ASNC continues its series of articles on elections and voting in North Carolina. ASNC encourages you to understand when and how you can exercise your right to vote.
The North Carolina Primary election will be held on March 3. Primaries determine which candidates will run from various parties in the general election, for both state and national offices.Ā North Carolina has āsemi-closedā primaries. If you are registered with a specific political party, you will vote with that partisan ballot, closed from other parties. Unaffiliated voters can vote for one registered partyās ballot.
The general election in November will elect a president, members of Congress, statewide officials including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, auditor, superintendent of public instruction, members of the NC General Assembly, and judges for the State Supreme Court and appellate courts. All of these elected officials and more have influence on issues related to autism, disabilities, education, health and human services, and rights.
How do I register to vote and when is the deadline?
The registration deadline is 25 days before each election: Feb. 7 for the primary and Oct. 9 for the general election.
To vote, you must be a citizen, at least 18 years of age, live in the county where you register, and reside there for 30 days before the date of the election. People with felony convictions must have completed their sentence, including probation or parole, before registering.
To register, you just need to fill out a voter registration form and mail it to the board of elections office in your county. (Find the address for your county online.) You can download a registration form from the NC State Board of Elections (SBOE) website or pick up a printed form at local county boards of election or sites in your community, including libraries, high schools, college admissions offices, the DMV, public assistance agencies, disability services offices, and employment assistance offices.
To update your registration, use the same form and mail it to your current county board of elections. If you have moved or are planning to move during the election year, please see the SBOE website for special instructions regarding relocations, moves, and residency requirements.
For the registration to be valid, it must be received by your county board of elections 25 days before the election (for the primary, by Feb. 7 ). If it is received after the deadline, the application should still be accepted if it was mailed and is postmarked on or before the registration deadline.
Can I register and vote the same day?
ONLY at one-stop early voting sites. To do so, you must attest to your eligibility by filling out the forms and also provide proof of residence such as your driverās license with current address, an ID with address, utility bill, bank statement, etc. Please see the SBOE website for a full list of acceptable documents to prove residency.
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Do I need identification to vote?
- Not at this time. You will not need photo identification to vote in the primary election in March. Please disregard previous information we published prior to the injunction at the end of December 2019 that stopped the implementation of voter ID. There is no photo ID needed to vote at this time.
For more information on voting, please see the State Board of Elections website.
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