Any registered North Carolina voter may vote. To register, you must be:

• A U.S. citizen; and

• At least 18 years old by the day of General Election; and

• A resident of the county for at least 30 days prior to the election.

You do NOT have to have voted in the Primary to be able to vote in the General Election. If you missed the Primary, or register to vote after the Primary, it's not a problem -- just be sure to vote in the General Election! For more information on registering to vote, visit our Registration Section.

You must be at least 18 years old on the day of the General Election in order to vote in the General and Primary elections. This means that some 17-year olds may be able to vote in the Primary -- they just have to be 18 years of age on or before the November General Election and they may only vote on items in the Primary that will also be on the ballot for the General Election.

 

There is no upper age limit for voting.

Where you vote depends on where you call “home.”  Under NC law, you have two choices if you are a student who has moved away to attend school:

 

• You can declare your old address (probably your parents’ address) as your home, because that’s where you return periodically; in that case, you may register and vote in your old hometown.

• Or you can declare your new address as your home, because that’s where you return, day after day; in that case, you may register and vote in your new town. 

You have to choose: It’s a serious crime to vote in two places in the same election.
If you are already registered to vote in your hometown and now live in another community, you can vote by mail by requesting an Absentee Ballot or you can take advantage of Early Voting on a trip home during the Early Voting period each year.

If you want to change your registration to a new address or if you are not yet registered, follow the guidelines in our Registering to Vote section. Briefly, you can download a registration form and mail it to your local board of elections by the registration deadline, or call your local BOE to find out where Same Day Registration & Voting will be held in your campus community. Same Day Registration lets you register to vote, or switch your registration from your old hometown and vote, during the Early Voting period.   

 

Just remember: You can not use Same Day Registration,
or update where you are registered to vote, on Election Day!
Also, you may not use Same Day Registration to switch your party affiliation.

If you are registered in your new community and want to vote on Election Day, you will need to find out which precinct is associated with your new address and vote there. Visit the website of your local board of elections for a list of local precincts.

If the election officials can not find your name on the list of registered voters when you go to vote, you have the right to receive what is called a “Provisional Ballot.” You will have to fill out a form in addition to your ballot; the form helps the officials research your registration history. If your eligibility is verified, your ballot will count like a regular ballot. You will be given a phone number and PIN number or a website to use to check the status of your Provisional Ballot and learn if it has been approved or rejected.

To be sure you are registered before you go to vote, or to check the address where you are registered, you can use the State Board of Elections voter search engine. When you use the “Voter Lookup” service, remember to type your name as it appeared on the registration form. If you have difficulty finding a match for your name, type in only the first letter or two of your first name and then the asterisk (*) to substitute for the rest of your first name. This method should retrieve several names for you to select from.

 

Keep in mind that it can take several days for your information to be added to the registration rolls, depending on how you registered. If you do not find your name on the rolls after two weeks, or if incorrect information is listed, please contact your local board of elections.

If you requested a Provisional Ballot and were denied your right to

receive one, please call our Voter Hotline at 1-888-OUR-VOTE.

Thanks to federal and state legislation enacted over the past 30 years, North Carolina has made great strides in upholding the voting and other civil rights of individuals who have visual, physical, cognitive or mental disabilities. Civil rights legislation, architectural modifications, the implementation of new technologies and pollworker training have all helped remove many of the barriers that previously excluded North Carolina citizens with disabilities from fully participating in our democracy. Today, the North Carolina Voter Bill of Rights includes a number of provisions that may be of special interest to individuals with disabilities, including those with visual impairments. These are described in detail below. In general, though, if you are blind or have a disability, you should know the following about voting in North Carolina:

• North Carolinians who meet voting eligibility requirements and who are registered to vote have the right to vote, including people with disabilities.

• You have the right to assistance when you are voting, as described below. However, poll workers are not allowed to offer assistance unless it is requested. If you want or need assistance, you must ask for it. You may not have assistance forced upon you.

• It is not up to the poll worker to decide if a person has the right to vote or is competent to vote, nor is it up to the poll worker to block you from voting by saying you are not properly registered. If anyone tries to stop you from voting because of these or any other reasons, ask for a Provisional Ballot. Check out more on your voter rights in our Voting Rights section.

 

Literacy Provisions

If someone you know is unable to read or write, they still have the right to vote in North Carolina. They are entitled to assistance in both the primary and general election from a person of their choice, whether a relative or someone else. The only exception is that they may not receive assistance from their employer or agent of their employer or from an officer or agent of any union. Illiterate voters may ask for help having the ballot read to them and marking their ballots. If they spoil a ballot, they have the right to ask for up to three more ballots to try again (see below for more information on applicable voting rights).

 

Physical Disabilities

When it comes to voters who are blind or have disabilities that may affect the ease of access or process of voting, better polling place access and voting options such as Early Voting and Same Day Registration may make it easier to register and vote -- especially since all early voting sites in North Carolina must, by law, be completely accessible to the disabled. 

In addition, individuals with disabilities who wish to vote at their regular polling places on Election Day can use curbside voting or ask for assistance as described below – allowing them to vote alongside their neighbors and show that they value participating in democracy. Just keep in mind that any voter who would like assistance in order to vote must request assistance him- or herself.
Finally, even with assistance, you may find that your regular polling place is not entirely accessible to you. The safest way to ensure you will have access to your polling location is to check ahead of time by calling your local Board of Elections and asking. You have the right to request another permanent polling place in advance of the election if yours is inaccessible by contacting your local board of elections. And if you go to your polling place on Election Day only to find it is inaccessible to you, you can vote at any other polling place by asking for a Provisional Ballot.
 
Cognitive & Mental Disabilities

North Carolina does NOT have a constitutional disqualification election statute and state law N.C.G.S. 122C-58 states that only an unrevoked adjudication of incompetency can take away a person’s right to vote. However, a North Carolina Attorney General Opinion has reasoned that a person who has been adjudicated incompetent can register to vote pursuant to the state constitution’s grant of universal suffrage (43:1 N.C. Attorney General Reports 85, 85-87).  This means that individuals who have cognitive disabilities -- such as an intellectual functioning level (IQ) below 70-75 or significant limitations in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills -- still have the right to vote. In addition, individuals with mental disabilities have the right to vote, including people who are adult clients at residential care facilities.

If you are the guardian, caregiver, or near relative of someone with a cognitive or mental disability and they wish to vote, you are allowed to accompany them to help them register and vote. This includes explaining what the form or ballot says, helping them fill out any necessary information and marking their ballot for them. You may not tell them how to vote, however – it is their right and their responsibility to make that decision for themselves. Sample ballots are available from your local board of elections and on the state Board of Elections website a few weeks before the election.  Going over this sample ballot is good practice for actually voting and it is a good way to start talking about the candidates and issues. Take notes about decisions because a person may bring notes with them to the voting booth. 

 

If you feel it is more convenient, you may want to take advantage of Early Voting and Same Day Registration. These options allow you to register and/or vote during the early voting period at an early voting site in your county.

 

If you arrive with your ward to vote during the early voting period or on Election Day and someone tries to deny your ward the right to vote, ask for a Provisional Ballot on their behalf and call Democracy North Carolina at 1-888-OUR-VOTE if you are refused one.

 

Check out more on your voter rights in our Voting Rights section.

 

Applicable Voter Rights

The following provisions from the North Carolina Voter Bill of Rights may be of particular significance to voters with disabilities. To review all of your voter rights, please visit our Voter Rights section.

• You have the right to have your spouse, brother, sister, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepparent, or stepchild, as chosen by you, to accompany you in the voting booth. [N.C.G.S. 163-166.8]
• If you cannot read or write, or you are blind or have a disability, you have the right to request special assistance from a person of your choice who is not your employer or union officer to help you vote. [N.C.G.S. 163-166.8]
• If you have a disability and cannot enter the polling place, you have the right to vote in the immediate proximity of the polling place, including in the vehicle that brought you to the polls. [N.C.G.S. 163-166.9]
• You have the right to receive a Provisional Ballot if:
• you have applied for voter registration in the county, but your name is not on the rolls;
• you have been registered but your name has been removed from the list even though you have remained a qualified voter in the county;
• or you question the voting districts (and ballots) to which you have been assigned and believe that you are qualified to vote a different ballot. [8 N.C.A.C. 10B.0103d]

• You also have the right to find out whether the provisional ballot was counted, and, if not, the reason the vote was not counted. [N.C.G.S. 163-166.11]

• If you make a mistake or "spoil" your ballot and have not cast the ballot, you have the right to receive up to three replacement ballots. [8 N.C.A.C. 10B.0104b]

 

For more information on disability rights, including voting rights for people with disabilities, in North Carolina, please call Disability Rights North Carolina at 1-877-235-4210 (voice) or 1-888-268-5535 (TTY). You can also visit their website at www.disabilityrightsnc.org.

Yes, contrary to popular myth, you have the right to vote – and we hope you will exercise that right.

When you are convicted of a felony in NC, you temporarily lose your citizenship rights. But you automatically get your rights back after you finish all parts of your sentence, including any probation, or parole. You do not need a special document saying your rights are restored. You just register to vote like any other citizen. Follow the guidelines in our Registering to Vote section.

 

Note: If you were registered before your felony conviction, you have to register again because your old registration was revoked. 

 

If you go to register and an elections official says you are not eligible because of your record, please call our Voter Hotline at 1-888-OUR-VOTE.

For a guide to voting rights of people who have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, please click here.

Yes, you can even register and vote while you are in jail. When you are awaiting trial or serving a misdemeanor sentence, you do not lose your citizenship rights. You can follow the guidelines in our Registering to Vote sections.

For a guide to voting rights of ex-felons and misdemeanants, click here.

Absolutely. You do not have to belong to a political party to vote in a Primary. If you registered as an Unaffiliated voter, you just ask for either the Democratic Party primary ballot or the Republican Party primary ballot: It’s your choice.

Making a choice does not change your registration or your Unaffiliated status, nor does it obligate you to vote for that party in the General Election. However, if there is a Primary Run-off, you can only participate in the Run-off of the same party that you selected in the original Primary.