission of both the voter and the chief judge of the precinct. If the voter is a candidate, only the permission of the voter is required. § 163-166.3(b).
No one may record the image of a voted official ballot. § 163-166.3(c).
According to Wake County (Raleigh area, one of the more Democratic counties in NC), “A voter may enter a polling place to vote wearing political items as long as they proceed to vote in an orderly and timely manner, and do not attempt to electioneer within the voting place. A voter wearing a T-shirt that states "vote for X," shouts "vote for X," or places his T-shirt in the sight line of voters asking support for "X" is obviously electioneering and will be asked to refrain from the conduct at once and, if they continue, will be removed…. A voter who has a political cap, T-shirt or button and does not electioneer within the polling place will be allowed to vote in a normal manner. A voter wearing a political item does not violate NCGS § 163-166.4.
Whole Bird recommends not wearing t-shirts, buttons, stickers, etc. that advocate for or against a particular candidate because they may or may not be allowed – the rules are vague and up to polling workers to interpret, so better safe than risk being kicked out of your polling place (especially don’t want to risk being kicked out before you vote, this election is too important!).
*** Photo IDs
Unexpired or expired for one year or less:
NC Driver’s License
US Passport
NC DMV State ID (“non-operator ID”)
NC Voter Photo ID (from County Board of Elections)
College/University Student ID (approved by State Board of Elections)
Charter School Employee ID (approved by State Board of Elections)
State/Local Government Employee ID (approved by State Board of Elections)
Driver’s License/Non-Driver ID from another state, DC, or US territory (BUT only if registered within 90 days of election)
Regardless of whether ID contains expiration or issuance date:
Military or veteran ID card (issued by US government)
Tribal enrollment card (issued by state or federally recognized tribe)
ID card issued by US government agency or State of NC for a public assistance program
Click here (or see photo ID infographic) for how get a free photo ID for purposes of voting by going to your local County Board of Elections office (County Board of Elections Offices Lookup or List of County Boards of Elections (pages 3-4 of Absentee Ballot Application)).
ID Exception Form:
For all voters (In-Person and By-Mail (Absentee) Voters), if unable to show or include photo ID, voter may qualify to use ID Exception Form (to be presented when voting in person or included in envelope if voting by mail).
Permitted reasons to be excepted from photo ID requirement include:
Lack of transportation
Disability or illness
Lack of birth certificate or other documents needed to obtain ID
Work or school schedule or family responsibilities
Photo ID is lost, stolen, or misplaced or applied for photo ID but have not received it
(For Mail Voters Only) Unable to attach a copy of photo ID (must include driver’s license number or last four digits of Social Security number)
Other reasonable impediment (if selected, the voter must write the reason on the form)
Voter has a religious objection to being photographed.
Voter was victim of state or federal declared natural disaster within 100 days before Election Day.
If in-person voter does not have qualified photo ID and does not qualify for exemption, vote provisional ballot. Note that voter will have to present valid photo ID after election. See Provisional Ballots footnote.
The State of NC also allows student IDs in digital form to be used as Photo IDs. Republican National Committee and the NC Republican Party challenged the rule allowing this, arguing that only physical IDs may be used. On September 20, the NC trial court denied the Republican plaintiffs’ petition for a temporary restraining order, and so the rule allowing digital IDs is still in effect. Republican plaintiffs have appealed the decision, but the appellate court has not yet made a decision. See Democracy Docket for a summary and links to court docs.
**** Provisional Ballots
Provisional ballots are used to ensure that no voter is denied the opportunity to vote. The voted provisional ballot is held aside until voter proves eligibility to vote. You may be asked to vote a provisional ballot or request to vote provisionally if there are questions about:
Voter’s qualification to vote,
Voter’s eligibility to vote in a given election,
Voter’s eligibility to vote a specific ballot style, or
Voter does not present photo ID.
Deadline to “cure” ballot (prove eligibility, such as showing valid photo ID) is Thursday November 14.
Once you vote your provisional ballot you will receive a PIN number in order to check the status of your ballot. You can begin checking the status of your provisional ballot online or via phone ((919) 814-0700 or (866) 522-4723) 10 days after the election, Friday November 15.
*****College Students
Although a few states still require an excuse to use a mail absentee ballot, all states include as one of their qualified excuses simply that you will be out of county or state on election day, which would apply to most college students residing away from home. Some states specify being a college student as one of the qualified excuses, as well. See, No-Excuse Absentee Voting States and Excuse Required Absentee Voting States.
Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community. Fair Elections Center – North Carolina
Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.
More info at Fair Elections Center and Fair Elections Center State Voting Guides. See Vote411, your home state or county election website, or another voter info site for your state’s rules.