Upcoming Elections
2010 Primary Election: 5/4/10
2010 General Election: 11/2/10
Polling Place Hours: 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Voter Registration Information
Click here for a North Carolina Voter Registration Guide created by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and its pro bono law firm partners.
Registration Deadlines
If submitted in person, the registration application must be received no earlier than 5:00 P.M. on the twenty-fifth day before the election. If a person becomes qualified to vote between the twenty-fifth day before an election and election day, then that person may register to vote on election day by submitting a registration application to a member of the county board of elections, the county director of elections, or a judge (including the chief judge) of the precinct in which the person is eligible to vote.
Deadline for 2010 General Election: 10/08/10
Please note:
North Carolina has "one-stop voting." One-stop voting is a process whereby registered voters may vote early, or non-registered individuals may both register and vote.
The one-stop voting period begins in most places on the third Thursday before an election and ends the Saturday prior to the election. For the 2010 General Election, the one-stop voting period is October 14 to October 30, 2010.
Identification Required for Registration
On the registration application, the voter must provide their driver's license number or, if the applicant does not have a driver's license number, the last four digits of the applicant's social security number.
If the voter is registering by mail and cannot provide their driver's license number or last four digits of their social security number, the voter must submit a copy of one of the following forms of identification with the application. If the voter does not provide this information, they will be required to provide one of these forms of identification to an election official when they vote for the first time:
- A current and valid photo identification
- A current utility bill, or bank statement, government check or paycheck, or a government document that shows the voter's name and address as it appears on the registration application.
How to Check Registration
Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE
Visiti the North Carolina State Board of Elections Voter Lookup webpage
Voting Information
Identification Required to Vote
There are no identification requirements to vote in North Carolina for voters who registered in person. If the voter cannot provide either a driver's license or a social security number, the State Board of Elections will assign a unique voter identification number.
However, voters who registered to vote by mail, or through a voter registration drive, on or after January 1, 2003, and who have not previously voted in an election that includes a ballot item for federal office are required to present: (i) a current and valid photo identification; or (ii) a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other document that shows the name and address of the voter (unless the voter provided copies of identification documents with mail-in registration forms). If the voter does not present one of these forms of identification at the polling place, that person can vote by casting a provisional ballot.
How to Find Your Polling Place
Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE
Visit the North Carolina Board of Elections Polling Place Locator webpage
Absentee Voting
Click here to visit GoVoteAbsentee.org, a resource for absentee voters.
For absentee voting, any registered North Carolina voter can request an absentee ballot from his or her county board of elections prior to the last Tuesday before the election.
The county boards of elections will not mail or issue applications or ballots to the voter earlier than 50 days before the election; a voter may, however, request an application more than 50 days before the election.
The voted ballot must be received in the county board of elections office by 5:00 p.m. on the day before the election in order to be counted.
If a voter expects to be unable go to the voting place to vote in person on election day because of that voter's sickness or other physical disability, that voter or that voter's near relative or verifiable legal guardian may make a written request in person for absentee ballots to the board of elections of the county in which the voter is registered after 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election but not later than 5:00 p.m. on the day before the election.
Early Voting
North Carolina has "one-stop voting." One-stop voting is a process whereby registered voters may vote early, or non-registered individuals may both register and vote.
The one-stop voting period begins in most places on the third Thursday before an election and ends the Saturday prior to the election. For the 2010 General Election, the one-stop voting period is October 14 to October 30, 2010.
To use this process, a new registrant must:
- Go to a one-stop voting site in his or her county of residence during the one-stop voting period,
- Fill out a voter registration application,
- Provide proof of residency by showing the elections official an appropriate form of identification with the citizen's current name and current address.
The new registrant may vote only at a one-stop voting site in the county of registration during one-stop voting period and not on Election Day.
North Carolina voters are able to vote by one-stop at all county board of elections offices during regular office hours. Some county boards of elections offer additional one-stop sites within the county.
To determine when your polling place will open for early voting, please visit the North Carolina Board of Elections website.
Information For People who have Moved or Changed Addresses
If the voter has moved more than 30 days prior to the election they will need to be registered and may only vote at their new polling place. If the voter has moved fewer than 30 days prior to the election, you are still qualified to vote in your prior polling place and may vote only there.
Information for People with Felony Convictions
Voting rights restored upon completion of sentence, including prison, parole and probation. However, a voter must re-register in order to be put back on the voting rolls.
For more information, go to the North Carolina State Board of Elections website, or click here to download a North Carolina Election Protection Manual created by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and its pro bono law firm partners.
