North Carolina

Election Day:

All Polling Places are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (ET).  Anyone in line at the polling place by 7:30 p.m. is permitted to vote.

Early Voting: 

For the Municipal Elections, not all municipalities offer in-person early voting and absentee-by-mail voting. To determine whether early in person voting or absentee voting by mail is available in your municipality, visit https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/upcoming-election/local-voter-tool 

Information on early voting can be found here: https://www.ncsbe.gov/Voting-Options/One-Stop-Early-Voting.  

Have questions or need more information?  Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683)!

Election Day polling places can be determined by checking the North Carolina Board of Elections website: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/PPLkup/.

Voters must vote at their assignment polling place on Election Day.

Registration Deadlines

• For registration deadlines, see How to Register below.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in North Carolina if you:

• Are a U.S citizen
• Are a resident of North Carolina
• Live in the precinct where you vote for at least 30 days prior to the election
• at 17 years of age and provided you will be 18 by the next general election.

You are NOT eligible to vote in North Carolina if:

• You are registered to vote in another state
• You are in prison or jail for a felony conviction
• You were disqualified from voting due to a court order

Restorative Requirements

• If you have completed a felony prison sentence, even if you are still on parole or probation, then you are immediately eligible to register to vote.

How to register 

Eligibility

To register to vote in North Carolina, you must: 

• (1) Be a U.S. citizen;
• (2) Live in the county where the voter is registering, and have resided in the precinct within that county for which the voter is registering for at least 30 days prior to the date of the election; 
• (3) Be at least 18 years old, or will be by the date of the general election; and
• (4) Not be in jail or prison for a felony conviction. 

Note: If the voter is not in prison or jail for a felony conviction, they may register to vote and vote.

Registration Status

Voters can check their registration status here: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/. 

How to Register

Voters have 4 options for registering to vote: 

• (1) Online: https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/offices-services/online/Pages/voter-registration-application.aspx 
• (2) By Mail: Voters may download a voter registration application online from the Board of Elections’ website, print it on paper, and then fill it out and submit it by mail. 
  • English PDF Version: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Voter_Registration/NCVoterRegForm_06W.pdf.
  • Spanish PDF Version: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Voter_Registration/NCVoterRegForm_09W.pdf.
• (3) In Person: Voters can register in person at their local county board of elections, through any organized voter registration drive, or to a “voter registration agency” (which includes the DMV, a number of public assistance agencies, etc.). 

(4) Same Day: If the voter misses the regular voter registration deadline, they may register and vote at the same time at any one-stop early-voting site in their county during the early voting period. Sites and hours for one-stop early-voting sites vary and are available at https://vt.ncsbe.gov/ossite/ or by calling the voter’s county board of elections office.

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail
• Online

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

No Excuse to Vote Absentee
No reason is required to vote by mail. Any registered voter may vote by mail in an election in North Carolina.

Deadline to Request an Absentee Ballot
Absentee ballot requests must be received by the county board of elections no later than 5:00pm ET on November 1, 2022 for the November 8, 2022 general election. County boards of elections begin mailing absentee ballots to eligible voters who submitted an absentee ballot request form on September 9, 2022.

How to Request an Absentee Ballot
(1) Online: https://votebymail.ncsbe.gov/app/home
(2) By Mail: On paper with the English N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form for 2022 (fillable PDF) or the English N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form for 2022 (non-fillable print-only PDF) or the Spanish N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form for 2022. The form comes with detailed instructions. After completing, the form must be submitted to the voter’s county board of elections in person or by mail via the U.S. Postal Service, DHL, FedEx, or UPS.
(3) In Person: At the North Carolina State Board of Elections office (https://www.ncsbe.gov/contact-ncsbe) or at the relevant County Board of Elections office (https://vt.ncsbe.gov/BOEInfo/).

Deadline to Return Absentee Ballot Mailed absentee ballots will be timely if the County Board of Elections receives the ballot by 5:00 p.m. on the third day after Election Day (Friday, November 11, 2022) and postmarked on or before Election Day. Ballots without a postmark must be received by Election Day.

If the voter chooses not to return their completed absentee ballot by mail, the voter can return the completed absentee ballot in person at the voter’s county board of elections or at any open early voting (one-stop) site in the voter’s county at any time the site is open for voting if available in the voter’s municipality. If returning in person to a county board of elections office on Election Day, it must be received by 5 PM.

Early Voting North Carolina has one-stop early voting for the 2022 general election. The early voting period for the 2022 begins Thursday, October 20, 2022, and ends at 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 5, 2022. This period is sometimes called “one-stop early voting.” The voter can vote at any Early Voting site that is open within the voter’s county. The voter should check the specific opening and closing times for early voting at particular early voting sites using the state’s One-Stop Early Voting Site Search: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/ossite/.

Voter Registration

To register to vote in North Carolina you should provide:

• Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
• Your North Carolina Driver’s License or State/non-driver ID Number
• Your North Carolina Voter Registration Number (if known)

If you do not have any of these IDs, you can provide a copy of one of the following with your registration application:

• Current and Valid Photo ID
• Government Issued Document that shows your current name and address
• Utility Bill
• Government Check
• Bank Statement
• Paycheck that Shows your Current Name and Address

You can alternatively provide one of these documents when you vote to complete your registration.

Voting In-Person

Voters are currently not required to show voter ID.

See https://www.ncsbe.gov/Voter-ID for updated information on ID requirements.

ID to Register

• No photo ID is currently required to register to vote in North Carolina

ID to Vote

• No photo ID is currently required to vote in North Carolina.

ID for First Time Voters Registering by Mail

• First time voters who registered to vote by mail and DID NOT provide verification of identification (drivers’ license number or last four digits of their Social Security Number) must present proof of identification the first time that they vote.
• Proof of Identification can be:
  • A current and valid photo ID; or
  • A current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the voter’s name and address.

Moved within the same precinct in the same county

Re-registration is not required in this situation, but the voter should notify the county board of elections of the voter’s new address at least 25 days before the election.

Because the polling place will be the same for the new and old address, voters should go to that polling place. Even if a voter has not notified the county board of elections of their new address by the voter registration deadline, voters are entitled to cast a regular ballot upon oral or written affirmation of the change of address before a precinct official at the time they cast their ballot.

Moved to a different precinct within the same county

Re-registration is not required in this situation, but the voter should notify the county board of elections of the voter’s new address at least 25 days before the election.

Voters who moved at least 30 days before the election within the same county can vote either at their new polling place upon written affirmation of the new address or at a central location in the county chosen by the county board.  

If a voter goes to their old polling place to vote, the precinct officials must: (1) send the voter to the new precinct; (2) if the registrant prefers, send the voter to vote at the central location chosen by the county board; or (3) permit the voter to vote at their old precinct using a provisional ballot. The provisional ballot will only be counted for all ballot items that the voter is eligible to vote for under state or federal law. 

Voters who moved within 30 days of the election must vote in their prior polling place.  Will be able to cast a regular ballot.

Moved to a different county within the state

If the voter moved at least 30 days before the election, the voter must update their registration with their new address (or if applicable, register to vote in their new county of residence) no later than 25 days before the election. The voter may also update their address using same-day registration during the in-person early voting period.

Voters who moved fewer than 30 days before Election Day must vote at the polling place that corresponds with their old address (and when they vote, they should complete a change of address form).  They will be able to cast a regular ballot at the old polling place.

Moved from a different state

The voter is eligible to register to vote in North Carolina as long as the voter moved to the state at least 30 days before Election Day. 

The voter must submit their registration form at least 25 days before Election Day; or the voter can participate in Same Day Registration during the Early Voting period.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Military and Overseas Voters: 

In addition to using the North Carolina absentee ballot process described below, active duty military members, their dependents, and U.S. citizens living abroad may also apply to register and vote through special programs for military and overseas voters, specifically the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).  

To register, military and overseas voters can fill out the registration application using the processes for registering described above. Military and overseas voters may register to receive an absentee ballot through the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA) or the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB). The advantage of the FPCA is that the voter receives a ballot that includes all ballot choices, including local contests and ballot items. The FWAB is a simpler option if the voter only wants to vote in prominent federal contests, such as presidential elections. With a FWAB ballot, the voter may vote for all contests (federal, state and local) for which he or she is eligible, but the voter must get information for local contests and ballot items in order to write in a choice for those items. A military or overseas voter should only apply for an absentee ballot using the FPCA or the FWAB, but not both. Generally, the FWAB serves as a backup to the FPCA. For most voters, the FPCA is the best option.

UOCAVA citizens may complete an FPCA or FWAB and send the form to their county board of elections using one of these methods:

Online at the UOCAVA portal (https://votebymail.ncsbe.gov/app/uocava)

Mail: NC State Board of Elections 

PO Box 27255 Raleigh, NC 27611-7255 

Email: absentee@ncsbe.gov

Fax: (919) 715-0351

Registering and Requesting an Absentee Ballot

Absentee ballot requests must be received by the county board of elections no later than 5:00pm ET on November 1, 2022 for the November 8, 2022 general election. County boards of elections begin mailing absentee ballots to eligible voters who submitted an absentee ballot request form by September 9, 2022. After that date, the voter should receive their absentee ballot within about a week of submitting the request, provided the request was received before the deadline. Therefore, in order to allow enough time for the absentee ballot requests to be fulfilled before the deadline for the voter to submit the absentee ballot, requests should be made as far in advance of the deadline as possible.  

To request a mail-in absentee ballot, the voter or the voter’s near relative or legal guardian must complete the Absentee Ballot Request Form.  By law, a “near relative” can be any of the following: spouse, sibling, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepparent, or stepchild of the voter.   

The Absentee Ballot Request Form can be accessed at:

1. Online with “Option 1 – Request an Absentee Ballot” at the N.C. Absentee Ballot Portal: https://votebymail.ncsbe.gov/app/home.

2. On paper with the English N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form for 2022 (fillable PDF) or the English N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form for 2022 (non-fillable print-only PDF) or the Spanish N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form for 2022. The form comes with detailed instructions. After completing, the form must be submitted to the voter’s county board of elections in person or by mail via the U.S. Postal Service, DHL, FedEx, or UPS.

3. North Carolina State Board of Elections office:  https://www.ncsbe.gov/contact-ncsbe

4. The relevant County Board of Elections office: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/BOEInfo/

Those who are blind or visually impaired may also request an accessible absentee ballot. For more information about how to request and submit an accessible absentee ballot, see https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/help-voters-disabilities/accessible-absentee-voting.

A completed Absentee Ballot Request Form may only be returned by the voter, the voter’s near relative or legal guardian, a Multipartisan Assistance Team (MAT) member, United States Postal Service, or designated delivery service (DHL, FedEx, or UPS). Voters cannot submit absentee ballot request forms via fax or email.  The MAT can assist voters in the mail-in absentee voting process.  Voters who are blind, have a disability, or are unable to read or write and need assistance completing the form may request that another person give assistance if a near relative or legal guardian is not available to assist the voter. This person must provide their name and address on the voter’s Absentee Ballot Request Form.   

A request to vote absentee must be received by the appropriate County Board of Elections no later than November 1, 2022 at 5:00pm ET for the November 8, 2022 general election.  The state recommends allowing 7-10 days for the absentee ballot to be delivered to you.

A person is ineligible to vote in North Carolina if they are serving a sentence for a felony conviction. However, a recent court decision expanded the right to vote to people serving felony sentences outside of prison or jail – for example, on probation, parole, or post-release supervision. This decision is currently on hold while the case is being appealed and will be in effect for the 2022 North Carolina General Election: —any person serving a felony sentence outside of prison or jail is eligible to register to vote and vote.   

Once an individual convicted of a felony has completed their sentence or received a pardon, their citizenship rights are automatically restored and they are eligible to register and vote. No additional documentation is needed once the sentence has been served. The voter must register (or re-register) at least 25 days before the election as long as the sentence has been served by then.

For more information on eligibility to vote and how to register to vote, consult the North Carolina State Board of Elections’ Notice on the Restoration of Voting Rights to Certain Individuals on Extended Probation or visit: https://www.ncsbe.gov/registering/who-can-register/registering-person-criminal-justice-system. 

If the sentence is not fully served or the individual is not released from jail or prison until fewer than 25 days before the election, an individual with a felony conviction may apply to register to vote on primary or election day. If the application is approved, the person may vote on the same day.

Although not necessary to register, a Certificate of Restoration of Forfeited Rights of Citizenship should be issued when a sentence has been fully served (and filed with the duty court of the clerk of the county in the county of residence) and a copy should be provided to the released person. Keeping a copy of that certificate available may help avoid potential issues when registering (or re-registering) as a voter after serving their sentence.

Those who have been convicted of a misdemeanor do not lose their right to vote, even if they are incarcerated for the misdemeanor.